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Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C

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From time to time, it... -- Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
From time to time, it is good to reflect on the blessings and benefits we enjoy as citizens of the U
Naaman is healed of leprosy... -- 2 Kings 5:14-17 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
Naaman is healed of leprosy and responds with praise and gifts to God in thanksgiving.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote from prison... -- Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote from prison on March 19, 1944: "I think we should live even in this place
Archie Bunker listened to the... -- 2 Kings 5:14-17 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
Archie Bunker listened to the riddle posed by his son-in-law, Mike.
A cup is a container... -- 2 Timothy 2:8-15 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
"A cup is a container for holding something.
There are many famous deathbed... -- 2 Kings 5:14-17 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
There are many famous deathbed scenes.
Paul fought the good fight... -- 2 Timothy 2:8-15 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
Paul fought the good fight of faith and finished the race.
A young woman attended a... -- Ruth 1:(1-7) 8-19a -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
A young woman attended a weekend conference. She had driven a long distance to be present.
American Idol is all about... -- 2 Timothy 2:8-15 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
American Idol is all about grooming the next pop superstar.
Paul urges Timothy not to... -- 2 Timothy 2:8-15 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
Paul urges Timothy not to wrangle over words.
A pastor had served several... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
A pastor had served several small churches over the years.
In the popular film, Saving... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
In the popular film, Saving Private Ryan, commemorating the D-Day invasion, the story is fram
Ten lepers prayed to Jesus... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
Ten lepers prayed to Jesus. He told them, "Your faith has made you well." Does prayer work?
Leandra Lynch, M.D., from Woodland... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
Leandra Lynch, M.D., from Woodland Hills, California, told in a December 2003 Reader's Digest
Roughly one generation has passed... -- Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
Roughly one generation has passed since the end of the Vietnam War.
Richard Feynman was a physicist... -- Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
Richard Feynman was a physicist who participated in the Manhattan Project.
From May 29-31, 1934, church... -- Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
From May 29-31, 1934, church leaders from across Germany drafted a statement, which is known today a
In 1967 Shostakovich, the Russian... -- Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
In 1967 Shostakovich, the Russian composer, wrote a symphony titled October.
Have you ever wondered how... -- 2 Kings 5:14-17 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
Have you ever wondered how two people could grow up in the same family and yet have totally differen
During the second-battle of... -- 2 Kings 5:14-17 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
During the second-battle of Bull Run, in August 1862, a Richmond reporter walked over the battlefiel
Marshall and Helen had been... -- Ruth 1:(1-7) 8-19a -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
Marshall and Helen had been married for 52 years when her health began to fail.

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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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