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Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C

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The Bucket List Vs. The Gutter List -- Luke 12:13-21, Hosea 11:1-11, Colossians 3:1-11, Psalm 107:1-9, 43 -- Ron Love, George Reed -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2010
This week's texts from Colossians and Luke call us to live in a Christ-like manner -- and both Paul
The Cookie Tree -- Luke 10:38-42, Colossians 1:15-28, Amos 8:1-12, Psalm 52 -- Barbara Jurgensen, Paul Bresnahan, Thom M. Shuman -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2007
As the calendar turns to August, stores are featuring back-to-school sales -- which means that child

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Believers have tried on many... -- Hosea 11:1-11 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2007
Believers have tried on many images for God, from "rock" to "judge" to "builder" to
In the movie, As Good... -- Hosea 11:1-11 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2007
In the movie, As Good As It Gets, Simon Bishop gets viciously beaten by a
The teenagers who live in... -- Hosea 11:1-11 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2007
The teenagers who live in the rehabilitation center know they are there because they
He was an eminent surgeon... -- Hosea 11:1-11 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2007
He was an eminent surgeon. I called on his stately home one evening raising funds for the
Josiah Harlan was the first... -- Colossians 3:1-11 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2007
Josiah Harlan was the first American to enter Afghanistan. In the 1830s, Harlan traveled
Just before the outbreak of... -- Colossians 3:1-11 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2007
Just before the outbreak of World War I, a small ship named Endurance set sail
I grew up in a... -- Colossians 3:1-11 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2007
I grew up in a rural community in western Iowa. Our church was a little Evangelical
One denomination has for its... -- Colossians 3:1-11 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2007
One denomination has for its mission motto: "A world without borders." Writing to an
Stuff is important. You gotta... -- Luke 12:13-21 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2007
Stuff is important. You gotta take care of your stuff. You gotta have a place for your
Jim was an old bachelor... -- Luke 12:13-21 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2007
Jim was an old bachelor who farmed in the district since he was a young man. No one
The father's tone was harsh... -- Luke 12:13-21 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2007
The father's tone was harsh toward his five-year-old son. "Not now, Tyler," he said as he
Hostility holds many hostages. Spouses... -- Luke 12:13-21 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2007
Hostility holds many hostages. Spouses, brothers and sisters, neighbors, business
During his tenure as president... -- Colossians 3:1-11 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2001
During his tenure as president, John Kennedy was walking through the base at Cape Canaveral.
In the summer of 1930... -- Colossians 3:1-11 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2001
In the summer of 1930, a penniless Italian living in exile in Switzerland, who adopted the pseudonym
I used to visit a... -- Colossians 3:1-11 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2001
I used to visit a young man of 18 years who had leukemia.
Malcolm Forbes was a very... -- Luke 12:13-21 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2001
Malcolm Forbes was a very wealthy magazine publisher.
Once there were two men... -- Luke 12:13-21 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2001
Once there were two men named Dan and Ed. They had been friends for as long as they could remember.
We are so prone as... -- Luke 12:13-21 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2001
We are so prone as human beings to place our faith in things other than God.
The Russian novelist, Leo Tolstoy... -- Luke 12:13-21 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2001
The Russian novelist, Leo Tolstoy (born 1828), devoted the second half of his life to writing on mor
In preparation for the 2000... -- Colossians 3:1-11 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2001
In preparation for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, agents for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) raced
A small boy visiting the... -- Colossians 3:1-11 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 1998
A small boy visiting the Empire State Building for the first time was accompanied by his mother.
The wrath of God will... -- Colossians 3:1-11 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 1998
The wrath of God will come against the evil in this world. The evil is real and potent.
In 1997, ForbesI... -- Luke 12:13-21 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 1998
In 1997, Forbes magazine estimated that Charles Feeney had to be one of the wealthiest men in

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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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