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Worship

SermonStudio

Food -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 2000
Call To Worship
Underpinning -- Isaiah 50:4-9a -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2000
Call To Worship
Day of Pentecost -- Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:14-17, John 14:8-17 (25-27) -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Day of Pentecost - C -- 2000
First Lesson: (Acts 2:1-21 or) Genesis 11:1-9 Theme: Jibberish
I Am No Prophet -- Amos 7:7-17 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 2000
Call To Worship
Divine Retaliation -- Amos 8:1-12 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - C -- 2000
Call To Worship Leader: To you who trample on the world's lesser children,
My People -- Hosea 1:2-10 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - C -- 2000
Call To Worship
Bent On Healing -- Hosea 11:1-11 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - C -- 2000
Call To Worship
Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 -- Luke 12:32-40, Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16, Isaiah 1:1, 10-20 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - C -- 2000
First Lesson: Isaiah 1:1, 10-20Theme: Required: Willingness And Obedience
Withered Love-Songs -- Isaiah 5:1-7 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 2000
Call To Worship
Going Where God Sends You -- Jeremiah 1:4-10 -- Dallas A. Brauninger -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - C -- 2000
Call To Worship

Drama

Sermon

SermonStudio

Two Harvests -- Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 -- Stephen M. Crotts -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A -- 2004
All of the Bible is inspired.
Things To Come! -- Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 -- Stan Purdum -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - A -- 2004
I'd quit the ministry were it not for what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 13!
Will You Give Christ Your Supper? -- Matthew 14:13-21 -- Stan Purdum -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - A -- 2004
The world scene today is as frightening and desperate, as needy and inexplicable as I've ever seen i
Deep Water! -- Matthew 14:22-33 -- Stan Purdum -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - A -- 2004
I don't know anyone who's not in over his or her head today ...
The Cry For Help -- Matthew 15:(10-20) 21-28 -- Stan Purdum -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A -- 2004
In the Gospel of Mark, the woman in our story is called a "Syrophoenician." Matthew, however, calls
The Incomparable Christ -- Matthew 16:13-20 -- Stan Purdum -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A -- 2004
While sightseeing in Boston last fall, I entered the narthex of a church building.
Do You Get It? -- Matthew 16:21-28 -- George L. Murphy -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A -- 2004
"Is that really necessary?" It's a question that we may ask when something unpleasant or disturbing
Church Discipline: A Cure For What Ails The Body -- Matthew 18:15-20 -- Stan Purdum -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A -- 2004
When a sixteen-year-old stays out all night drinking, then drives home, a father disciplines him wit
A Severe Mercy! -- Matthew 18:21-35 -- Stan Purdum -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - A -- 2004
French author Victor Hugo has a short story titled, "93." In the midst of this tale a ship at sea is
As Long As It Is Day! -- Matthew 20:1-16 -- Stan Purdum -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A -- 2004
The greatest sorrow is to have no cause, no work, no sacrifice for which to live.

Children's sermon

Worship Service

Preaching

SermonStudio

Sixth Sunday of Easter -- Acts 10:44-48 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2001
This text forms the tag-end of Acts 10:34-43 which is the stated Old Testament lesson for Easter Sun
Epiphany of Our Lord -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B -- 2001
The first strophe or stanza of this passage actually ends with verse 7, but the lectionary has ended
Second Sunday after Epiphany -- 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20) -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - B -- 2001
In the days of Eli and Samuel, before the beginning of the kingship of Saul, and from about 1220 --1
Third Sunday after Epiphany -- Jonah 3:1-5, 10 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B -- 2001
In preaching on this text from Jonah, we must never forget that it is set within a narrative context
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany -- Deuteronomy 18:15-20 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - B -- 2001
We do not usually think of Moses as a prophet.
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany -- Isaiah 40:21-31 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - B -- 2001
This passage makes up three stanzas of the longer poem of Isaiah 40:12--31.
Sixth Sunday after Epiphany -- 2 Kings 5:1-14 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2001
Despite the multitudinous variety of possible preaching texts in the Old Testament, the lectionary s
Seventh Sunday after Epiphany -- Isaiah 43:18-25 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Epiphany 7 | Ordinary Time 7 - B -- 2001
A portion of this passage, namely verses 16--21, is also treated on the Fifth Sunday in Lent in Cycl
Eighth Sunday after Epiphany -- Hosea 2:14-20 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Epiphany 8 | Ordinary Time 8 - B -- 2001
Hosea could very well be called "the prophet of intimacy" - of intimacy with God.
Good Friday -- Isaiah 52:13-53:12 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Good Friday - B -- 2001
We might call this reading from Second Isaiah "The Great Reversal," because that is what it is about

Stories

SermonStudio

Paths Of Desperation -- John 5:1-9 -- Richard A. Jensen -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1994
Where do you go when you feel hopeless? Dick learned something about that when he was 13.
God's Evangelism Plans -- Acts 16:16-34 -- Richard A. Jensen -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - C -- 1994
The fall of Haile Selassie in 1974 did not bring the kind of peace that the Ethiopians had hoped mig
The Holy Spirit Doesn't Have A Copy Machine -- 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 -- Richard A. Jensen -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - C -- 1994
The wind of the Spirit blew through St.
The Greater Honor -- 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a -- Richard A. Jensen -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - C -- 1994
It was to be "Spiritual Gift" Sunday in Corinth of old.
The Greatest Of These -- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 -- Richard A. Jensen -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 1994
In the midwest the summer of 1993 was the summer of the "great flood." The rains, it seemed, would n
How The Mighty Have Fallen! -- Luke 5:1-11 -- Richard A. Jensen -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - C -- 1994
"How the mighty have fallen." King David of old once spoke those words concerning the death of King
With Fire In His Eyes -- Luke 6:17-26 -- Richard A. Jensen -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - C -- 1994
There was fire in his eyes as Dr. Yacob spoke. Dr.
Exchanging A Smile -- Luke 6:27-38 -- Richard A. Jensen -- Epiphany 7 | Ordinary Time 7 - C -- 1994
He smiled when we would have expected him to cry. He smiled when we expected him to hate.
A Man Who Would Be God -- Luke 4:1-13 -- Richard A. Jensen -- First Sunday in Lent - C -- 1994
It was to be his first trip back to China. He was born in China to missionary parents in the 1930s.
A Mother's Tears -- Luke 13:31-35 -- Richard A. Jensen -- Second Sunday in Lent - C -- 1994
Gertrude Schmidt loved being a mother.

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UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Easter 2
30+ – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30+ – Children's Sermons / Resources
20+ – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 3
26 – Sermons
150+ – Illustrations / Stories
30+ – Children's Sermons / Resources
20+ – Worship Resources
28 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 4
27 – Sermons
150+ – Illustrations / Stories
39 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20+ – Worship Resources
27 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Thomas Willadsen
Nazish Naseem
Christopher Keating
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
George Reed
Dean Feldmeyer
For April 19, 2026:

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.
Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
When Jesus broke bread in a house in Emmaus, the eyes of his companions were opened, and they recognized him. Let us try to recognise Jesus in our worship today.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I'm unable to see you or to discern your presence.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I refuse to wait around long enough for you show yourself to me.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I find it easier to ignore you than to seek for you.
Lord, have mercy.

StoryShare

John S. Smylie
Sandra Herrmann
Contents
What's Up This Week
"Speak the Truth in Love" by John Smylie
"Recognizing the Christ" by Sandra Herrmann


What's Up This Week

SermonStudio

Lee Griess
It is perhaps one of the most compelling narratives in all of the scriptures. So fascinating is this scene, in fact, that the gospel writer Luke includes it in detail near the end of his gospel writing. It is a story known well and beloved in the church -- the story of two disciples walking down a dusty road to the village of Emmaus, the evening of that first Easter day.
Richard L. Sheffield
"People die. Don't ya know." That's what Cleopas and his friend said to Jesus on Easter afternoon on their way home. People die!

Don't believe it? Don't want to believe it? Read about it in The Lima News. And not just in the obits. This is my copy of The Lima News from Good Friday, the day we remember that Jesus died.

Page 1: Cult Died in Shifts

Page 2: A headline so gruesome, let's just say, "Wife kills husband."

Page 3: A list of the dead from page 1, by age, sex, and the state where they got their driver's license.
Richard E. Gribble, CSC
Is the life you lead one for which you want to be remembered? That very challenging and thought-provoking question certainly came to the mind of the famous Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel one day. In the common everyday exercise of reading the morning paper, Nobel discovered the challenge of God and the need for conversion before his very eyes.
Mark Ellingsen
"What happens to you when you die, Dad?" "Of course, son, if you believe in God, you go up to heaven where you will be with God and the angels."
Harry N. Huxhold
A rather insightful novel about the problem of Christian missions to Africa is Barbara Kingsolver's story The Poisonwood Bible. Kingsolver weaves her story around Nathan Price, a fundamentalist, legalistic preacher who takes his wife and four daughters to serve in the heart of the Belgian Congo. While they are there, in l960 Patrice Lumumba emerges as the leader of his people when Belgium grants the Congolese their independence. Soon after, Mobuto comes to power. Nathan Price decides to remain and serve with his family even when the resources of his sponsors are cut off.
Bill Mosley
There's an old Uncle Remus story about Br'er Rabbit. Br'er Fox catches Br'er Rabbit and is fixin' to cook him for supper. Rabbit kinda giggles behind his hand. Fox grabs him by the ear, and says, "Why you laughin'?"

Rabbit says, "Jus' thinkin' 'bout my Laughin' Place." Fox says, "What Laughin' Place?" Rabbit says, "Oh, I cain't tell you about it. I got to show you!"
B. David Hostetter
CALL TO WORSHIP
Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus the Messiah, for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God may call.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Amy C. Schifrin
Martha Shonkwiler
Gathering Litany
Begin instrumental music for the Hymn of Praise when the spoken litany begins. A solo flute would be excellent.
P: Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
C: we rejoice that you have been raised from the dead.
P: Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
C: we rejoice in the gift of your Holy Spirit.
P: Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
C: we rejoice in your promise of baptism.
P: Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
C: we rejoice that we are born anew eternally.

Hymn Of Praise

Emphasis Preaching Journal

William H. Shepherd
My friend was overwhelmed by his first church convention. "It's all so big," he wrote in his report. "There is so much going on. I wish I had a manual to instruct me on what to do, where to go, and how to vote."

Someone responded to his report with a letter to an editor. "How sad," said the letter, "that a leader of our church would not know that we Christians already have a manual on how to live the Christian life. It's called the Bible."
The best way to learn about modern culture is to have a teenager; you learn quickly what is valued highly. One of those things that a teenager can teach you is the extreme value of being cool. Now "cool" means different things in different contexts. In general, it means desirable. In talking about clothes, it means fashionable. For 14-year-old boys talking about girls, cool means attractive. But at its root, cool means ... the opposite of hot. It means the opposite of passion. It means looking like nothing will get you stirred up. Like nothing bothers you. Like nothing can affect you.

CSSPlus

Good morning! I have here a newspaper article about a kidnapping. It seems that ... (tell them about the story in the clipping). Now when somebody is kidnapped, the usual reason for kidnapping them is money. The kidnappers want somebody to pay them money to release the prisoner. Does anybody know what we call the money paid to get someone released from the kidnappers? (Let them answer.) It's called a "ransom." A ransom is paid in order to get someone released by the bad guys.
Good morning! Did you know that after Jesus was raised from the dead, he went around showing himself to some of his followers? Some of the disciples saw him and recognized him right away. One of the disciples, Thomas, recognized him but he didn't believe that it was really Jesus. He wanted proof before he would believe.
After the resurrection of Jesus -- but before it was known -- two of his followers were walking along a road. They were sad about the crucifixion and mourning that their friend was gone. Jesus joined them on the road, but they did not recognize him. He challenged their lack of belief in the resurrection. Didn't the prophecies say that the Messiah would be brought back from the dead? Why, then, didn't they believe them? Jesus tells them that they are slow to believe.

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