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Second Sunday in Lent - A

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

I once counseled an individual... -- John 3:1-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
I once counseled an individual who had a very technical mind.
Marsh has Down's Syndrome. At... -- Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
Marsh has Down's Syndrome. At ten, one might mistake his actions for those of a five-year-old.
Jeff, I just might have... -- Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
"Jeff, I just might have something special for you when I come home from work today.
Dave had drifted through a... -- Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
Dave had drifted through a number of jobs following college.
Paul vividly reminds us in... -- Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
Paul vividly reminds us in these passages that we cannot earn our own salvation.
She was 65 in 1975... -- John 3:1-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
She was 65 in 1975 and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The young chemist was at... -- John 3:1-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
The young chemist was at a critical point in her research.
Each year on the island... -- John 3:1-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Each year on the island of Corsica, during the Holy Week period, a grotesque lump of a man struggles
One pastor (unknown to me... -- Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
One pastor (unknown to me) tells of Teresa, before she became Mother Teresa, who looked around the c
Martha heard the girls coming... -- Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Martha heard the girls coming up the front walk chanting a familiar singsong rhyme: "Step on a crack
A minister was greatly discouraged... -- Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
A minister was greatly discouraged and depressed and he was considering leaving the ministry.
We are not saved by... -- Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
We are not saved by our good deeds; they are performed out of gratitude to God for having already sa
All children have a favorite... -- John 3:1-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
All children have a favorite book.
Abe sat at the picnic... -- Genesis 12:1-4a -- Second Sunday in Lent - A
Abe sat at the picnic table in his backyard, sipping a cool lemonade.
Politicians are terrible at keeping... -- Genesis 12:1-4a -- Second Sunday in Lent - A
Politicians are terrible at keeping promises, but an even worse group is advertisers.
Nicodemus had lots of questions... -- John 3:1-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A
Nicodemus had lots of questions for Jesus. He was an inquisitive student.
The twelfth-century mystic, Hildegard... -- John 3:1-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A
The twelfth-century mystic, Hildegard of Bingen, once told a little parable:
Two quotes by William Russell... -- Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A
Two quotes by William Russell Maltby:
All things depend on faith... -- Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A
All things depend on faith. Where we place it is critical.
In the first century a... -- John 3:1-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A
In the first century a Roman adversary of the church named Celsus wrote a book challenging the lords
Many believe that Nicodemus was... -- John 3:1-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A
Many believe that Nicodemus was a secret believer in Jesus, one who kept his faith under wraps due t
Many children grow up being... -- Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A
Many children grow up being told the story of the Little Engine That Could, with his mantra o
Two quotes by William Russell... -- Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A
Two quotes by William Russell Maltby:
There is an old story... -- Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A
There is an old story about a scientist who believed in only what he could see.

The Immediate Word

The Keeper -- John 3:1-17, Romans 4:1-5, 13-17, Genesis 12:1-4, Psalm 121 -- Carlos Wilton -- Second Sunday in Lent - A
Dear Fellow Preacher,Serious proposals for radical change in the U.S. Social Security

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UPCOMING WEEKS
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Easter 4
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34 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
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35 – Commentary / Exegesis
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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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