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Worship

SermonStudio

Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 -- Jonah 3:1-5, 10, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, Mark 1:14-20 -- Frank Ramirez -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B -- 2005
First Lesson: Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Theme: I Knew This Would Happen!
Theme: One Lord, False Profits -- Deuteronomy 18:15-20 -- Frank Ramirez -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - B -- 2005
Call To Worship (Psalm 111:10)
Theme: View From A Height -- Isaiah 40:21-31 -- Frank Ramirez -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - B -- 2005
Call To Worship (Isaiah 40:31)
Theme: If Only -- 2 Kings 5:1-14 -- Frank Ramirez -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2005
Call To Worship
Theme: Get In The Game -- Isaiah 43:18-25 -- Frank Ramirez -- Epiphany 7 | Ordinary Time 7 - B -- 2005
Call To Worship (Psalm 8:1, 3-4, 9) One:
Theme: A New Name, The Right Name -- Hosea 2:14-20 -- Frank Ramirez -- Epiphany 8 | Ordinary Time 8 - B -- 2005
Call To Worship
Theme: Walk To The Light -- Isaiah 60:1-6 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2005
Call To Worship Arise, shine; for your light has come!
Theme: Believe It Or Not! -- Isaiah 52:13--53:12 -- Frank Ramirez -- Good Friday - B -- 2005
Call To Worship (based on 1 Corinthians 1:18-25) One:
Nevermore Forevermore -- Genesis 9:8-17 -- Frank Ramirez -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 2005
Call To Worship Storms are raging all about,
Theme: Spell My Name With An "H" -- Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 -- Frank Ramirez -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 2005
Call To Worship (Psalm 22:23-24) One:

Drama

SermonStudio

The Collection -- Mark 12:38-44 -- Lori Lee Triplett -- 1993
Cast Of CharactersNarrator: male or female, any ageHusband: male non-speaking role
Sundays -- 2 Corinthians 4:5-12, Mark 2:23--3:6 -- Lori Lee Triplett -- 1993
Cast Of CharactersJane: friend of Sara's and a similar age
Questions -- 2 Corinthians 4:13--5:1, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 -- Lori Lee Triplett -- 1993
(This can be done as a readers' theatre or memorized with three or six people.
Raging -- 2 Corinthians 6:1-13, Mark 4:35-41 -- Lori Lee Triplett -- 1993
(This stand-alone monologue should be done as simply as possible, one on one with God)
Attitude -- 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 -- Lori Lee Triplett -- 1993
Cast Of CharactersNarrator: male or female, any ageCain: the older brother
A Thorn -- 2 Corinthians 12:2-10, Mark 6:1-6 -- Lori Lee Triplett -- 1993
Cast Of CharactersJessica: a sick singer who wants to make a career singing
The Inheritance -- Ephesians 1:3-14, Mark 6:14-29 -- Lori Lee Triplett -- 1993
Cast Of CharactersAttorney: middle-aged, can be male or female
The Food -- Mark 6:30-34, 53-56, John 6:1-21 -- Lori Lee Triplett -- 1993
Cast Of CharactersKristen: female, college age or older
Isaiah's Surprise -- Nancy Steltz -- 1987
Staging: Gabriel is on the far right; Mary is sitting center stage; the chorus stands at left stage.
Recollections of Enoch, A Jewish Captive In Babylon -- Robert A. Morgan -- 1985
I thought I was an old man when we were brought to Babylon, and I am ten years older now.

Sermon

SermonStudio

Father, Forgive Them -- Luke 23:32-34 -- Robert D. Cornwall -- 2008
Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him.
Paradise -- Luke 23:39-43 -- Robert D. Cornwall -- 2008
One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah
Woman, Here Is Your Son -- John 19:26-27 -- Robert D. Cornwall -- 2008
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his moth
Abandonment -- Mark 15:34-35 -- Robert D. Cornwall -- 2008
At three o'clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani" which m
I Thirst -- John 19:28-29 -- Robert D. Cornwall -- 2008
After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture
It Is Finished -- John 19:30 -- Robert D. Cornwall -- 2008
When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished." Then he bowed his head and gave up h
The Final Word -- Luke 23:44-49 -- Robert D. Cornwall -- 2008
It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while
God Never Gives Up On Us -- 1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20 (11:14-15) -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - B -- 2008
Have you noticed that no matter how much of a mess we make of our lives, God never gives up on us?
God, What Are You Up To? -- Genesis 12:1-9 -- Stan Purdum -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - A -- 2007
One of the better programs on television from 2003 to 2005 was a series on CBS called Joan of Arc
God's Laughter -- Genesis 18:1-15 (21:1-7) -- Stan Purdum -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - A -- 2007
Okay, who knows how Joan of Arc died? Right. She was burned at the stake.

Children's sermon

SermonStudio

The Jumping Flame -- Kenneth A. Mortonson -- 1993
Purpose: To encourage children to try new things.
A Lesson From Paper -- Kenneth A. Mortonson -- 1993
Purpose: To help the children understand that as we grow older,
The Arrow Of Friendship -- Kenneth A. Mortonson -- 1993
Purpose: To think about the meaning of true friendship.
Fishing With A Net -- Kenneth A. Mortonson -- 1993
Purpose: To show the need for each one to accept responsibility
The Lever -- Kenneth A. Mortonson -- 1993
Purpose: To show how people working together can accomplish more
Useful Junk -- Kenneth A. Mortonson -- 1993
Purpose: To show how God can refashion us into something good.
If The Shoe Fits -- Kenneth A. Mortonson -- 1993
Purpose: To stress the importance of accepting help when it is needed.
Let Your Light Shine Through -- Kenneth A. Mortonson -- 1993
Purpose: To help children see that even little deeds of kindness are important.
Putting God In His Place -- Kenneth A. Mortonson -- 1993
Purpose: To show the importance of keeping God at the center of life.
Try, Try Again -- Kenneth A. Mortonson -- 1993
Purpose: To encourage children to keep on trying when they have

Preaching

SermonStudio

Mom, Where Did We Come From? -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: Occasionally a sermon on who we are, historically, would be appropriate.
One Bible -- So Many Churches! -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: Why are there so many different denominations?
Guns  Rn't Us -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: We must explore whether guns are worth the cost of life and limb.
Ate With Any Wicked People Lately? -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: As Christians are we allowed to associate with "bad" people?
When Your Friends Are Naughty -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: How do we act when our friends do wrong things?
Love Your Neighbor -- Very Carefully! -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: It is important to remind our church family to not allow ourselves to be place
Worship Is More Than Just Staying Awake -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: When is worship really worship?
Little Orphan Annie Complex -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: We need to deal with our fear of growing old.
Would Jesus Stretch The Truth? -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: Jesus used exaggeration in his teaching and for good reason.
A Sunday School For Adults Only! -- Terry Cain -- 2005
Purpose Statement: Sunday school is not only for children, but also perhaps even more important f

Worship Service

Stories

SermonStudio

Epiphany: A Wonderful Holiday -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Constance Berg -- Epiphany of the Lord - A -- 2001
I have lived in two different countries where Epiphany is a very important holiday: The Netherlands
The Love Of Being A Christian -- John 1:29-42 -- Constance Berg -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - A -- 2001
Bob Bohn was serving in Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Saigon, Vietnam, in 1971.
A Time To Rest, A Time For Renewal -- Matthew 4:12-23 -- Constance Berg -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 2001
Stan needed rest, but there was no letting up.
An Open Letter To Congressional Delegation And The U.S. Secretary Of Agriculture -- Micah 6:1-8 -- Constance Berg -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 2001
Dear Sirs:
Sweet/Salty Love -- Matthew 5:13-20 -- Constance Berg -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - A -- 2001
While waiting at the beauty salon, I was captivated by an article in People magazine (January
The Stolen Generation -- Matthew 5:21-37 -- Constance Berg -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - A -- 2001
In an October 2, 2000, Time magazine article written by Terry McCarthy, Archie Roach recounts
Conscience-Building -- 1 Corinthians 3:10-11,16-23 -- Constance Berg -- Epiphany 7 | Ordinary Time 7 - A -- 2001
Trace was known for his strong, durable buildings.
Today's Trouble Is Enough For Today -- Matthew 6:24-34 -- Constance Berg -- Epiphany 8 | Ordinary Time 8 - A -- 2001
Margy was born in 1934.
A Religious Dilemma -- John 18:1-19:42 -- Constance Berg -- Good Friday - A -- 2001
Maia knew she was carrying twins.
Rainbow -- Romans 5:12-19 -- Constance Berg -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 2001
The clown came walking ever so slowly up the aisle, smiling. She looked around.

Prayer

Devotional

SermonStudio

Lent 3 -- John 4:5-42 -- Stephen P. McCutchan -- Third Sunday in Lent - A -- 2007
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink ..." The Samaritan
Lent 4 -- 1 Samuel 16:1-13 -- Stephen P. McCutchan -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2007
...
Lent 4 -- Psalm 23 -- Stephen P. McCutchan -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2007
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. -- Psalm 23:1
Lent 4 -- Ephesians 5:8-14 -- Stephen P. McCutchan -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2007
For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light....
Lent 4 -- John 9:1-41 -- Stephen P. McCutchan -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2007
... One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see. -- John 9:25
Lent 5 -- Ezekiel 37:1-14 -- Stephen P. McCutchan -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2007
... They say, "Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely."
Lent 5 -- Psalm 130 -- Stephen P. McCutchan -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2007
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord ... O Israel, hope in the Lord!
Lent 5 -- Romans 8:6-11 -- Stephen P. McCutchan -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2007
To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Lent 5 -- John 11:1-45 -- Stephen P. McCutchan -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2007
Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazaru
Passion/Palm Sunday -- Isaiah 50:4-9a -- Stephen P. McCutchan -- Passion Sunday - A -- 2007
The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward.

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Christian Faith

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 13 (OT 18, Pent 10)
29 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
30+ – Children's Sermons / Resources
20+ – Worship Resources
24 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 14 (OT 19, Pent 11)
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Proper 15 (OT 20, Pent 12)
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New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Christopher Keating
Mary Austin
George Reed
For August 2, 2026:

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Tom and Ben couldn't stand each other. They'd known each other for a very long time since they had been at school together years ago and had lived in the same village ever since. But they'd never hit it off. Unfortunately, being a village there was only one church, and Tom and Ben were both churchgoers.

StoryShare

Frank Ramirez
Argile Smith
Contents
What's Up This Week
"Not a Cup but a Cow" by Frank Ramirez
"Compassion at Work" by Argile Smith


What's Up This Week

SermonStudio

Jerry L. Schmalenberger
Seasonal Theme
The teaching and ministry of Jesus the Christ.

Theme For The Day
God's blessing from our troubles and the kingdom's invitation to share with others.

Old Testament Lesson
Genesis 32:22-31
Jacob Wrestles At Peniel
Stan Purdum
This psalm belongs in the category of "personal lament," which means it probably was not used for corporate worship, but by an individual pray-er. From the tone, the person is clearly in some unspecified distress, probably from persecutors of some sort. Protesting his innocence and his faithfulness to God, the psalmist asks for divine relief, and concludes with an expression of confidence that God will come to his aid (v. 18: "I shall awake satisfied").
David Kalas
I wonder how many of us here are named after someone.

Chances are that a good many of us carry family names. We are named for a parent, a grandparent, an uncle, or an aunt somewhere on the family tree. Others of us had parents who named us after a character in the Bible, or perhaps some other significant character from history.

All told, I expect a pretty fair number of us are named after someone else.
Larry Lange
To Jim it seemed like an opportunity to right decades of wrongs.
Wayne Brouwer
Yogi Berra, the great baseball player of an earlier age, was known for his unusual and creative use of the English language. In giving directions to his home, for example, he often told people, "When you come to the fork in the road, take it." His formula for success, as some heard it, was this: "Ninety percent perspiration, and the rest mostly just plain hard work." Then there was the time he went to a restaurant by himself and ordered a large pizza. The waitress asked if he would like it cut into four or eight pieces. "Better make it four," he replied.
Richard E. Gribble, CSC
Willy Loman lived in a world of indifference; nobody seemed to care about him and others. It was a world where people thought mostly of themselves. Willy was a traveling salesman, but not a very good one. For many years he had been on the road, traveling from one city to another, one hotel to a second. His area was all of New England. Several times each year he would make his rounds, going from his home in New York north to Waterbury, Connecticut, then on to Providence, Boston, and north still further to Portland and Bangor in Maine before returning home.
Jeff Wedge
Aren't families fun, at times? Paul reminds us in the lesson for today that families can be a source of many things in our lives.

Consider the husband who had promised his wife to replace the kitchen cabinets, but kept putting off the home improvement. The wife had to leave to care for her sick mother for two weeks and returned to find the new cabinets installed in the kitchen.
Thom M. Shuman
Call To Worship
One: We come to this place of worship,
to encounter the One who has called us here.
All: This Holy One -- our God --
is with us in every moment.
One: God is in our celebrations and joys,
God is in our darkest nights of loneliness.
All: This Holy God -- our God --
blesses us and calls us by name.
One: As night fades before the coming light,
we meet the One who saves us --
even from ourselves.
All: This God -- our Holy God --
touches us with the spirit of hope.
Beverly S. Bailey
Hymns
Break Now The Bread Of Life (NCH321, CBH360, UM599, PH329)
Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown (UM386, CBH503)
God Is Here (NCH70, PH461)
Holy Spirit, Truth Divine (LBW257, NCH63, PH321)
Our God, To Whom We Turn (NCH37, PH278)
Sweet Hour Of Prayer (NCH505)
Sheaves Of Summer/Una Espiga (NCH338, PH518)
You Satisfy The Hungry Heart (PH521)

Anthems
Asleep On Holy Ground, Michael Card, The Beginning, Solo
Frank Ramirez
First Lesson: Genesis 32:22-31
Theme: Out Of Joint

Call To Worship (based on Psalm 145:1-4)

One: We will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.

All: We will proclaim you as God and King in the midst of our community.

One: Every day we will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever.

All: Your name is great, Lord, and worthy of this praise.

One: Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

We all love stories of courage among those who wrestle with daunting difficulties in life and actually pull out a win:

* Francis Parkman suffered from both arthritic muscles and poor eyesight. He could work only five minutes at a time, scrawling huge letters on his manuscript, yet he managed to complete a massive twenty-volume historical masterpiece.
David Kalas
Early in the cherished 1965 movie, The Sound of Music, we see the sisters at the abbey wondering about their whimsical novice, Maria. At the moment, no one can find her, and one of the sisters dutifully reports to the Reverend Mother that she has looked in all the usual places. "Considering that it's Maria," responds the wise, old woman, "perhaps you should look someplace unusual."

CSSPlus

Leah Thompson
Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. (v. 19)

Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today we are going to talk about bread. How many of you have eaten bread recently? (allow answers) What did you eat with your bread? (allow answers)
Cynthia E. Cowen
The Point: Jesus wants us to work together to spread the kingdom of God.

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