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Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

How can we tell the... -- Hosea 1:2-10 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
How can we tell the difference between faithful and unfaithful servants?
The book, God is... -- Luke 11:1-13 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
The book, God is For Real, Man, was quite popular a number of years ago.
Of the many interesting facts... -- 2 Kings 5:1-15ab -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
Of the many interesting facts of Naaman's story, surely not to be overlooked is the place of the Isr
Robert Downey, Jr., starred in... -- Hosea 1:2-10 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
Robert Downey, Jr., starred in the 1995 movie Restoration in which he played a young doctor i
This story must be told... -- Luke 11:1-13 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
This story must be told.
I am well aware that... -- 2 Kings 5:1-15ab -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
I am well aware that most of the folks in my congregation are pleased as can be that our church make
In his book Witnessing for... -- Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19) -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
In his book Witnessing for Peace, Munib Younan (Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Jesus' disciples of today are... -- Luke 11:1-13 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
Jesus' disciples of today are no different than his disciples of yesteryear.
Jerry was an outstanding basketball... -- 2 Kings 5:1-15ab -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
Jerry was an outstanding basketball player.
The biosphere is the relatively... -- Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19) -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
The biosphere is the relatively thin zone of the earth's environment that supplies those characteris
The whole advertising business depends... -- 2 Kings 5:1-15ab -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
The whole advertising business depends on the fact that so many of us are like Naaman.
I am presently on... -- John 6:24-35 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
I am presently on a diet.
Clay Aiken did not win... -- Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19) -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
Clay Aiken did not win the American Idol talent competition on television, but he is successf
Leprosy in all of its... -- 2 Kings 5:1-15 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
Leprosy in all of its varieties, was the most dreaded disease in biblical days.
We live in a... -- John 6:24-35 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
We live in a hungry world.
As most sixteen-year-old... -- Colossians 2:6-15 (16-19) -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
As most sixteen-year-old boys, I anxiously looked forward to getting my license and being able to dr
The North-Georgia Conference of... -- 2 Kings 5:1-15ab -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
The North-Georgia Conference of the Methodist Church convened for its annual meeting in Atlanta in 1
Many of the things... -- John 6:24-35 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
Many of the things that we do unconsciously, or perhaps it would be better to say without t
Clara loved to give gifts... -- Luke 11:1-13 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
Clara loved to give gifts.
In Steven Spielberg's powerful film... -- 2 Kings 5:1-15ab -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
In Steven Spielberg's powerful film version of The Color Purple, a brutalized black woman stu
Leslie Weatherhead has reminded... -- 2 Samuel 12:15b-24 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
Leslie Weatherhead has reminded us that a skeptic could formulate a list of charges against Go
This passage contains the account... -- 2 Kings 5:1-15ab -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
This passage contains the account of how pride almost kept Naaman, powerful commander of the victori
The story of Abraham's interceding... -- Genesis 18:20-32 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
The story of Abraham's interceding with God on behalf of the righteous people in ancient Sodom broug
He came to my door... -- Genesis 18:20-32 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
He came to my door to visit on behalf of his sectarian outlook.
There are actually two... -- John 6:24-35 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C
There are actually two kinds of bread: material -- helps us from without inwards; and spiritua

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UPCOMING WEEKS
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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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