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Acts 2:14a, 36-41

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Commentary

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Hearts afire -- Acts 2:14a, 36-41, 1 Peter 1:17-23, Luke 24:13-35 -- Third Sunday of Easter - A -- 2002
The best way to learn about modern culture is to have a teenager; you learn quickly what is valued h
The Stranger and we strangers -- Acts 2:14a, 36-41, 1 Peter 1:17-23, Luke 24:13-35 -- Third Sunday of Easter - A -- 1999
Knowing Jesus, that is, in the biblical sense of knowing, assumes that we are in an intimate relatio
Read the manual -- Acts 2:14a, 36-41, 1 Peter 1:17-23, Luke 24:13-35 -- William H. Shepherd -- Third Sunday of Easter - A
My friend was overwhelmed by his first church convention.

Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

A girl fell in love... -- Acts 2:14a, 36-41 -- Third Sunday of Easter - A
A girl fell in love with a star athlete in her school, but he would have nothing to do with her.
In one church, the new... -- Acts 2:14a, 36-41 -- Third Sunday of Easter - A
In one church, the new pastor was surprised when the most active and influential member announced th
Bob Newhart once said about... -- Acts 2:14a, 36-41 -- Third Sunday of Easter - A
Bob Newhart once said about Don Rickles, the comedian, that Rickles never lost his child.
A corrupt generation tolerates the... -- Acts 2:14a, 36-41 -- Third Sunday of Easter - A
A corrupt generation tolerates the sort of dishonesty which causes the social fabric to unravel.
In one church, the new... -- Acts 2:14a, 36-41 -- Third Sunday of Easter - A
In one church, the new pastor was surprised when the most active and influential member announced th
Bob Newhart once said about... -- Acts 2:14a, 36-41 -- Third Sunday of Easter - A
Bob Newhart once said about Don Rickles, the comedian, that Rickles never lost his child.
A corrupt generation tolerates the... -- Acts 2:14a, 36-41 -- Third Sunday of Easter - A
A corrupt generation tolerates the sort of dishonesty which causes the social fabric to unravel.
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New & Featured This Week

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John Jamison
Object: This message is a role play. You can do this with only two children playing the parts of the two women, but if you have more children, you could have two more playing the parts of the children, another playing the part of the synagogue leader, and another playing the part of the country’s leader. You can also add any other roles you might want to add to make it interesting. Also, I have created places for your characters to speak, but you can add more of those to make it all more fun and memorable.

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The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
Christopher Keating
Nazish Naseem
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
For August 24, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Wayne Brouwer
C. Knight Aldrich, a medical doctor and the first chairperson of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Chicago (1955-1964), was a keen analyst of the motivations for our behaviors. He worked with the social services agencies of Chicago for a time, particularly spending hours with teenagers who had been arrested for shoplifting or other theft. Aldrich interviewed them to find out how they had come to this. He also talked with the parents, attempting to discover how they had handled the problem from the first time they knew about it.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Jeremiah 1:4-10 and Psalm 77:1-6

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
“We have questions about your conduct as our pastor,” Carl announced as soon as Pastor John sat down at the hastily called board meeting. “We have received complaints about you from the congregation.”

“Complaints?” Pastor John frowned. “From whom and about what?”

“Mrs. Finnigan saw you coming out of what she politely described as ‘A Gentleman’s Club’ last Thursday night when she was driving downtown.” Bruce scowled. “Do you deny this?”

“Not at all,” Pastor John said. “I did have to go to that place on Thursday evening.”

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
Jesus was aware of people's deepest needs and what prompted their actions. In our worship today let us consider how we can discover people's deepest needs and the motives for their actions.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes we see only the surface and condemn without real understanding.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we are afraid to get sufficiently close to other people to see their inner needs.
Christ, have mercy.

SermonStudio

James Evans
(See Epiphany 4/Ordinary Time 4, Cycle C, for an alternative approach.)

The old saying, "experience is the best teacher," could serve as a subtitle for this psalm. Written as a prayer for help in a time of distress or oppression, the psalm subtly hints at a recognition and awareness that only comes with time. There is a track record, so to speak, that the psalmist is aware of: God's record of dependability. Based on God's proven record of saving power and grace, the psalmist is able to pray for salvation, but at the same time celebrate the certainty of its arrival.
Lee Ann Dunlap
Carrie's1 high school guidance counselor noticed she had been acting out a bit in school recently. She had appeared depressed and had been having some authority issues over rules and such. The guidance counselor set Carrie up with a local pastor who had been volunteering a few hours each Friday after a teen suicide a few months before. Most of the other students who came to see the pastor just needed someone to listen to their usual teen issues and heartaches. But, shortly into their time together, Carrie began to open up about some real grown-up problems.
Kirk R. Webster
It's a typical Sunday morning at St. Stephen Presbyterian Church in Orlando, Florida. The people file in and sit down in plush pews. Their attention is drawn to the chancel where they see choir members calmly seated, robed in dark blue and white. The mahogany altar table is draped with a silk parament. Two bronze candleholders stand guard at the table edges.
R. Robert Cueni
As was his custom, Jesus went that Sabbath morning to the synagogue for worship. As he was preaching and teaching, he happened to glance toward the fringe of the crowd where he saw a very crippled woman. She was bent over and was unable to stand up straight. When he inquired, Jesus was told the woman had been that way for eighteen years.
John H. Will
Call to Worship
Indeed, this is a day of rest and gladness.
This is God's Sabbath, created for our reflection and renewal.
Let us then not profane it, but keep it holy.
We do this as we honor God and commit ourselves to the well--being of God's creation.
Each of us individually needs a personal rejuvenation of spirit.
Together we seek a strengthening of community, a community that continues to build itself in love.
So do we come as one people to worship God, our Maker and our Sustainer.

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