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Fourth Sunday in Lent - A

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Our church has a very... -- John 9:1-41 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
Our church has a very active Evangelism Committee which regularly sends teams of visitors to visit t
People throughout history have worshiped... -- John 9:1-41 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
People throughout history have worshiped the sun.
There is a story that... -- John 9:1-41 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
There is a story that still makes its rounds in my hometown.
Courtney was in a slump... -- Ephesians 5:8-14 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
Courtney was in a slump.
In Martin Luther -- Heretic... -- Ephesians 5:8-14 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
In Martin Luther -- Heretic, a dramatic film presentation of the life of the Lutheran reforme
A favorite children's game is... -- Ephesians 5:8-14 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
A favorite children's game is Red Light, Green Light.
The blessings of light are... -- Ephesians 5:8-14 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
The blessings of light are innumerable.
Louisiana Judge Thomas Quirk has... -- John 9:1-41 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Louisiana Judge Thomas Quirk has a rather different way of handing out justice in his courtroom.
A woman called the power... -- John 9:1-41 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
A woman called the power company office and complained that her bill was too high.
Maybe you have experienced it... -- John 9:1-41 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Maybe you have experienced it before yourself -- the dilemma of the disciples.
Young children learn only rather... -- Matthew 20:17-28 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Young children learn only rather simple things in school.
A Bostonian visited San Antonio... -- Matthew 20:17-28 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
A Bostonian visited San Antonio, Texas.
Jimmy Carter was not reelected... -- Matthew 20:17-28 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Jimmy Carter was not reelected to a second term as president of the U.S.A.
One novelist tells the story... -- Matthew 20:17-28 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
One novelist tells the story of a young girl who was ashamed of her mother's appearance, particularl
In no way... -- Ephesians 5:8-14 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
In no way could I deal creatively with physical blindness,
Ruth was a very practical... -- Ephesians 5:8-14 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Ruth was a very practical person.
A little girl walked around... -- Ephesians 5:8-14 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
A little girl walked around her house singing a song which she had learned in Vacation Bible School:
William J. Bausch says in... -- John 9:1-41 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A
William J.
The Pharisees' refusal to see... -- John 9:1-41 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A
The Pharisees' refusal to see in Jesus the working of God and to embrace his words and his person is
Pastor Bill was not your... -- 1 Samuel 16:1-13 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A
Pastor Bill was not your ordinary pastor. Bill loved cattle.
The story is told of... -- 1 Samuel 16:1-13 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A
The story is told of a man and a woman who met and fell in love by mail.
Every four years the president... -- 1 Samuel 16:1-13 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A
Every four years the president of the United States is sworn in during an elaborate inauguration cer
Outward appearances can be deceiving... -- 1 Samuel 16:1-13 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A
Outward appearances can be deceiving.
There is an old story... -- Ephesians 5:8-14 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A
There is an old story about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

The Immediate Word

Resisting The Cure -- 1 Samuel 16:1-13, Psalm 23, Ephesians 5:8-14, John 9:1-41 -- Chris Ewing -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A
As the medical community anxiously scans the horizon for signs of the promised flu pandemic, attenti

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UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Easter 2
20 – Sermons
170+ – Illustrations / Stories
26 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
20 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 3
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
33 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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John Jamison
Object: An old, worn-out shoe and an old banana.

* * *

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
George Reed
Dean Feldmeyer
For May 18, 2025:
  • Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Chris Keating based on Acts 11:1-18 and John 13:31-35. As Peter, popes, pastors, and even pew-sitters learn, change often becomes the smokescreen that conceals deeper conflicts that keep us from loving as Jesus commanded.
  • Second Thoughts: Giving and Accepting Love by Tom Willadsen based on John 13:31-35.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Acts 11:1-18
Who do we exclude? In the days of the early church, everything was about purity, about the acts that made one a member of the Jewish community first and then a part of “the way” of Jesus. Imagine the horror among the crowds of the faithful when Peter traveled to the Gentiles, to those who did not believe in the one true God before Jesus came into the world. Yet, Peter is clear. He has had a vision and, in that vision, was declared, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” God ordains who is included, not people.
David Kalas
The old idiom claims of certain people, “To know them is to love them.” A variation on the saying might be appropriate when talking about the Lord.  Specifically, we might say that to know him is not merely to love him, but to know that he is love.

This may seem like an unspectacular statement to church folks.  I fear that we are perhaps so accustomed to the affirmation that God is love that we no longer recognize the profundity of it. Or the scandal of it.

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them and be their God;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’
(vv. 3-4)

SermonStudio

Bonnie Bates
We continue this Easter season with the epistolary readings from Revelation. In this reading, we see the final vision of the world to come: the new heaven and the new earth, the new Jerusalem. This is also an apocalyptic vision, the vision the seer shared with us of the end of the world as we know it. This is a writing about a prophetic promise of what is to come at the end of time as we know it. John’s vision is almost complete and we may be comforted by this vision of what is to come.
James Evans
(See Christmas 1, Cycle A; Christmas 1, Cycle B; and Christmas 1, Cycle C for alternative approaches.)

The theme of this psalm is the glory of God. The praise is extravagant and unrestrained. The psalmist makes good use of repetitive themes to drive home the central message of the psalm, namely that God is worthy of praise. The psalmist, with great deliberation, leads worshipers through a litany of causes and effects that demonstrate the praiseworthiness of God.

David Kalas
Professional sports has no statistic for measuring talking. Yet talking can be an important part of the game.

We can measure how fast a player pitches or serves. We keep statistics on batting averages, shooting percentages, and quarterback ratings. We track yards-after-catch, on-base percentages, and shots on goal. We record height and weight, wins-and-losses, and times in the 40-yard dash. But we have no way of measuring a player's talking.
John M. Braaten
It is often difficult for Christians to get past the idea that those who have given themselves to the Lord should be treated a little better than the average woman or man who does not possess a living faith. In other words, there ought to be some kind of return for what you have done for God, for what you have given in time, energy and money. That doesn't sound outrageous, does it? In this "you get what you deserve" world, you really ought to be rewarded. Harmless as that sounds, it is the first step toward a theology of glory.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:

The Church of Christ

Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

The local community

Those who suffer

The communion of saints


These responses may be used:


Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

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