Login / Signup

Fifth Sunday in Lent - A

Hold down Ctrl (Windows) / Command (Mac) for multiple selections (scroll list to see all options)

Children's Activity

Commentary

Children's bulletin

Children's Liturgy and Story

Children's sermon

Children's Story

Devotional

Drama

Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Hope comes when new life... -- Ezekiel 37:1-14 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2008
Hope comes when new life is breathed into a situation where none appears to exist.
Hint: If God ever asks... -- Ezekiel 37:1-14 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2008
Hint: If God ever asks you the question, "Can these bones live?" the correct answer is a
The Congregational Church of Machias... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2008
The Congregational Church of Machias, Maine, which dates back to the eighteenth
Edith Burns lived in San... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2008
Edith Burns lived in San Antonio, and she always introduced herself this way: "Hello, my
It was shocking when Mark... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2008
It was shocking when Mark was caught stealing from the house of one of his friends. No
Paul may not have known... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2008
Paul may not have known how easy it is to set our minds on the flesh. For example, in
Bea was always serious about... -- John 11:1-45 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2008
Bea was always serious about her faith, but only after her sixtieth birthday did she feel
I can only guess how... -- John 11:1-45 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2008
I can only guess how many graves I've seen while officiating at scores of funerals in
Thomas said, Let us go... -- John 11:1-45 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2008
Thomas said, "Let us go that we may die with him."
Illustrations for March 9... -- Ezekiel 37:1-14, Romans 8:6-11, John 11:1-45 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2008
Illustrations for March 9Ezekiel 37:1-14
If you were to meet... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2002
If you were to meet the sisters Jane and Jean in the hallway of the nursing home in which they lived
The movie Schindler's List focuses... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2002
The movie Schindler's List focuses on the heroism and self-sacrifice of Oskar Schindler, a Catholic
Does materialism drag our faith... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2002
Does materialism drag our faith commitment downward?
We stepped off the bus... -- John 11:1-45 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2002
We stepped off the bus quickly on that bright, sunny morning in the Holy Land.
Lazarus' untimely death points up... -- John 11:1-45 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2002
Lazarus' untimely death points up the impossibility of predicting, planning, or controlling what's c
Firefighters have a tradition that... -- John 11:1-45 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2002
Firefighters have a tradition that when one of them dies, especially in the line of duty, not only t
The evening at the support... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2002
The evening at the support group had been an interesting one.
A man owned a house... -- Romans 8:11-19 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
A man owned a house which he rented for income. He needed the income in order to meet his expenses.
There is a good word... -- John 11:1-45 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
There is a good word to be said in support of channel-surfing.
Things can really seem dull... -- John 11:1-45 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Things can really seem dull and dead after a rainy weekend, so you can understand how it must have b
Her grandmother was visiting. The... -- John 11:1-45 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Her grandmother was visiting.
Leonard had discovered over the... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Leonard had discovered over the last couple of years that fasting was just not a spiritual disciplin
How can you tell if... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
How can you tell if a person is a Christian?
Here is a clear distinction... -- Romans 8:1-10 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Here is a clear distinction between body and soul. Our bodies make constant demands upon us.

The Immediate Word

Do We Have Enemies? -- John 11:1-45, Romans 8:6-11, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Psalm 130 -- Barbara Jurgensen, Paul Bresnahan, Carlos Wilton -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2008
As we face a world of conflict and war, with battle lines drawn and weapons aimed at the enemy, wit

Intercession

Preaching

Sermon

The Village Shepherd

Land Rights -- Ezekiel 37:1-14 -- Janice B. Scott -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A
For centuries, an Englishman's home has been regarded as his castle.
Who Controls Your Mind? -- Romans 8:6-11 -- Janice B. Scott -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A
I once took the funeral of a drug addict.

Stories

Worship

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 20 | OT 25 | Pentecost 15
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 21 | OT 26 | Pentecost 16
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 22 | OT 27 | Pentecost 17
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
For October 5, 2025:

StoryShare

Frank Ramirez
What kind of poetry is written in the midst of war? Gentle poetry. Brutal poetry. Shocking poetry. Haunting poetry.

It was expected on all sides that the First World War would end quickly — but it slogged on for four long years. How many died? You’ll get as many answers as the number of sources you check, but let’s say twenty million for the sake of a number. Each one of those was a human being, each life cut short was irreplaceable, each one a cherished child of God.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
Not all suffering is equal.

We know, of course, that some pain is worse than other pain and some suffering is more difficult to endure. I have discovered, for example, that I classify some troubles as “headaches” while other troubles are “heartaches.” The “headache” type of suffering is a nuisance, no doubt, but it is not nearly so painful to me as the “heartache” type of suffering. Troubles at work are headaches; troubles at home are heartaches.
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Mark Ellingsen
Lamentations 1:1-6; Lamentations 3:19-26 or Psalm 137

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: The object of this lesson is a phrase for everyone to remember. If you want to add a bit of interest, you could print that phrase on a card or ribbon to give to each child. For the most impact, create one for every member of the congregation and have the children hand them out after the message.

* * *

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

His friends and followers said to Jesus, "Increase our faith!" In our worship today let us explore faith and ask that he might increase our faith too.



Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes I feel anxious and worried.

Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes I find it hard to believe that you will always care for me.

Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes I envy other people because of their great faith.

Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

Carlos Wilton
The little-known book of Lamentations was likely composed in the ashes of Jerusalem, following the Babylonian invasion which carried the leaders of the Jewish community off into exile. It speaks to the concerns of the Jerusalem community for their long-term survival under occupation by a foreign power. While the book's title sounds grim, and its setting is dark, the book is fundamentally life-affirming. It is a testimony to the steadfast love of God that may be discovered through renewed faith, even in troubled times.

Lee Ann Dunlap
Some records are made to be broken -- like Olympic speed skating; Cal Ripkin, Jr.'s, most consecutive baseball game appearances; and North Dakota's longest cow chip toss. Other records we'd prefer to let stand -- the world's deadliest disaster, or the most active hurricane season, for instance. Years 2004 and 2005 will probably make the books as among the most dramatic in weather history. Hurricanes pounded the southern coast of the USA. Floods and blizzards battered the midwest. Earthquakes devastated parts of central Asia.
Rick McCracken-Bennett
Ever since the sign went up on our property that our church was coming I've gotten phone calls from people asking when we'll have a church. I can be a smart aleck as some of you will attest and so I'm often quick to respond that we already have a church, we just don't have a building. "Well," they usually say, "give me a call when you get the building done; I'm not going to worship in a high school cafeteria." Before I can give my canned speech about the difference between a church and the building I realize I'm talking to a dead phone.
R. Kevin Mohr
It can be really depressing to listen to the news anymore. It doesn't matter which network you watch, everywhere you turn it's the same old bad news: natural and manmade disasters, the continuing conflicts in the Middle East and in Iraq and Afghanistan, medical miscues, entertainers gone wild and self-destructive, sports heroes disappointing us. Then there's a federal government that often seems to be, at best, incompetent or, at worst, corrupt. What makes it even more depressing is that at least 51% of us voted those currently in the White House and on Capitol Hill into office!
Gary L. Carver
You may have noticed that I read earlier from the King James Version of the Bible and not the New International Version from which I usually read. I read from a Bible that was given to me by my father which was passed on to him by his father. I read earlier from my Grandfather Carver's pulpit Bible from which he began preaching over ninety years ago and used for over forty years. Needless to say, when I accepted this Bible from my father I received it as a sacred trust.

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL