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Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A

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Sermon Illustrations for Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 (2011) -- Exodus 3:1-15, Romans 12:9-21, Matthew 16:21-28 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2011
Exodus 3:1-15
The single, most-used description... -- Exodus 3:1-15 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2008
The single, most-used description of God in the Bible is "holy"; and Exodus 3:5 is the
The Lord used an odd... -- Exodus 3:1-15 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2008
The Lord used an odd method of getting Moses to take notice. Except for possibly in
Moses was a gifted man... -- Exodus 3:1-15 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2008
Moses was a gifted man. Tradition gives him credit for writing the first five books of the
Fans of the Antiques Roadshow... -- Romans 12:9-21 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2008
Fans of the Antiques Roadshow program on PBS know how the show works. A
Jesus teaches us that, to... -- Romans 12:9-21 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2008
Jesus teaches us that, to be his followers, we must be caring, even
Racial tensions were brought to... -- Romans 12:9-21 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2008
Racial tensions were brought to light by an incident at a local high school last fall. A
There is one explanation to... -- Romans 12:9-21 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2008
There is one explanation to this rather bizarre notion of heaping burning coals on your
In one form or the... -- Matthew 16:21-28 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2008
In one form or the other, Jesus' sayings about denying ourselves and losing our lives to
He owned the natural gas... -- Matthew 16:21-28 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2008
He owned the natural gas franchises in about forty cities and towns. He amassed a
A missionary is one sent... -- Matthew 16:21-28 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2008
A missionary is one sent on a mission -- one sent forth with authority to preach and
Exodus 3:1-15 The... -- Matthew 16:21-28, Romans 12:9-21, Exodus 3:1-15 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2008
Exodus 3:1-15
Did you hear the story... -- Matthew 16:21-28 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2002
Did you hear the story of the man at the circus, near the camel pen?
Peter, Jesus said, had become... -- Matthew 16:21-28 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2002
Peter, Jesus said, had become a stumbling block to Jesus.
It is a rough thing... -- Matthew 16:21-28 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2002
It is a rough thing to have to endure suffering.
The Greeks have a story... -- Matthew 16:21-28 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2002
The Greeks have a story about Paedaretos.
There's a difference between genuine... -- Romans 12:9-21 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2002
There's a difference between genuine love and sentimental love.
Several years ago, it was... -- Romans 12:9-21 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2002
Several years ago, it was my privilege to spend two months in the Philippines, working with Sunday s
Living peaceably with all and... -- Romans 12:9-21 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2002
Living peaceably with all and in harmony with others, can be a tough assignment.
Her friends could not understand... -- Romans 12:9-21 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2002
Her friends could not understand. "How can you forgive him?" The divorce was final.
You can't fake love. That... -- 12:9-21 Romans -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 1999
You can't fake love. That was the basic message of Reverend Brown in sermon after sermon.
For what will it profit... -- Matthew 16:21-28 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 1999
"For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?" Hector was
Recently (1996) the Laotian government... -- Matthew 16:21-28 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 1999
Recently (1996) the Laotian government circulated arrest warrants for Christians, threatening to rem
Neil Postman, onetime director of... -- Matthew 16:21-28 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 1999
Neil Postman, onetime director of the National Religious Broadcasters Association, summed up in an a

The Immediate Word

The Gospel According To Warren Buffett -- Matthew 16:21-28, Romans 12:9-21, Exodus 3:1-15, Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45b -- Mary Austin, Roger Lovette, George Reed -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2011
In this week's lectionary pericope from Matthew, Jesus begins the difficult process of preparing his

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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...

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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.

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