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Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

As a beauty I'm... -- Luke 4:21-30 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 2006
As a beauty I'm not a star, There are others more handsome by far;
In the movie Election... -- Luke 4:21-30 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 2001
In the movie Election, we are introduced to Tracy Flick, who is the very definition of an ove
John Leo, in U.S... -- Luke 4:21-30 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 2001
John Leo, in U.S.
RCA used the image of... -- Luke 4:21-30 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 2001
RCA used the image of a dog sitting attentively next to a record player and the caption was, "His ma
Small town memories can be... -- Luke 4:21-30 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 2001
Small town memories can be long and brutal. Michael was a troubled child.
Howard, don't you think it's... -- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 2001
"Howard, don't you think it's about time?" Jerry, Howard's best friend, was concerned about the sign
Paul talks about authentic love... -- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 2001
Paul talks about authentic love and its place in the Christian faith.
John and April, the pastor... -- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 2001
"John and April," the pastor began, "the building blocks on the altar are my wedding gift to you.
Mothers teach children that people... -- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 2001
Mothers teach children that "people pay more attention to what we do than what we say." Believers mi
Robin Williams in the movie... -- Luke 4:21-30 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 1998
Robin Williams in the movie Dead Poet's Society was instrumental in helping his students see
Spiritual leadership is an impossible... -- Luke 4:21-30 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 1998
Spiritual leadership is an impossible job.
We tend to think of... -- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 1998
We tend to think of love as emotion, as opposed to idea or reason or will.
Paul's words on love in... -- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 1998
Paul's words on "love" in 1 Corinthians are among the most famous ever written.
Who pays any attention to... -- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 1998
Who pays any attention to Number 2? Well, Babe Ruth is Number 2.
Whenever I drive into Pittsburgh... -- Luke 4:21-30 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 1998
Whenever I drive into Pittsburgh, I travel past three church buildings that always catch my attentio
When Rosa Parks declined to... -- Luke 4:21-30 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 1995
When Rosa Parks declined to move and stand at the back of the bus, the driver and some passengers we
This is a true story... -- Luke 4:21-30 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 1995
This is a true story. Tom Kelker was an over-the-road salesman, home only on weekends.
Some 400 volumes about the... -- Luke 4:21-30 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 1995
Some 400 volumes about the presidency of John Fitzgerald Kennedy are now available.
A child leaves home to... -- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 1995
A child leaves home to live the kind of life that comes to poverty and near destruction.
The obscurity and apparent heterodoxy... -- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 1995
The obscurity and apparent heterodoxy of much of the work of the English poet, artist and visionary
Love is patient. I have... -- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 1995
Love is patient. I have an aunt who is in her 90s.
The advertisement from the Episcopal... -- 1 Corinthians 14:12b-20 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 1995
The advertisement from the Episcopal Church showed a very familiar artwork of Jesus.
A church survey asked all... -- 1 Corinthians 14:12b-20 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 1995
A church survey asked all the members to identify what one thing about the church was the biggest pr
Each time the father commenced... -- 1 Corinthians 14:12b-20 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 1995
Each time the father commenced to spanking his son for wrongdoing, the lad had an out-of-body experi
Beth's brother Brandon, and Patrick... -- 1 Corinthians 14:12b-20 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 1995
Beth's brother Brandon, and Patrick, the boy from next door, might as well have been speaking Martia

Intercession

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Preaching

Sermon

The Village Shepherd

God's House -- Ezekiel 43:27-44:4 -- Janice B. Scott -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C
Although church attendance is down dramatically compared with fifty years ago, there is one sure way

Stories

Worship

UPCOMING WEEKS
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Easter 4
28 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
23 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 5
33 – Sermons
140+ – Illustrations / Stories
34 – Children's Sermons / Resources
30 – Worship Resources
35 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 6
30 – Sermons
180+ – Illustrations / Stories
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31 – Commentary / Exegesis
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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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