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The Joy of New Beginnings -- John M. Braaten -- 1987
(Name) and (name), what a lovely way to begin the new year.
One from Two -- John M. Braaten -- 1987
(Name) and (name) , on this your wedding day, grace to you and peace from God our Father and from th
Love as Grace -- John M. Braaten -- 1987
(Name) and (name) , you have come to this day and to this place to receive the benediction of Christ
The Love which Makes a Marriage -- John M. Braaten -- 1987
(Name) and (name), as you stand here today I suppose there is nothing more important to you than the
A Need for Newness -- John M. Braaten -- 1987
(Name) and (name), in the soft, romantic glow of this candlelight wedding, everything seems so warm
How God Blesses a Marriage -- John M. Braaten -- 1987
(Name) and (name), it is good that you are here, in this church, with relatives and friends, to take
Grounds for Marriage -- John M. Braaten -- 1987
(Name) and (name), this ceremony marks the culmination of your courtship.
The Foundation of Faithfulness -- John M. Braaten -- 1987
(Name) and (name), on this your wedding day I am reminded of a phrase that has appeared on many post
Living In Harmony -- Anthology -- 1972
By Elmer E. Flack
The Greatest Of These Is Love -- Anthology -- 1972
By Kenneth H. Sauer
Self--Disclosure - Self--Surrender -- Anthology -- 1972
By Leslie F. Brandt
Mystical And Real -- Anthology -- 1972
By Paul O. Hamsher
Love, Honor, Forgive -- Anthology -- 1972
By Leslie F. Brandt
Service For The Fiftieth Anniversary -- Anthology -- 1972
By Michael B. GoldnerWesley T. RunkOrder Of Service
A Personal Approach -- Anthology -- 1972
By Thomas W. Lentz
Contemporary Wedding Service -- Anthology -- 1972
By Leslie F. Brandt(A contemporary wedding ceremony for the author's daughter)
Marital Horticulture -- Anthology -- 1972
By John M. Braaten
Married To The Holy One Of Israel -- Anthology -- 1972
By William J. Rauch
From Guest To Member -- Anthology -- 1972
By Gary C. Bratz
Marriage Likened To A Wedding Cake -- Anthology -- 1972
By Richard E. Boye
Marriage Is Joy -- Anthology -- 1972
By Kenneth H. Sauer
One Husband's Counsel -- Anthology -- 1972
By John M. Braaten
Accept Our Failures -- Anthology -- 1972
By Leslie F. Brandt
A Prayer For Your Marriage -- Anthology -- 1972
By Robert Howard Clausen
The Mathematics of Marriage -- Anthology -- 1972
By William McKee Aber
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New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Thomas Willadsen
Dean Feldmeyer
Mary Austin
Christopher Keating
Katy Stenta
George Reed
Bethany Peerbolte
For May 9, 2021:
  • One Nation Under God? by Tom Willadsen — What would the United States look like if we truly were “one nation under God?” What would it be like to live in a place where everyone was treated as one who has been “born of God?”
  • Dying Is Easy by Dean Feldmeyer — Dying is easy; living the gospel is hard.

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
Frank Ramirez
Contents
“Waking Up to Racism” by John Sumwalt
“Twists and Turns” by Frank Ramirez

 
Waking Up to Racism
by John Sumwalt
Psalm 98

Let the floods clap their hands;
    let the hills sing together for joy
 at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming
    to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
    and the peoples with equity. (vv. 8-9)

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
In the mid-1960s, a popular song declared, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It's the only thing that there's just too little of.”1 It was an era of both national and international unrest. And the American landscape was reeling from the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement, and opposition to both. Amidst headlines so marked by unrest and division, therefore, the sentiment of the song struck a chord with an American audience. 
Bill Thomas
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Acts 10:44-48
Prejudice is always wrong. Nat King Cole is a well-known artist who was the first African American to host his own national television program. In 1948, he purchased a beautiful home in an exclusive Los Angeles neighborhood. When the local neighborhood association confronted him and informed him it didn’t want any undesirables to move in, Cole responded, “Neither do I. If I see any coming in here, I’ll be the first to complain.” He lived in that house until his death in 1965.

CSSPlus

John Jamison
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (vv. 9-12)

Hi, everyone! (Let them respond.)

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus gave up his life for us. In our worship today let us explore how to love one another as he has loved us.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes our love for each other is thin and pale.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we pretend to love but fail to care.
Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we don't know how to love.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

John E. Sumwalt
Jo Perry-sumwalt
One evening, when I was 26 years old, beleagered by guilt for acknowledged sins, I was deep into an hour-long prayer of repentance. In despair, I grieved that I had broken the commandments and that I was not worthy of God's love.

Near me lay the Bible, unused and unfamiliar. I had never, ever read from the Bible. Yet my hands reached out and took the Bible to open it. I knew not where, nor why. But my hands knew the way. They opened to John 15:9-11 and as my eyes began to read, my mind knew the meaning with clarity. My eyes read verse 10 first:
Mark Ellingsen
Theme of the Day
God's love brings us together.

Collect of the Day
It is noted that God has prepared great joy for those who love Him. Petitions are then offered that such love may be poured into the hearts of the faithful so that they may obtain these promises. Justification as a reward for our deeds (love) is communicated by this prayer.

Psalm of the Day
Psalm 98
Stan Purdum
(See Christmas Day, Cycles A and B, for alternative approaches.)

Richard E. Gribble
Once upon a time a great and powerful king ruled over a vast territory. There was something very strange about this kingdom, however -- everything was the same. The people ate the same food, drank the same drink, wore the same clothes, and lived in the same type of homes. The people even did all the same work. There was another oddity about this place. Everything was gray -- the food, the drink, the clothes, the houses; there were no other colors.

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