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First Sunday after Christmas Day - A

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Several years ago, a very... -- Isaiah 61:10--62:3 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Several years ago, a very bright, precocious, five-year-old, having completed a year of kindergarten
There's an old story about... -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
There's an old story about a king, who one day received a visit from an angel.
Judy seemed different, somehow -- even... -- Isaiah 61:10--62:3 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Judy seemed different, somehow -- even Mr. Haggarty, the boss noticed.
As a fiercely independent man... -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
As a fiercely independent man, John didn't need help from anybody.
Art Linkletter tells about his... -- Galatians 4:4-7 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Art Linkletter tells about his all-time favorite religious encounter with a child.
A little boy was visiting... -- Galatians 4:4-7 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
A little boy was visiting his aunt and uncle.
I suspect that if we... -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
I suspect that if we were to ask people to talk about memorable Christmases we would be surprised at
C. P. Snow in his... -- Galatians 4:4-7 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
C. P.
The angel who appeared to... -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
The angel who appeared to Joseph in a dream, was of course instrumental in saving Jesus and his eart
While we like to think... -- Colossians 3:12-21 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
While we like to think that we are a people, a society more advanced, more cultured than our ancesto
The slaughter of the innocents... -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
The slaughter of the innocents is one of the hardest stories in the life of Jesus for us to deal wit
Once upon a time in... -- Colossians 3:12-21 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Once upon a time in a land not so far away, a movie actress was asked to be the spokesperson for the
For more than a year... -- Colossians 3:12-21 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
For more than a year, the nation has been convulsed by the arrest and beating of Rodney King in Cali
Natural scientist Aldo Leopold once... -- Colossians 3:12-21 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Natural scientist Aldo Leopold once studied the inter-relationships of rabbits, lady-slippers, deer
In this account it seems... -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
In this account it seems about all the baby Jesus did was hide out by being moved from spot to spot.
Theodore Roethke begins his poem... -- Isaiah 63:7-9 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Theodore Roethke begins his poem, "In A Dark Time" with these words: "In a dark time, the eye begins
I recently purchased a computer... -- Isaiah 63:7-9 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
I recently purchased a computer.
In a Georgia town back... -- Isaiah 63:7-9 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
In a Georgia town back in the 1920s a baby was born in the house where the Hunters lived.
Because of his love for... -- Isaiah 63:7-9 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Because of his love for them he rescued them.
Andrew could not help but... -- Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Andrew could not help but notice a homemade wooden plaque hanging in his grandfather's garage.
The other day as I... -- Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
The other day as I was visiting with a friend, she began to speak about her mother who is dying of c

The Immediate Word

One Sin At A Time -- Matthew 2:13-23, Hebrews 2:10-18, Isaiah 63:7-9, Psalm 148 -- Carlos Wilton, Stephen P. McCutchan, Thom M. Shuman -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
When we hear of atrocities and other deplorable acts in our world, it is easy to imagine that we are

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John Jamison
Object: A pig stuffed animal.

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

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
George Reed
For June 22, 2025:

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian,  for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.  As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (vv. 25-28)

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Mark Ellingsen
1 Kings 19:1-4 (5-7) 8-15a
Life can be frightening sometimes. Thus it is both comforting but disconcerting to find a giant of faith like Elijah to fear the future. On that matter Martin Luther once claimed:
David Kalas
We’re not far from the 4th of July. And while for so many Americans, it seems that the holiday has become more about long weekends, cookouts, and fireworks shows, the theme of freedom is still there at least in the background. We might take advantage of that, therefore, and give some thought to the theme of freedom as it is revealed in our assigned texts for this week.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

The madman cried out to Jesus, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" In our worship today let us explore what Jesus has to do with us and invite him to heal our brokenness.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, we often find ourselves thinking, saying and doing things that we quickly regret.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

Constance Berg
When Jill was five, she began to have headaches. The headaches were so severe she would throw up. Sometimes she would pass out. They usually came once a month. Jill could be playing, resting, or watching television when the headaches would come. Her only warning was a sudden pain in her head, then a blinding light would appear, and she would be rocked with pain. In her teenage years, they became debilitating, causing Jill to be in bed for three days at a time.
Stan Purdum
I'm not sure when the term "burn out" ceased being only a description of what happened to a campfire when you ran out of firewood to a term describing the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest, usually coming immediately after an extended period of overwork, but the expression seems to fit that later situation, doesn't it? Exhaustion, deep weariness, all used up, nothing more to give, wiped out, burned out -- call it what we will, its symptoms are all too familiar to many of us.
April Yamasaki
In the classic movie, Mary Poppins, Julie Andrews plays a no-nonsense, yet delightful, nanny to two young children. As a nanny to a wealthy family, she is part teacher, part parent, and part disciplinarian. She gets the children up in the morning, puts them to bed at night, supervises their many adventures, and guides them in many ways. While they are in her care, she is responsible for their overall safety and well-being.

Julia Ross Strope
Zoos are no longer in people's good graces.
Religion faces the same problem.
Certain illusions about freedom plague them both.
-- Yann Martel, Life of Pi

Call To Worship
Leader: I'm so glad you're here! There are seats for everyone; there's slight air movement; the windows engender tranquility and imagination and words will stimulate fresh thoughts.

People: It's good to be here, in sanctuary. We're glad for opportunities to gather and to express our gratitude to God and our appreciation for one another.

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