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Ash Wednesday - A

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

An experience with our organ... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20--6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 2007
An experience with our organ at the Hampton, Iowa, church brought home to me in a
There's a Jewish story about... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 2007
There's a Jewish story about a young man who once came to a famous rabbi, asking how
Do not store up for... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 2007
"Do not store up for yourselves...."
Del was in Washington DC... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 2007
Del was in Washington DC to attend a peace conference. Christians from across the
Jesus instructs his disciples (and... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 2007
Jesus instructs his disciples (and us) not to be showy people. Rather, we are to live our
6:1-6, 16-21... -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 2002
6:1-6, 16-21
Once an uneducated peasant boy... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 2002
Once an uneducated peasant boy, but a very bright one, kept his true character in secret.
The western church has often... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 2002
The western church has often talked about discipleship as doing God's will: God saves us in Jesus, a
Folk historian J. Frank Dobie... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 2002
Folk historian J. Frank Dobie liked to tell stories about the animals of the Southwest.
Last year, Armando Valladares' book... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 2002
Last year, Armando Valladares' book, Against All Hope, was re-released.
When we lay up treasures... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 2002
When we lay up treasures in heaven, by fixing our heart there, we make clear that our priorities are
Pastor Ken Kettlewell writes: When... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 2002
Pastor Ken Kettlewell writes: When I was in high school, I received word that someone in my congrega
General George C. Marshall, U.S... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 1999
General George C. Marshall, U.S.
There is something about me... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 1999
There is something about me that likes the pat on the back.
God loves you, Todd. God... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 1999
"God loves you, Todd.
A twentieth-century Paul, who... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 1999
A twentieth-century Paul, who commended himself to others as a servant of the gospel, is Milan Haimo
In the service of death... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 1999
In the service of death and resurrection there comes the solemn moment when we are struck by the wor
Paul ends this passage by... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 1999
Paul ends this passage by saying that through possessing nothing, we have in fact gained everything.
The movie PattonI... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 1999
The movie Patton tells the story of the great American general, George Patton.
Ben was a person with... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 1999
Ben was a person with the Midas touch. Every business venture he tried ended up being successful.
Our need for God is... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 1996
Our need for God is emphasized during the Lenten season and his nearness to us becomes more real.
Some of the scandals with... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 1996
Some of the scandals with some of the television ministers have caused some people to lose their fai
In the city of Chicago... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 1996
In the city of Chicago is a fountain surrounded by carvings in stone which are called "The March of
In late 1994 a federal... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 1996
In late 1994 a federal court judge ruled that a Baltimore law that restricted panhandling was uncons
Many adolescents (and some adults... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 1996
Many adolescents (and some adults who never matured beyond that stage) seek out their best-looking a

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New & Featured This Week

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John Jamison
Object: You may present this message as a simple story, or have the children act it out as a role-play. I will show the role-play version, but you can ignore the acting pieces and just tell the story if you prefer.

Note: For the role-play version, you will need to select two girls and one boy to play the roles. You might also have a broom and a dust rag if you want to.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Great! Let’s get started.

The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
For July 20, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Amos 8:1-12, Psalm 52
Amos proclaims the word from God that punishes the people. The people are to be punished for their lack of faith, for their focus on practicing deceit, betraying honesty to their neighbors, and being impatient for the time after the Sabbath when they can focus on profit and selling their crops and wares. Oh, my! What a terrible message for people. You have been unfaithful so I will punish you. And then in the psalm, God is proclaimed to be the olive tree, that which brings blessing.
David Kalas
I have tried to find different ways of saying it so that my children don’t tire of hearing it. But the basic principle remains the same, and my kids have heard it a ton. “First things first.” They ask if they can do this or they start to do that, and I will endeavor to redirect them, saying, “Why don’t we make sure we’re doing first things first!”

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. (v. 24)

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
One of Martha's earliest memories was of her little sister Mary singing and dancing in the middle of an admiring crowd of friends. Mary had always been a dancer, from the time she could walk. Privately, Martha thought she'd always been something of a show-off and ought to go on the stage, for Mary loved an audience.

SermonStudio

John E. Sumwalt
Jeanne Jones
Several years ago, before we moved to Wisconsin, I was an honorary nanny for our pastor's son, Jonathan. I took care of him from the time he was able to walk until our pastor moved, when Jonathan was about five. We had wonderful times together. One time, when I was at their house, and we had been doing some spiritual direction together, Pastor Michael asked me if I knew the name of my guardian angel.
James Evans
We are not surprised when we learn about crooks and robbers boasting about "mischief done against the godly" or "plotting destruction" all day long. The image we have in our minds about who "bad" people are, and how they conduct themselves, make such accusations completely plausible. We are less inclined to believe such things about leaders, especially respected leaders among us. We have difficulty believing someone with wealth and power would deliberately plot to do someone else harm.
Arley K. Fadness
Today's gospel from Luke 10 follows the parable of the good Samaritan. Luke positions the good Samaritan and the Mary-Martha story back to back for good reason. The parable and the story are examples of the Great Commandment "to love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself." The good Samaritan parable illustrates "love to neighbor," whereas the Mary-Martha story illustrates "love to God."
Kirk R. Webster
In the early 1990s, Wesley Nunley of Dallas completed a project he had dreamed of for decades. "I tell you, this could be a big thing," he explained. Wes then walked out to a concrete octagon in the middle of his backyard. With a beaming smile, arms raised up in excitement, the energetic retiree said, "This welcomes the UFO to land, which has never been done before."
John W. Wurster
It was the best of times. A time of prosperity and confidence, a time of relative peace, a time when most everything looked pretty good, a time when most everyone felt pretty good. It was a time maybe not unlike our own time.
H. Burnham Kirkland
Words Of Assurance
Our God is both wise and caring: afflicting the comfortable and comforting the afflicted.

Pastoral Prayer
God, we bow before you this morning, knowing that you hear every prayer. We know that in all of Creation, you are the source of life. You are the one who set the light swirling between the galaxies. The breath of your Spirit pulses through all life. You have even become flesh among us. We praise you, Lord, that in all your wonder, you have not forgotten us.

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