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First Sunday in Lent - A

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

There is a new candy... -- Matthew 4:1-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
There is a new candy company named Lighthouse Confections that makes very intricate designs on lolli
I once heard a pastor... -- Matthew 4:1-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
I once heard a pastor say, "If you're looking for illustrations on the meaning of Lent, then you mig
Larry's parents were devout Christians... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
Larry's parents were devout Christians.
When Diana lay dying of... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
When Diana lay dying of cancer, her thoughts were of her adult Christian single friends with whom sh
A woman walked into a... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
A woman walked into a convenience store and startled an armed robber.
A missionary was shipwrecked on... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
A missionary was shipwrecked on a desert island, and spent many miserable days waiting for rescue.
During the 1992-1995 war in... -- John 11:1-45 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
During the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the city of Sarajevo came under siege by the Bos
A young pastor wept. He... -- John 11:1-45 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
A young pastor wept.
Dr. Jerome Groopman, of the... -- John 11:1-45 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
Dr.
We call it our faith... -- John 11:1-45 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
We call it our "faith journey" and rightly so. Pastors deal with the term all the time.
In the early 1990s, the... -- Matthew 4:1-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
In the early 1990s, the Washington Post published an article pointing out how students from o
Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach... -- Matthew 4:1-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, kept strict and demanding rules at his
For me, Jimmy, in this... -- Romans 5:12-19 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
For me, Jimmy, in this story, represents the Christ-figure.
Holy GiftThe journey... -- Romans 5:12-19 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Holy GiftThe journey lies behind me, yet before me,
From time to time I... -- Romans 5:12-19 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
From time to time I am called upon to explain the doctrine of original sin.
A man had felt himself... -- Romans 5:12-19 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
A man had felt himself to be badly wronged.
One does not live by... -- Matthew 4:1-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
"One does not live by bread alone." We find those words sandwiched in the middle of the Gospel of Ma
The woman tells her daughter... -- Matthew 4:1-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
The woman tells her daughter about the joys of parenting -- and the difficulties of an unwanted preg
The serpent's success with Eve... -- Genesis 2:15-27; 3:1-7 -- First Sunday in Lent - A
The serpent's success with Eve is a classic story of seduction.
Free gifts ... most free gifts... -- Romans 5:12-19 -- First Sunday in Lent - A
Free gifts ... most free gifts come with some attachment.
It was a scene that... -- Romans 5:12-19 -- First Sunday in Lent - A
It was a scene that could very well have happened in any big department store in our land, in these
We don't like to be... -- Romans 5:12-19 -- First Sunday in Lent - A
We don't like to be called sinners.
There is an old story... -- Romans 5:12-19 -- First Sunday in Lent - A
There is an old story about a man from Texas who died and went to heaven.
Daily bread is a gift... -- Matthew 4:1-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A
Daily bread is a gift to be received, not a temptation with which to be seduced.

The Immediate Word

Fully, Only Human -- Matthew 4:1-11, Romans 5:12-19, Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, Psalm 32 -- Chris Ewing -- First Sunday in Lent - A
Striving to win and to test limits, athletes have been in the news lately for risking the use of ill

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UPCOMING WEEKS
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Proper 10 | OT 15 | Pentecost 5
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Proper 11 | OT 16 | Pentecost 6
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Proper 12 | OT 17 | Pentecost 7
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New & Featured This Week

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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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