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Fourth Sunday of Easter - C

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

My Mission --John Cardinal Newman... -- Acts 13:14, 43-52 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
"My Mission" --John Cardinal Newman
There is a mighty BUT... -- Acts 13:15-16, 26-33 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
There is a mighty "BUT" in this passage. "BUT, God raised him from the dead." (v.
Paul and Barnabas were bold... -- Acts 13:14, 43-52 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
Paul and Barnabas were bold and direct.
Cheers exploded with firecracker fury... -- Acts 13:15-16, 26-33 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
Cheers exploded with firecracker fury in the football stadium.
A teenage girl trying to... -- Revelation 7:9-17 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
A teenage girl trying to decide on which dress she should buy for the prom breaks into tears and cri
Repeatedly you find the word... -- Acts 13:15-16, 26-33 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
Repeatedly you find the word "fear" in much of our Easter Scripture readings.
On a flight from Las... -- Acts 13:15-16, 26-33 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
On a flight from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Rochester, Minnesota, a man tried to ease tensions by telling
When the Jews saw the... -- Acts 13:14, 43-52 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
"When the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with jealousy." (v. 45a)
Sandmel, in his book We... -- Acts 13:14, 43-52 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
Sandmel, in his book We Jews and Jesus, says, "Early Christianity was a Judaism; within a cen
One of the most evident... -- Acts 13:14, 43-52 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
One of the most evident realities of life, for the early apostles and other followers of Christ, was
Those in white robes are... -- Revelation 7:9, 14-17 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
Those in white robes are the saints who are purified, through, if not because of, their suffering.
Sometimes it seems as if... -- Revelation 7:9, 14-17 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
Sometimes it seems as if it was only yesterday when I was a lad of twelve, riding on my bicycle with
Jesus' reputation as a benefactor... -- Acts 9:36-43 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
Jesus' reputation as a benefactor to those in need preceded him everywhere.
The opening verse of this... -- Revelation 7:9, 14-17 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
The opening verse of this reading gives us a picture of heaven's diverse population.
John Davison drove by Lester... -- Acts 9:36-43 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
John Davison drove by Lester McWiggins' barn every morning for 23 years.
A little child tumbles and... -- Revelation 7:9, 14-17 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
A little child tumbles and hurts himself. Sobs and tears come quickly.
On a cold February evening... -- Acts 9:36-43 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
On a cold February evening in Edmonton, Alberta, 13-month-old Erika Nordby wandered outside dressed
Charles Colson, one of the... -- John 10:27-30 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
Charles Colson, one of the most notorious of the Watergate figures, has won wide respect for his min
Throughout the centuries Christians have... -- Revelation 7:9-17 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
Throughout the centuries Christians have been persecuted for their witness to the Lamb.
A very skillful teacher of... -- John 10:27-30 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
A very skillful teacher of children with learning disabilities recently experienced an emotional inc
Victory celebrations are a common... -- Revelation 7:9-17 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
Victory celebrations are a common sight in modern American culture, but certain ones stand out above
Let the Easter celebration continue... -- John 10:27-30 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
Let the Easter celebration continue!
Bill McCartney, president and founder... -- Revelation 7:9-17 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
Bill McCartney, president and founder of Promise Keepers, planned to call together men, women, and c

The Immediate Word

The Good Shepherd Faces Violence -- John 10:22-30, Acts 9:36-43, Revelation 7:9-17, Psalm 23 -- Paul Bresnahan, Stephen P. McCutchan, Thom M. Shuman -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
This week's lectionary readings (especially Psalm 23 and John 10:22-30) are centered around the them

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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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