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Preparing the Way

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Stories
Jean sat by the hospital bed watching her brother sleep. She was relieved that the pain medication they gave Vic was working and he was finally resting. This all seemed so sudden. His health had been poor this past year but she hadn’t realized how sick he really was until she got the call that he had been rushed to the hospital.

She couldn’t fault the doctors and nurses as they ran tests and  kept up her spirits as they both waited for the results to come back. If she was being honest though, Jean wasn’t really surprised when they told them that there was nothing more that they could do for Vic. She had known this day was coming since his first heart attack three years ago.

Vic shifted in the bed and she wondered if she needed to call for more pain killers but he drifted back to sleep. She noticed his Bible sitting next to his bed and reached over for it. He had the third chapter of Luke earmarked and she read the verses. The words were familiar and she thought back to Sunday school and Mrs. Vasquez teaching them about John the Baptist preparing the way.

She wished she had her brother’s faith at this time. He was the one who went to church and read his Bible and believed with all his heart that Jesus had been born for them. Jean was a bit less certain. The passage, however, was one that her mother had loved this time of year. She would take out all of the Christmas decorations and start preparing with such enthusiasm to make sure everything was ready for the day itself. Jean smiled.

“Do you like what you read?” Vic asked. She looked over to see him propped up on pillows smiling at her.

“I was just thinking about how Mom loved this time of year and about Dad teasing her about being like John the Baptist.” She took his hand. “ How are you doing?”

“I’m doing okay,” he said. “Mom certainly did love this season. I have to admit that I miss seeing her get excited as she got everything ready.”

“Me too. She did enjoy Christmas.’” Jean glanced down at the page open before her. “Are you ready?”

“For Christmas?” Vic winked. “ You know that I’m always a last-minute shopper.”

Jean scowled. “You know that isn’t what I’m talking about.”

“Really?” He waited until her scowl softened. “Do you mean am I ready for what we both know is coming? Yes, I’m as ready as you can get. I’ve given you a copy of my will and my wishes. I don’t think there is much more that needs to be done. I’m tired and while I’d love to stay longer this old body of mine is pretty much done.”

Jean wiped her face with her free hand. “You don’t have any regrets or wish you could have more time?”

“I did a few months ago,” Vic admitted. “Yet as I get closer to the time itself I’m not worried about it anymore. I’ve made my peace and I’m as ready as I’m going to be. I’ve got faith that Jesus has done the impossible for me and so I’m not afraid.”

“Jesus has done the impossible?” Jean tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“Jesus broke the power of sin, rose from death, and has made a sinner like me worthy for heaven.” Vic smiled. “It’s just like what John said about all the valleys being raised and all the mountains being made low. I have faith that because of Jesus nothing stands between me and God.”

Jean frowned. “I thought John was talking about us getting ready for Jesus when he talked about preparing the way.”

“We’re to do what we can - repent and turn back to God.” Her brother yawned. “The impossible stuff though God does for us.”

“Are you tired?”

“A bit. Maybe we can talk more later.” He forced his eyes to remain open. “Can you stay a bit longer and just sit with me?”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Jean watched him settle back to sleep. She looked back at the Bible on her lap and read the words from Luke’s gospel one more time. Jean then closed her eyes and started to pray.

She prayed for her brother that his passage from this life might be gentle. She prayed for herself that she might have the strength she needed to get through this difficult and uncertain time. Then finally she prayed that Jesus might do the impossible and help her discover a meaningful life without her brother in this world.
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John Jamison
Object: This is a role play activity.

Note: You will need to select six children to play roles in this activity. If you have a smaller group, you might ask some older youth or even adults to play the parts of the two attackers and the man being attacked. I will give suggestions for how they can play their roles, but feel free to help your children make the story as fun and memorable as you can. I have used boys and girls in the various roles, but you can change those however you want to change them.

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The Immediate Word

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Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Christopher Keating
George Reed
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
For July 13, 2025:
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StoryShare

Frank Ramirez
I say, “You are gods,
    children of the Most High, all of you;
nevertheless, you shall die like mortals
    and fall like any prince….”
(vv. 6-7)

There have been any number of brother-sister acts that achieved a measure of fame. Take the Carpenters, famed for their singing, musicianship, and songwriting skills. Also worthy of mention are John and Joan Cusack who have acted together in over sixteen films.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Wayne Brouwer
An ancient legend tells of a remote mountain village where people used to send their senior citizens out into the woods to die. The villagers had an eye to the future; they felt that those beyond a certain age would only slow down progress or use up valuable resources to no economically profitable end. Those who reached a certain age weren’t “put out to pasture” or “put out of their misery”; they were simply put out of other people’s way.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Amos 7:7-17 and Psalm 82
The tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It is more than 2,700 feet high—over half a mile tall. It has 160 floors and is twice as tall as the Empire State Building in New York City. It is home to the world’s fastest elevator which reaches speeds of forty miles an hour. The Burj Khalifa also hosts the world’s highest outdoor observation deck (on the 124th floor) and the world’s highest swimming pool (on the 76th floor).

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Mabel hummed a familiar hymn tune as she made her way to church. She always enjoyed her Sunday morning walk. It was one of the few times she felt safe to walk alone through the inner city, for she knew nobody would be up at 7.45 in the morning. Today was a particularly beautiful morning, with blue sky, warm sunshine, and the song of a few intrepid blackbirds who still inhabited the city.

SermonStudio

James Evans
Often, a distinction is made between the pastoral or priestly work of the church and the prophetic work. Pastoral care has to do with the care of souls, the offering of comfort in times of loss. The priestly character of pastoral work seeks to mediate the presence of God to those who are hurting.

Schuyler Rhodes
Trusting is never easy. Even in the best of relationships, people step into trust slowly. There is wariness -- questioning -- worry. What happens if trust is betrayed? What if this doesn't work? Sometimes it's like a dance. We step in and out of trust, moving to the rhythms of fear. For many, the routine is achingly familiar. Indeed, it's not easy to trust.
John Jamison
It was back in the days when the railroad was the most common mode of transportation. There were automobiles, and some airplanes, but the steam locomotive was the way most folks traveled and the way that most of the goods were distributed around the country. After dinner, people sat in the drawing room and listened to the radio programs, fading in and out from some faraway location, over the magical broadcasting signal.
Robert Leslie Holmes
Not many tourists to Washington, D.C., look for the Federal Bureau of Standards offices. It's the Capitol and the White House, the Supreme Court Building or the Smithsonian most of us want to see when we go there. Yet, at the Bureau of Standards offices something very important is stored, something that impacts your life and mine every single day. Have you ever bought the materials for a new project? When you did, most likely you purchased so many inches or feet or yards. Or, you stopped to buy gasoline for your car and purchased it at a certain price per gallon.
David O. Bales
I have the two best jobs in the world. I teach social studies at Leon Griffith Junior High School (a fairly small junior high) and I am Sunday School Superintendent at Calvary Presbyterian Church (an enormous church school). Each job is my vocation. I tell people that at school they'll find my room where the halls cross. At church they can look but probably won't find me. I'll be in someone's classroom. At each job I practice what I most deeply believe: it's how you see the world that determines how you respond to it. I'll give you an example, actually, two examples.
Erskine White
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed,
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
(Stuart K. Hine)

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