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Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C

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Children's Activity

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The Immediate Word

Exiles In Our Own Land? -- Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 -- George L. Murphy -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
Dear Fellow Preachers,

Children's Story

Devotional

Drama

Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

It has been a difficult... -- Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2007
It has been a difficult two years for the residents of New Orleans in the wake of
Israel was humiliated. The once... -- Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2007
Israel was humiliated. The once-proud nation whom God miraculously delivered from
Two hundred years ago, people... -- 2 Timothy 2:8-15 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2007
Two hundred years ago, people defined preaching as sixty minutes to raise the dead. One
Having watched the various figure... -- 2 Timothy 2:8-15 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2007
Having watched the various figure skating championships this past winter, we often do
What the middle verses indicate... -- 2 Timothy 2:8-15 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2007
What the middle verses indicate is that we need to be mindful of Christ. Indeed,
When John G. Paton, the... -- 2 Timothy 2:8-15 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2007
When John G. Paton, the first missionary to the cannibals of the South Pacific Islands,
A swimming teacher tells how... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2007
A swimming teacher tells how difficult it is to teach four-year-old children to swim. The
One Thanksgiving, Debbie Lynn Matoren... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2007
One Thanksgiving, Debbie Lynn Matoren watched as patrons of a restaurant gobbled
A recently married couple had... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2007
A recently married couple had a beautiful baby girl. The church wanted to do something
Jesus healed ten lepers all... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2007
Jesus healed ten lepers all at once. How eager they must have been to get back with their
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 br... -- Luke 17:11-19, 2 Timothy 2:8-15, Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2007
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 br... -- Luke 17:11-19, 2 Timothy 2:8-15, Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2007
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
At the end of our... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2001
At the end of our worship service, I let the children wear my cross.
There is an incredible power... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2001
There is an incredible power in appropriate gratitude.
What are you going to... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2001
"What are you going to do now?" Jacob asked his friend.
In one scene of Bernard... -- 2 Timothy 2:8-15 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2001
In one scene of Bernard Shaw's play, Saint Joan, Shaw portrays Joan of Arc's inquisition.
The apostle reminds us that... -- 2 Timothy 2:8-15 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2001
The apostle reminds us that it is out of death that we receive life, and it is out of despair that w
Michael Saylor, the C.E.O. of... -- 2 Timothy 2:8-15 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2001
Michael Saylor, the C.E.O.
In this passage, Paul speaks... -- 2 Timothy 2:8-15 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2001
In this passage, Paul speaks of enduring everything for the sake of God's chosen people, in order th
A business executive was walking... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2001
A business executive was walking down the street.
Only eight years after Christopher... -- 2 Timothy 2:8-15 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 1998
Only eight years after Christopher Columbus proved it could be done, Francisco de Bobadilla sailed f
Be diligent to present yourself... -- 2 Timothy 2:8-15 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 1998
"Be diligent to present yourself approved unto God." Think of your life as a house.
It probably goes without saying... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 1998
It probably goes without saying that drugs and alcohol are problems in just about every school distr
Ezra Goodman, in his book... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 1998
Ezra Goodman, in his book The 50-Year Decline and Fall of Hollywood, talks frankly about prim
A pastor had just resigned... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 1998
A pastor had just resigned from his parish after fifteen years of service and had accepted another p

Intercession

Prayer

Preaching

Sermon

The Village Shepherd

Better To Be Myself Than To Be Artificially Good -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
King's Lynn, that small port on The Wash in North Norfolk, boasts its very own saint, or at least,
Are There Limits? -- 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c -- Janice B. Scott -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
There was a celebrity game show on British television in which selected celebrities were expected to

Stories

Worship

UPCOMING WEEKS
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Proper 20 | OT 25 | Pentecost 15
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Proper 21 | OT 26 | Pentecost 16
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Proper 22 | OT 27 | Pentecost 17
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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 September 21, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Frank Ramirez
Well, it’s autumn, and by now the seeds we planted in the spring either took root and produced or else the weather, pests, rabbits, or our own laziness conspired to make this year’s garden less than a success. But at one point we had to get started and actually plant seeds for the future.

Jeremiah is looking back from the perspective of our spiritual well-being and laments than our spiritual harvest has all been for naught. He wonders if it is now too late for a recovery. Is there no healing, no balm in Gilead, to apply to our wounds?
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Jeremiah 8:18--9:1 and Psalm 79:1-9
In the spring as farmers and gardeners prepare to plant we are looking at a summer of possibilities. Hard work, to be sure, but also potential. What will happen? What will this season be like? At summer’s end there will be no more questions. We’ll know. Maybe it was a great season, and we have canned or frozen many vegetables. Maybe the farmers have brought in a bumper crop and they got a good price besides.

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: This message will be based on a game you will play. See the note below.

NOTE: Ask three or more adults to come up and play the role of Simon for your group. Tell them to all speak at once, asking the children to do different things. The goal is to create a nice bit of confusion for the children to experience.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Great!

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
“Hey!” Annie waved at the woman standing next to the open doorway. “Can you come here?”

The woman made her way past the other nursing home residents and stood next to Annie’s wheelchair.

“What can I do for you?”

“You look familiar.” Annie squinted at her. “Do I know your name?”

“I’m Brenda.” The woman pointed at her name tag. “I work in the kitchen and sometimes help serve the meals when they are ready.”

“That’s right. I think we’ve met before.” Annie tapped her lips with her finger. “You have the nice smile.”

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus said, “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much.” In our worship today let us remember the little things in our lives and ask God to help us to be utterly faithful in them.



Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes we pretend that little sins don't matter.

Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we imagine that you don't notice little sins.

Christ, have mercy.

SermonStudio

James Evans
This poignant prayer of lament and community grief gives expression to what it feels like to suffer as a person of faith. If we believe we are truly part of God's community, then the destruction of that community -- as was the case with Israel in 587 B.C. -- becomes a time for doubt, anger, and confusion. Furthermore, if we believe we are individual members of that community, our personal suffering also creates an opportunity for a crisis of faith: "Why didn't God protect me?" Of course, it does not take a national catastrophe to raise those sorts of questions.
Kirk R. Webster
If feedback is the breakfast of champions, perhaps we would do well to examine some of our prayer habits. If you have ever heard someone use The Just Really Prayer, you know exactly what problem we are talking about.

That prayer goes something like this, "Lord, we just really thank you for this day. We come before you and just really pray for mercy. We offer ourselves to you and just really ask that your will be done in our lives. Amen." I'm thankful this particular Just Really prayer was mercifully short, unlike the next example, The Good Guilt-Based Prayer.
John W. Wurster
Another season has come and gone. Promises that were made have not been fulfilled. Good intentions haven't yielded any tangible results. Dreams have not come true. High hopes have proven to be only wishful thinking. Nothing has really changed; nothing has really improved. The time keeps moving along, but we seem stuck in the same ruts. Old routines remain, prejudices persist, dullness and anxiety continue to be constant companions. Lingering in the air is that nagging sense that things aren't quite right, not as they could be, not as they should be.
R. Robert Cueni
In the scripture lesson for today Jesus tells a perplexing parable about a thoroughly dishonest employee who was praised for his dishonesty. In this story Jesus not only seems comfortable suggesting that it is acceptable to compromise with moral failings, but our Lord appears to commend his disciples to "go and do likewise." For centuries, preachers, commentators, and scholars have struggled to make sense of this outrageous tale.

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