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Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

I love humankind! It's people... -- 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 1999
"I love humankind!
Christ offers us a unity... -- 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 1999
Christ offers us a unity of spirit that is crucial to our well-being.
Whenever you are close to... -- Matthew 4:12-23 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 1999
Whenever you are close to the ocean, it isn't very hard to find a listing of high tide and low tide.
The following story was told... -- Matthew 4:12-23 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 1999
The following story was told as part of a Palliative Care Volunteer Training Course.
Six job-seekers in Lyon... -- Matthew 4:12-23 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 1999
Six job-seekers in Lyon, France, where unemployment reached 12.7 percent (a post-World War II high),
Drugs, gang shootings, and teenage... -- 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 1999
Drugs, gang shootings, and teenage sex are as common as the absence of food on the table for most me
In the ancient world, it... -- 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 1999
In the ancient world, it was an amazing sight to see the great monuments erected.
Louisa May Alcott, author of... -- Matthew 4:12-23 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 1996
Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, wrote a poem titled, "My Kingdom." It contains these line
Years ago a letter appeared... -- 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 1996
Years ago a letter appeared in Dear Abby written by a young lady who was having family problems.
A certain pastor had a... -- 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 1996
A certain pastor had a problem. There were two rival factions on his church council.
A computer programmer at Carnegie... -- Matthew 4:12-23 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 1996
A computer programmer at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh has come up with an alternative fo
She had found a job... -- Matthew 4:12-23 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 1996
She had found a job, and she certainly needed one!
Blockbuster author and movie director... -- Matthew 4:12-23 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 1996
Blockbuster author and movie director Michael Crichton, believe it or not, was in medical school wel
One day a hostess at... -- 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 1996
One day a hostess at a restaurant asked what I considered then a strange question.
Maribeth was used to being... -- 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 1996
Maribeth was used to being correct.
Technology makes it possible for... -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A
Technology makes it possible for us not to have to deal face-to-face with each other, but sometimes
In Our Lady of... -- 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A
In Our Lady of the Lost and Found by Zisner Hampton, we are told that "Searching too hard for
There is a story that... -- 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A
There is a story that preachers like to tell about a church down south where a disagreement in the c
Sarah arrived on the pastor's... -- Isaiah 9:1-4 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A
Sarah arrived on the pastor's doorstep in the middle of the night.
We've all had the experience... -- Isaiah 9:1-4 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A
We've all had the experience of sitting in a darkened theater. Nothing seems quite so dark.
At a Christian preschool, three... -- Isaiah 9:1-4 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A
At a Christian preschool, three- and four-year-olds fill the church three mornings a week.
A pastor in Ohio shared... -- Isaiah 9:1-4 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A
A pastor in Ohio shared this story:
At a Boy Scout Troop... -- 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A
At a Boy Scout Troop meeting the scouts held elections.
Church members know how challenging... -- 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A
Church members know how challenging it can be to live up to Paul's admonition, "let there be no disa
The call to follow Jesus... -- Matthew 4:12-23 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A
The call to follow Jesus comes to various people in various ways.

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Easter 4
28 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
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34 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
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33 – Sermons
140+ – Illustrations / Stories
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30 – Worship Resources
35 – Commentary / Exegesis
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Easter 6
30 – Sermons
180+ – Illustrations / Stories
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New & Featured This Week

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
In the sometimes-tiresome debate over science and scripture with respect to creation, it’s easy to become distracted. While the argument typically requires a focus on the how, we may lose sight of the what. And so, for just a moment, let me invite us to think for a moment about what God created.
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Bill Thomas
Acts 8:26-40
As a local church pastor, I was often asked if I would baptize a child whose family were not members of the church. Some churches rebelled against this, but I remember this scripture — the hunger for understanding and inclusion of the Eunuch and Philp’s response — to teach and share and baptize in the name of our God. How could we turn anyone away from the rite of baptism?

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
“Dad, I think you worked a miracle.” Rolf slowly walked around the tree. “After that windstorm, I assumed this tree was as good as gone.”

“We just needed to give the branches time to heal and come back,” Michael replied.

 “I know, but so many of them were battered and broken I figured that it couldn’t recover. Now though it looks just like it did before the storm.” Rolf paused. “Do you think it will bear any fruit this summer?”

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A live plant that produces fruit, and a broken branch from that plant. I used a tomato plant from a local greenhouse. Ideally, find a plant with blossoms or small fruit already growing. If you use a different kind of fruit-producing plant, just change the script to fit.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent!

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Mary Austin
Elena Delhagen
Dean Feldmeyer
Quantisha Mason-Doll
For April 28, 2024:
  • On The Way To Gaza by Chris Keating based on Acts 8:26-40. On the way to Gaza, Philip discovers the startling ways the Spirit of God moves across borders, boundaries, customs, and traditions.
  • Second Thoughts: Abiding by Katy Stenta based on John 15:1-8.
  • Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Tom Willadsen, Elena Delhagen, Dean Feldmeyer.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. In our service today, let us absorb from the vine all the nourishment we need.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes our branches become cut off from the vine.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes our branches are withered.
Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we fail to produce good fruit.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

Stan Purdum
We will meet Psalm 22 in its entirety on Good Friday, but here the lectionary designates just verses 23-31. The lectionary psalms generally illuminate the week's First Lesson, which in this case is about the covenant initiated by God with Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 17. The nine verses from this psalm, while not inappropriate, nonetheless leave us looking for an obvious connection with the First Lesson.

John S. Smylie
I think some people are natural-born gardeners. Our Lord grew up in a society that was familiar with agriculture. The images that he used to explain the ways of his Father in heaven are familiar to his audience. Growing up, my closest experience to agriculture was living in, "the Garden State." Most people, when they pass through New Jersey, are surprised to see that expression on the license plates of vehicles registered in New Jersey. Most folks traveling through New Jersey experience the megalopolis, the corridor between New York City and Washington DC.
Ron Lavin
A pastor in Indiana went to visit an 87-year-old man named Ermil, who was a hospital patient. A member of his church told the pastor about this old man who was an acquaintance. "He's not a believer, but he is really in need," the church member said. "I met him at the county home for the elderly. He's a lonely old man with no family and no money."

Paul E. Robinson
"Love is a many splendored thing...." Or so we heard Don Cornwall and the Four Aces sing time and again. Of course you or I might have other words to describe love, depending on our situation.

Love. "I love you." "I love to play golf." "I just love pistachio lush!" "It's tough to love some people." "Jesus loves me, this I know."

Love.

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