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John the Baptist, in preparing...

Illustration
Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B
Mark 6:14-29
John the Baptist, in preparing the way for Jesus, preached a message in the desert that told Jewish people not to rely on their birthright as their ticket to heaven. He preached, "Do not say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our Father' " (Matthew 3:9). Our ticket for entrance into God's kingdom is not found in our family tree or in a certain bloodline. God does not have any grandchildren. We can only be the sons or daughters of God, not his grandsons or granddaughters. Only people who make a personal commitment to God through Jesus Christ are afforded entrance into the gates of his kingdom.
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For November 16, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

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The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:

The Church of Christ

Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

The local community

Those who suffer

The communion of saints


These responses may be used:


Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

SermonStudio

Stephen P. McCutchan
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
-- Isaiah 12:3

John W. Clarke
No reading of Luke is complete without coming to realize that Luke is concerned that the world understands that Jesus is the hope of the world and that any teaching that leads away from that fact is a false teaching. No matter what, no matter when, Jesus will be there to give us life.

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Whoever does not work should not eat!
-- 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NLT)

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Mark Ellingson
Freedom is such a lovely word, a compelling image. What is freedom? How would you define it? What does it mean to you? Webster's New World Dictionary defines freedom as being exempt from control or from arbitrary restrictions. Freedom is said to be the ability to choose or determine one's own actions.

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