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Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

In order to be useful... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 2002
In order to be useful, a symbol has to be understood by both the people using it and the people obse
A fellow wanted a job... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 2002
A fellow wanted a job as a signalman on the railway.
There continues to be a... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 2002
There continues to be a debate in the Christian community about what it means to be "poor in spirit.
A piano looks ominous to... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 2002
A piano looks ominous to us when we first sit down at the keyboard. White keys, black keys.
No mercy! None expected, none... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 2002
"No mercy!
Juana crouched down. She knew... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1999
Juana crouched down.
She once asked Mother Teresa... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1999
She once asked Mother Teresa if she could come to Calcutta and serve with her there.
A local television station presented... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1999
A local television station presented a Family Health and Fitness Fair, a public service to educate p
These are powerful words that... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1999
These are powerful words that remind us that God is able to work through our weakness.
The rock group Chumbawamba has... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1999
The rock group Chumbawamba has a hit song called "Tubthumpin'." I heard this song used before a bask
A pastor once asked an... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1999
A pastor once asked an adult Bible study class what their favorite part of the worship service was.
There are 85 people listed... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1999
There are 85 people listed as Santa Claus in telephone directories in the United States.
Some memories seem never to... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1999
Some memories seem never to fade away.
The Jameson family was large... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1996
The Jameson family was large and close.
I once asked an adult... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1996
I once asked an adult Vacation Bible School class what their favorite part of the worship service wa
A couple from a congregation... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1996
A couple from a congregation I served one day visited another family in the congregation.
Whatever else might characterize God... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1996
Whatever else might characterize God, Frank was convinced that an outrageous sense of humor was one
I once knew a man... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1996
I once knew a man who was a very bright and successful doctor.
It is natural for a... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1996
It is natural for a person to boast, almost without knowing it, as he fulfills an inner desire to te
William Blake's Clod And The... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1996
William Blake's "Clod And The Pebble" illustrates 2 kinds of love: "Love seeketh only self to please
On a Saturday afternoon in... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1996
On a Saturday afternoon in November 1994, a Methodist minister officiated at a wedding in Bridgeport
One preacher reflecting on a... -- Micah 6:1-8 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A
One preacher reflecting on a required college course, "PH100: Introduction to Philosophy," tells abo
Among all my patients in... -- Micah 6:1-8 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A
Among all my patients in the second half of life, that is, over 35, there has not been one whose la
She was right: dignity was... -- Micah 6:1-8 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A
"She was right: dignity was important. But so was the impulse to get rid of it ...
The Judeo-Christian tradition lifts... -- Micah 6:1-8 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A
The Judeo-Christian tradition lifts up this scripture passage as one of its flagship affirmations.

Preaching

Sermon

The Village Shepherd

The Foolishness Of The Cross -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Janice B. Scott -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A
I recently watched a televised tribute to Dame Judi Dench, who really is an outstanding actr
Justice For All -- Micah 6:1-8 -- Janice B. Scott -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A
In 1999, a young couple lost their baby son to cot death at the age of eighteen weeks.

Stories

Worship

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John Jamison
Object: This is a role play activity.

Note: You will need to select six children to play roles in this activity. If you have a smaller group, you might ask some older youth or even adults to play the parts of the two attackers and the man being attacked. I will give suggestions for how they can play their roles, but feel free to help your children make the story as fun and memorable as you can. I have used boys and girls in the various roles, but you can change those however you want to change them.

* * *

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Christopher Keating
George Reed
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
For July 13, 2025:
  • Samaritans Among Us by Dean Feldmeyer based on Acts 2:1-21. Samaritans were despised and dismissed by the original audience who first heard Jesus tell this parable. Who are the Samaritans in our lives and how does this parable apply today?
  • Second Thoughts: The Helpers by Katy Stenta based on Amos 7:7-17.

StoryShare

Frank Ramirez
I say, “You are gods,
    children of the Most High, all of you;
nevertheless, you shall die like mortals
    and fall like any prince….”
(vv. 6-7)

There have been any number of brother-sister acts that achieved a measure of fame. Take the Carpenters, famed for their singing, musicianship, and songwriting skills. Also worthy of mention are John and Joan Cusack who have acted together in over sixteen films.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Wayne Brouwer
An ancient legend tells of a remote mountain village where people used to send their senior citizens out into the woods to die. The villagers had an eye to the future; they felt that those beyond a certain age would only slow down progress or use up valuable resources to no economically profitable end. Those who reached a certain age weren’t “put out to pasture” or “put out of their misery”; they were simply put out of other people’s way.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Amos 7:7-17 and Psalm 82
The tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It is more than 2,700 feet high—over half a mile tall. It has 160 floors and is twice as tall as the Empire State Building in New York City. It is home to the world’s fastest elevator which reaches speeds of forty miles an hour. The Burj Khalifa also hosts the world’s highest outdoor observation deck (on the 124th floor) and the world’s highest swimming pool (on the 76th floor).

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Mabel hummed a familiar hymn tune as she made her way to church. She always enjoyed her Sunday morning walk. It was one of the few times she felt safe to walk alone through the inner city, for she knew nobody would be up at 7.45 in the morning. Today was a particularly beautiful morning, with blue sky, warm sunshine, and the song of a few intrepid blackbirds who still inhabited the city.

SermonStudio

James Evans
Often, a distinction is made between the pastoral or priestly work of the church and the prophetic work. Pastoral care has to do with the care of souls, the offering of comfort in times of loss. The priestly character of pastoral work seeks to mediate the presence of God to those who are hurting.

Schuyler Rhodes
Trusting is never easy. Even in the best of relationships, people step into trust slowly. There is wariness -- questioning -- worry. What happens if trust is betrayed? What if this doesn't work? Sometimes it's like a dance. We step in and out of trust, moving to the rhythms of fear. For many, the routine is achingly familiar. Indeed, it's not easy to trust.
John Jamison
It was back in the days when the railroad was the most common mode of transportation. There were automobiles, and some airplanes, but the steam locomotive was the way most folks traveled and the way that most of the goods were distributed around the country. After dinner, people sat in the drawing room and listened to the radio programs, fading in and out from some faraway location, over the magical broadcasting signal.
Robert Leslie Holmes
Not many tourists to Washington, D.C., look for the Federal Bureau of Standards offices. It's the Capitol and the White House, the Supreme Court Building or the Smithsonian most of us want to see when we go there. Yet, at the Bureau of Standards offices something very important is stored, something that impacts your life and mine every single day. Have you ever bought the materials for a new project? When you did, most likely you purchased so many inches or feet or yards. Or, you stopped to buy gasoline for your car and purchased it at a certain price per gallon.
David O. Bales
I have the two best jobs in the world. I teach social studies at Leon Griffith Junior High School (a fairly small junior high) and I am Sunday School Superintendent at Calvary Presbyterian Church (an enormous church school). Each job is my vocation. I tell people that at school they'll find my room where the halls cross. At church they can look but probably won't find me. I'll be in someone's classroom. At each job I practice what I most deeply believe: it's how you see the world that determines how you respond to it. I'll give you an example, actually, two examples.
Erskine White
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed,
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
(Stuart K. Hine)

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