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Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Simple SignsFrom... -- Jeremiah 18:1-11 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
Simple SignsFrom the very startGod has blessed usWith simple signs
During his years in Corinth... -- Hebrews 12:1-2, 12-17 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
During his years in Corinth, Paul must have been an interested spectator at many athletic events.
There is no such way... -- Jeremiah 23:23-29 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
There is no such way to gain admittance, or give defense, to strange and absurd doctrines, as to gua
So much that goes on... -- Hebrews 12:1-4 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
So much that goes on in Washington seems painfully at variance with our biblical faith -- indifferen
This text contains four questions... -- Jeremiah 23:23-29 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
This text contains four questions for moon men.
To highlight the tremendous courage... -- Hebrews 12:1-4 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
To highlight the tremendous courage and perseverance of Jesus, the author of the letter to the Hebre
Yes, I would say, 'Here... -- Jeremiah 23:23-29 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
"Yes, I would say, 'Here I am.' I am tired.
Anna joined the church as... -- Hebrews 12:1-4 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
Anna joined the church as a teenager. She was attractive and she was smart.
Powerful people do not like... -- Jeremiah 23:23-29 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
Powerful people do not like to have others argue with them, for those who hold power tend very much
Years ago I heard someone... -- Hebrews 12:1-4 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
Years ago I heard someone say the Christian faith was a trial by endurance.
Sometimes our faith seems a... -- Wisdom 18:6-9 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
Sometimes our faith seems a strange paradox, as this description of God at work among the people of
Most cultures put a high... -- Luke 12:49-53 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
Most cultures put a high value on family love.
There is a priest in... -- Wisdom 18:6-9 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
There is a priest in Olinda and Recife in Brazil by the name of Dom Helder Camara.
If we don't make plans... -- Wisdom 18:6-9 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
If we don't make plans for departure from this life, we can be left in a predicament similar to that
No lesser loyalty should interfere... -- Luke 12:49-53 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
No lesser loyalty should interfere with our total commitment to Jesus Christ.
The child had been born... -- Wisdom 18:6-9 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
The child had been born severely distressed, lungs and kidneys barely functioning.
After reading the Peace be... -- Luke 12:49-53 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
After reading the "Peace be with you" that Jesus speaks, this Scripture is hard to reconcile.
Most of us worship in... -- Hebrews 12:1-13 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
Most of us worship in sanctuaries with windows made of stained glass.
Jess Sullivan is a Creek... -- Luke 12:49-53 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
Jess Sullivan is a Creek Indian residing in a small town in Oklahoma.
Some of the imagery used... -- Hebrews 12:1-13 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
Some of the imagery used here is a bit difficult to translate into today's culture --such as illegit
We live in a strange... -- Luke 12:32-40 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
We live in a strange world, surrounded by legion of options for spending our time, hearing a hundred
Endurance is the name of... -- Hebrews 12:1-13 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
Endurance is the name of the game. Perseverance is the key to success.
At the close of a... -- Jeremiah 20:7-13 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
At the close of a semester in a large midwestern university, a certain professor walked into the uni
Over the years a lot... -- Hebrews 12:1-13 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
Over the years a lot of different kinds of machinery has been invented that has greatly simplified a
In 1219, Francis of Assisi... -- Jeremiah 20:7-13 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
In 1219, Francis of Assisi and two of his followers sailed for Egypt on a maiden missionary journey

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Easter 4
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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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