Login / Signup

Fourth Sunday in Lent - C

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

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
God gave his people manna... -- Joshua 5:9-12 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
God gave his people "manna" to nourish them in their difficult times.
Jeb Magruder was one of... -- 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
Jeb Magruder was one of those personalities associated with the Watergate debacle during the Nixon y
Max Weber was one of... -- Luke 15:11-32 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
Max Weber was one of the first sociologists to make a serious study of the relationship between soci
Seven-year-old Manuel woke... -- 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
Seven-year-old Manuel woke up in the middle of the night with a nightmare.
Charles Woessner shares the story... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
Charles Woessner shares the story of a newspaper that published an incident about the conviction of
For the word of the... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
"For the word of the Cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is
The novella, or short novel... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
The novella, or short novel, The Argentine Ant, is an excellent example of how a contemporary
A brilliant young couple received... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
A brilliant young couple received as their second child an infant daughter with Down's syndrome.
Describing the conditions leading up... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
Describing the conditions leading up to World War II, Paul Scherer describes the conditions under wh
A friend who held his... -- Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
A friend who held his life together through great and relentless odds said, "I'm where I am today be
The story of the semi... -- Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
The story of the semi-prodigal daughter crisscrosses the story of the prodigal son.
What will it profit a... -- Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
What will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and loses his soul.
Bishop Gerald Kennedy, in his... -- Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
Bishop Gerald Kennedy, in his book, Who Speaks For God?, reminds us that life cannot be fit i
Perhaps the thing that made... -- Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
Perhaps the thing that made it hardest to accept Jimmy Swaggart's waywardness when he was discovered
God, who provided for his... -- Joshua 5:9.12 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
God, who provided for his people in the wilderness, now will provide for them in the new situation,

The Immediate Word

Cry Out "something Is Wrong" -- 2 Corinthians 5:(14-15) 16-21, Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32, Joshua 5:9-12, Psalm 32 -- Stephen P. McCutchan, Thom M. Shuman -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - C
In this week's epistle passage, Paul focuses on the singular importance of reconciliation: "[I]n Chr

Intercession

Prayer

Preaching

Sermon

Stories

Worship

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 10 | OT 15 | Pentecost 5
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 11 | OT 16 | Pentecost 6
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 12 | OT 17 | Pentecost 7
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

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: You may present this message as a simple story, or have the children act it out as a role-play. I will show the role-play version, but you can ignore the acting pieces and just tell the story if you prefer.

Note: For the role-play version, you will need to select two girls and one boy to play the roles. You might also have a broom and a dust rag if you want to.

* * *

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

The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
For July 20, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Amos 8:1-12, Psalm 52
Amos proclaims the word from God that punishes the people. The people are to be punished for their lack of faith, for their focus on practicing deceit, betraying honesty to their neighbors, and being impatient for the time after the Sabbath when they can focus on profit and selling their crops and wares. Oh, my! What a terrible message for people. You have been unfaithful so I will punish you. And then in the psalm, God is proclaimed to be the olive tree, that which brings blessing.
David Kalas
I have tried to find different ways of saying it so that my children don’t tire of hearing it. But the basic principle remains the same, and my kids have heard it a ton. “First things first.” They ask if they can do this or they start to do that, and I will endeavor to redirect them, saying, “Why don’t we make sure we’re doing first things first!”

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. (v. 24)

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
One of Martha's earliest memories was of her little sister Mary singing and dancing in the middle of an admiring crowd of friends. Mary had always been a dancer, from the time she could walk. Privately, Martha thought she'd always been something of a show-off and ought to go on the stage, for Mary loved an audience.

SermonStudio

John E. Sumwalt
Jeanne Jones
Several years ago, before we moved to Wisconsin, I was an honorary nanny for our pastor's son, Jonathan. I took care of him from the time he was able to walk until our pastor moved, when Jonathan was about five. We had wonderful times together. One time, when I was at their house, and we had been doing some spiritual direction together, Pastor Michael asked me if I knew the name of my guardian angel.
James Evans
We are not surprised when we learn about crooks and robbers boasting about "mischief done against the godly" or "plotting destruction" all day long. The image we have in our minds about who "bad" people are, and how they conduct themselves, make such accusations completely plausible. We are less inclined to believe such things about leaders, especially respected leaders among us. We have difficulty believing someone with wealth and power would deliberately plot to do someone else harm.
Arley K. Fadness
Today's gospel from Luke 10 follows the parable of the good Samaritan. Luke positions the good Samaritan and the Mary-Martha story back to back for good reason. The parable and the story are examples of the Great Commandment "to love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself." The good Samaritan parable illustrates "love to neighbor," whereas the Mary-Martha story illustrates "love to God."
Kirk R. Webster
In the early 1990s, Wesley Nunley of Dallas completed a project he had dreamed of for decades. "I tell you, this could be a big thing," he explained. Wes then walked out to a concrete octagon in the middle of his backyard. With a beaming smile, arms raised up in excitement, the energetic retiree said, "This welcomes the UFO to land, which has never been done before."
John W. Wurster
It was the best of times. A time of prosperity and confidence, a time of relative peace, a time when most everything looked pretty good, a time when most everyone felt pretty good. It was a time maybe not unlike our own time.
H. Burnham Kirkland
Words Of Assurance
Our God is both wise and caring: afflicting the comfortable and comforting the afflicted.

Pastoral Prayer
God, we bow before you this morning, knowing that you hear every prayer. We know that in all of Creation, you are the source of life. You are the one who set the light swirling between the galaxies. The breath of your Spirit pulses through all life. You have even become flesh among us. We praise you, Lord, that in all your wonder, you have not forgotten us.

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL