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Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

It was as though... -- Mark 3:20-35 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
It was very important... -- Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
It was very important to Jesus to observe the Passover celebration.
As small children many of... -- 1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11) 22-30, 41-43 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
As small children many of us learned the old trick of focusing the power of the sun through a magnif
Hunger is a bodily need... -- Luke 9:11-17 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Hunger is a bodily need filled by food, here bread and fish in one of Christ's miracles.
A universally--recognized saint... -- Mark 3:20-35 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
A universally--recognized saint in our day is Mother Teresa of Calcutta, India.
Twenty years ago, one... -- Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Twenty years ago, one of my seminary professors gave our class a very helpful lecture summariz
How long a time lies... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
"How long a time lies in one little word."
Every parent knows the frustration... -- Jeremiah 7:1-15 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Every parent knows the frustration of telling children to do something that doesn't get done.
The Blue Laws, which... -- Mark 2:23-28 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
The "Blue Laws," which prohibit certain Sunday activities, originated in the colony of New Hav
I once read a... -- Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
I once read a remarkable letter written by a man to his family just before he died.
The lay communion helpers for... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
The lay communion helpers for Pentecost Sunday were Pete and Ann.
When a certain congregation was... -- Jeremiah 7:1-7 (8-15) -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
When a certain congregation was celebrating its 100th anniversary, there was a great deal of furor a
When I was a... -- Mark 2:23-28 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
When I was a little girl, I was fortunate to live in a rural community that still had a piece
There may yet be... -- 1 Samuel 16:14-23 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
There may yet be the natural punishment within our sin that we need to endure.
In the dialogue of a... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
In the dialogue of a play, David, a male who has lost his first wife by drowning at sea, is t
A Christian baroness, living in... -- Jeremiah 7:1-7 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
A Christian baroness, living in the highlands of Nairobi, Kenya, told of a young national who was em
The proper observance of... -- Mark 2:23-28 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
The proper observance of the Lord's Day isn't the pressing problem today that it was in the pa
M. H. Schubert shares... -- Mark 3:20-35 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
M. H. Schubert shares the story about a group of fishermen in the Scottish highlands.
When one takes words apart... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
When one takes words apart, one is often surprised at what is found in them!
A man prospered and purchased... -- Jeremiah 7:1-7 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
A man prospered and purchased a small cabin cruiser.
Why do Christians break... -- Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Why do Christians break bread together? Because Jesus first broke bread in the Upper Room?
Here is the bottom... -- Mark 2:23-28 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Here is the bottom line.
A recent Top 40 hit... -- Luke 9:11-17 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
A recent Top 40 hit, "We Are the World," is unique in several respects.
In Samuel Miller's Man the... -- 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
In Samuel Miller's Man the Believer (pp.
According to an old... -- 1 Samuel 16:14-23 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
According to an old rabbinical legend, the harp of David hung over his couch.

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Easter 4
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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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