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Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A

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When the glass of milk... -- Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
When the glass of milk was spilled over the kitchen table for the third time in four nights, the lec
When the brilliant William Moon... -- Philemon 1:(2-9) 10-21 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
When the brilliant William Moon of England was at the height of his mental powers, his future looked
Paul Tillich points out in... -- Luke 14:25-33 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
Paul Tillich points out in The Shaking of the Foundations the dimensions of spiritual depth.
Do you ever go to... -- Philemon 1: (2-9) 10-21 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
Do you ever go to auction sales?
No matter how much wisdom... -- Luke 14:25-33 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
No matter how much wisdom and patience a parent has or no matter how much forbearance a child has, t
... if human suffering were... -- Ezekiel 18:1-9, 25-29 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
...
Gary Wills captioned his study... -- Luke 14:25-33 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
Gary Wills captioned his study of the Kennedy family, The Kennedy Imprisonment: A Meditation on P
In the first letter to... -- 1 Timothy 1:12-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
In the first letter to his young protege, Timothy, Paul focuses on the unique quality of mercy expre
The woman leading a group... -- Luke 14:25-33 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
The woman leading a group of seminary students on a weekend retreat asked them to meditate on the qu
As a boy, he wanted... -- 1 Timothy 1:12-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
As a boy, he wanted to be a priest but, later, laziness and indifference kept him out of the seminar
Today if we mention racism... -- Ezekiel 18:1-9, 25-29 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
Today if we mention racism and or discrimination in public, we hear comments like: "I didn't own sla
St. Francis of Assisi was... -- 1 Timothy 1:12-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
St. Francis of Assisi was once asked why and how he could accomplish so much.
Tourists in the Alps are... -- Ezekiel 18:1-9, 25-29 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
Tourists in the Alps are cautioned at certain points by the guides not to yodel, sing, or even to sp
Jesus never wished to gain... -- Luke 14:25-33 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
Jesus never wished to gain disciples under false pretenses.
Modern psychotherapy has grown up... -- Ezekiel 18:1-9, 25-29 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
Modern psychotherapy has grown up a lot in the last twenty years or so.
On the outskirts of a... -- Luke 14:25-33 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
On the outskirts of a nearby town is an eyesore.
When Gordon Allport gave us... -- Proverbs 9:8-12 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
When Gordon Allport gave us his criteria for mature religion, he indicated that such religion is alw
You shall love the Lord... -- Luke 14:25-33 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
"You shall love the Lord your God ...
George was the type of... -- Proverbs 9:8-12 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
George was the type of fellow who was always an authority on everything and enjoyed letting others k
Ezekiel's picture of the watchman... -- Ezekiel 33:1-11 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
Ezekiel's picture of the watchman giving warning to his people of impending danger, reminded me of t
Earning Pens Eason's Oor.br... -- Proverbs 9:8-12 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
"Earning Pens Eason's Oor."
What responsibility is placed on... -- Ezekie l 33:1-11 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
What responsibility is placed on the prophet's head!
The late Bishop Gerald Kennedy... -- Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
The late Bishop Gerald Kennedy told about a museum in Vienna where a piano Beethoven played is displ
Jesus commanded his followers to... -- Ezekiel 33:1-11 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
Jesus commanded his followers to "watch and pray." To be on watch is not a passive activity.
The way of wisdom seems... -- Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
The way of wisdom seems out of touch with so many realities of today.

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Proper 7 | OT 12 | Pentecost 2
30 – Sermons
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Proper 9 | OT 14 | Pentecost 4
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Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Thomas Willadsen
Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
Mary Austin
Katy Stenta
George Reed
For July 6, 2025:

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: This is a role play activity for the children.

Note: You will need an older volunteer to help with this activity. One option would be to find a teenager with some physical ability. If a teen is not available, an adult could be used instead. For simplicity here, I will refer to my older volunteer as “TOM”. You will also need to select three of your younger children to serve as volunteers in the story.

* * *

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
2 Kings 5:1-14
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Mark Ellingsen
Bonnie Bates
2 Kings 5:1-14, Psalm 30
Naaman seeks healing. He travels hoping healing will come to him when he visits the king of Israel. Yet, healing does not come in that way. Rather healing comes through Elishah. Healing comes from believing and being cleansed in the River Jordan. Healing comes through Naaman’s faithfulness and through God’s grace. Psalm 30 also reminds us to seek healing; to seek God and God will heal and restore us. Do we believe that? Do we believe that God can bring healing?

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ (vv. 10-11)

When I visit your church for the first time, consider the possibility that I might be looking for a church home. I am a good-looking old guy, but I have gray hair and I dress down in the summer, so don’t be put off by my cargo shorts and tank top. Talk to me!

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Damien and Ora grinned at each other in excitement. The time had come - at last! They'd been with the Leader for months and months, waiting for this moment. Not that it had felt much like training. They'd simply lived with the Leader, listening to his stories, hearing about the Kingdom, learning to get along really well with all the other people at Mission Headquarters. Now all seventy of them were ready, the spaceship had docked, and the Mission was about to begin. Ora was glad she'd been paired up with Damien again.

SermonStudio

James Evans
Stan Purdum
Carlos Wilton
(See Epiphany 6/Ordinary Time 6, Cycle B, and Easter 3, Cycle C, for alternative approaches.)

Anyone who has ever had the experience of losing a friend because of some conflict or dispute, and then has had the friendship restored because of love and forgiveness, has a unique insight into the meaning of this psalm. Although the poem begins and ends with praise, there is in the middle of the poem a brief moment of confession and contrition that puts the praise portions of the psalm in an entirely different light.

April Yamasaki
A word of encouragement came from an unlikely source the other day in a television interview with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The former football player, wrestler, and now actor was asked about a low time in his life when he was very discouraged about his career and future.

"How did you make your way back from that?" he was asked.

The Rock replied, "You have to put yourself out there. You have to get out there and fail, and learn from your failures."

Larry D. Powell
In the summer of 1983, I participated in a ministerial exchange program sponsored by my denomination. My assignment was to a circuit of churches on the Isle of Man, a tiny island located in the Irish Sea. The months preceding the exchange included considerable correspondence with the minister on the island with whom I would exchange pastoral duties for six weeks.
Richard E. Gribble, CSC
A wealthy businessman decided to take a walk and eat his lunch at the same time. He strolled by a park. There he purchased a hot dog and a soft drink. As he walked through the park two different "street people" approached him one by one. Each asked, "Can you help me? I am hungry." Each time the businessman looked straight ahead and kept walking. After finishing his lunch, he stopped and bought a chocolate eclair for dessert. As he was about to take the first bite, he was forced to jump out of the way as a young boy raced by on his skateboard. The eclair went flying and landed on the ground.

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