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Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Silence is the perfectest herald... -- Jeremiah 28:1-9 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
"Silence is the perfectest herald of joy," Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing.
The greatest danger facing people... -- Matthew 16:21-28 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
The greatest danger facing people of faith, and the institution of the church which houses their his
Predictions are tricky business. They... -- Jeremiah 28:1-9 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Predictions are tricky business.
What does it profit us... -- Matthew 16:21-28 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
What does it profit us to gain the world and lose our lives, or to gain great fame and power, only t
Every Thanksgiving, Royce and Mary... -- Luke 14:1, 7-14 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Every Thanksgiving, Royce and Mary made it a point to have a needy person or a couple to dinner.
The pleasure of pride is... -- Proverbs 25:6-7 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
The pleasure of pride is like the pleasure of scratching.
Perhaps there has been no... -- Luke 14:1, 7-14 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Perhaps there has been no more worthy recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize than Mother Teresa of India
There once was a man... -- Proverbs 25:6-7 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
There once was a man who was given the special gift of preaching by God.
Somebody had to knock down... -- Ezekiel 19:1-9, 25-29 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Somebody had to knock down this idea of a retributive justice that spans the generations.
There is a story of... -- Proverbs 25:6-7 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
There is a story of a proud woodpecker who was pecking away at an old, dead tree when the sky blacke
Bob Uecker has probably made... -- Proverbs 25:6-7 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Bob Uecker has probably made more money as a baseball broadcaster and personality in commercials tha
Famed American humorist, Odgen Nash... -- Ezekiel 18:1-9, 25-29 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Famed American humorist, Odgen Nash, quipped, "Why did the Lord give us so much quickness of motion
Our text equates a treaty... -- Isaiah 28:14-22 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Our text equates a "treaty with death" with the lies and deceit and a firm and strong foundation wit
The ultimate way was established... -- Ezekiel 18:1-9, 25-29 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
The ultimate way was established by our Lord upon the Cross.
I cannot vouch for the... -- Proverbs 25:6-7 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
I cannot vouch for the accuracy of this particular illustration, but I know the principle it illustr
When a people step outside... -- Isaiah 28:14-22 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
When a people step outside of their protective traditions and try to embrace others' actions and cus
The Proverbs are filled with... -- Proverbs 25:6-7 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
The Proverbs are filled with wisdom.
Typology is a very ancient... -- Isaiah 28:14-22 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Typology is a very ancient form of interpretation in which one takes the images that are used in the
Protocol is the name given... -- Proverbs 25:6-7 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Protocol is the name given to ceremony and etiquette when heads of state travel to visit another hea
A backpacker had been informed... -- Isaiah 28:14-22 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
A backpacker had been informed by a local "expert" hiker, a short, thin, and gaunt old man who had h
In the Greek Orthodox Maundy... -- Proverbs 25:6-7 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
In the Greek Orthodox Maundy Thursday footwashing in Jerusalem, a large crowd of worshipers fills th
Stevens Danish, chairman of the... -- Hebrews 13:1-8 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Stevens Danish, chairman of the psychology department at Virginia Commonwealth University says, "By
Aesop's fable, The Fox and... -- Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Aesop's fable, "The Fox and the Crow," illustrates the folly of human pride.
In traveling about the city... -- Hebrews 13:1-8 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
In traveling about the city or countryside most of us rely, often more than we realize, upon "landma
Humility means not taking ourselves... -- Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Humility means not taking ourselves too seriously.

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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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