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Fourth Sunday in Lent - C

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Paul's assertion that in Christ... -- 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
Paul's assertion that in Christ we are "new creatures" is one of the most startling claims in the Ne
A friend once remarked, For... -- Joshua 5:9-12 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
A friend once remarked, "For those who seek the impossible, they might find what they are looking fo
For the children... -- Joshua 5:9-12 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
I tell my son I... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
I tell my son I want to play with the blocks with him.
The book Passages captured a... -- Joshua 5:9-12 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
The book Passages captured a lot of readers by its vivid description of the many "stages" of
What a year! We had... -- 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
"What a year! We had our baby, Johnny.
The ways of the world... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
The ways of the world are so contrary to the ways of Christ.
In a small community, the... -- Isaiah 12:1-6 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
In a small community, the choir director was trying to find good music for the Easter celebration.
After years of keeping it... -- 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
After years of keeping it a secret from herself, Jurene allowed herself to remember the incest.
A six-year-old boy... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
A six-year-old boy saved his mother from an assailant by bluffing him with an empty rifle.
The son had been awful... -- Isaiah 12:1-6 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
The son had been awful, no doubt about it. He had upset the whole family with unnecessary demands.
God is foolish, God gave... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
God is foolish, God gave fish noses but they breathe through gills; God is wise, fish smell with the
We preach Christ crucified (and... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
We preach Christ crucified (and risen), and the cross cannot be robbed of its meaning or importance.
Dwight L. Moody's favorite verse... -- Isaiah 12:1-6 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
Dwight L.
Viewed from an historical point... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
Viewed from an historical point of view, the life of Jesus is the silly story of a foolhardy, imprac
If only the elder brother... -- Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
If only the elder brother of our parable would have cared as much for the younger as our elder broth
I remember reading a great... -- Isaiah 12:1-6 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
I remember reading a great theologian of our century who said that the Creed should be always sung.
The figure of the clown... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
The figure of the clown has gained increased significance in worship services during the last decade
Once upon a time, in... -- Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
Once upon a time, in a far away land, a long time ago, lived a king and queen.
What a beautiful message the... -- Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
What a beautiful message the father gave to his prodigal son when he was willing to sit down with hi
With us therefore worldly standards... -- 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
"With us therefore worldly standards have ceased to count in our estimate of any man ..." (NEB) All
If God could not look... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
"If God could not look on in anguish while Abraham sacrificed his son, would he then have suffered h
In eastern Europe they repeat... -- Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
In eastern Europe they repeat an old legend about a child who was stolen from her family.
Walt Whitman's poem Reconciliation was... -- 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
Walt Whitman's poem "Reconciliation" was penned soon after the Civil War.
Lewis Smedes tells the story... -- Luke 15:11-32 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
Lewis Smedes tells the story of going one hot summer afternoon to visit at the Los Angeles County ja

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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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