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The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

We all have read stories... -- Isaiah 43:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 1995
We all have read stories, gone to movies, and watched television shows whose story lines depicted in
The people of Israel are... -- Isaiah 43:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 1995
The people of Israel are blessed with a rich history of symbols, a contemporary example of which is
So how many New Year's... -- Isaiah 42:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 1995
So how many New Year's Resolutions did you make?
I remember a man who... -- Isaiah 42:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 1995
I remember a man who suffered for several years from emphysema.
Lancelot Andrewes, who died as... -- Isaiah 42:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 1995
Lancelot Andrewes, who died as Bishop of Winchester in 1626, was one of the formative figures of the
A senior high Sunday school... -- Isaiah 42:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 1995
A senior high Sunday school class was playing the "What If?" game.
Peter and John had grown... -- Acts 8:14-17 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 1995
Peter and John had grown up with the same bigotry against Samaritans as had their peers.
Confirmation, the sacrament by which... -- Acts 8:14-17 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 1995
"Confirmation," the sacrament by which we are strengthened by the Holy Spirit, seems to be losing it
Mary Stevens lay dying in... -- Acts 8:14-17 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 1995
Mary Stevens lay dying in the cancer ward of a New York metropolitan hospital, her frail, emaciated
A friend of mine, who... -- Isaiah 43:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 1995
A friend of mine, who had just become a father, told me that he wasn't prepared for the tidal wave o
The desire for security of... -- Isaiah 43:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 1995
The desire for security of person and property has triggered a dynamic new industry in our present v
Isaiah speaks of being chosen... -- Isaiah 61:1-4 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
Isaiah speaks of being chosen. Others have chosen to be faithful to God.
A minister was stopped by... -- Acts 8:14-17 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
A minister was stopped by a state policeman who asked him if he realized he had been driving seventy
The table was set with... -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
The table was set with a large bow a pitcher filled with water, and a towel.
I only went to the... -- Isaiah 61:1-4 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
I only went to the funeral because the widow was the sister of one of our members.
The apostles were quick to... -- Acts 8:14-17 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
The apostles were quick to share their gifts with others, rather than to hoard them.
The winnowing fork to assign... -- Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
The winnowing fork to assign the chaff to "burn with unquenchable fire" informs of the seriousness w
Lynn had encountered some tough... -- Isaiah 61:1-4 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
Lynn had encountered some tough times in the past several years.
Conrad M. Thompson, formerly the... -- Acts 8:14-17 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
Conrad M.
From earliest times, the act... -- Acts 8:14-17 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
From earliest times, the act of laying hands upon a person's head was symbolic of conveying a spirit
Water is the understood symbol... -- Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
Water is the understood symbol in baptism.
There is no sadder sight... -- Isaiah 61:1-4 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
There is no sadder sight than the ashes of burned out buildings which once were homes in the blighte
In 1984 the Lutheran church... -- Isaiah 61:1-4 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
In 1984 the Lutheran church and parsonage in Shishmaref, Alaska burned completely to the ground.
Ray was a college classmate... -- Isaiah 42:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
Ray was a college classmate of mine.

The Immediate Word

Named, Claimed, And Unashamed -- Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- Carlos Wilton -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
Dear Fellow Pastor,

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UPCOMING WEEKS
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160+ – Illustrations / Stories
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34 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
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35 – Commentary / Exegesis
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180+ – Illustrations / Stories
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New & Featured This Week

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
In the sometimes-tiresome debate over science and scripture with respect to creation, it’s easy to become distracted. While the argument typically requires a focus on the how, we may lose sight of the what. And so, for just a moment, let me invite us to think for a moment about what God created.
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Bill Thomas
Acts 8:26-40
As a local church pastor, I was often asked if I would baptize a child whose family were not members of the church. Some churches rebelled against this, but I remember this scripture -the hunger for understanding and inclusion of the Eunuch and Philp’s response – to teach and share and baptize in the name of our God. How could we turn anyone away from the rite of baptism?

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
“Dad, I think you worked a miracle.” Rolf slowly walked around the tree. “After that windstorm, I assumed this tree was as good as gone.”

“We just needed to give the branches time to heal and come back,” Michael replied.

 “I know, but so many of them were battered and broken I figured that it couldn’t recover. Now though it looks just like it did before the storm.” Rolf paused. “Do you think it will bear any fruit this summer?”

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A live plant that produces fruit, and a broken branch from that plant. I used a tomato plant from a local greenhouse. Ideally, find a plant with blossoms or small fruit already growing. If you use a different kind of fruit-producing plant, just change the script to fit.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent!

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Mary Austin
Elena Delhagen
Dean Feldmeyer
Quantisha Mason-Doll
For April 28, 2024:
  • On The Way To Gaza by Chris Keating based on Acts 8:26-40. On the way to Gaza, Philip discovers the startling ways the Spirit of God moves across borders, boundaries, customs, and traditions.
  • Second Thoughts: Abiding by Katy Stenta based on John 15:1-8.
  • Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Tom Willadsen, Elena Delhagen, Dean Feldmeyer.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. In our service today, let us absorb from the vine all the nourishment we need.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes our branches become cut off from the vine.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes our branches are withered.
Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we fail to produce good fruit.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

Stan Purdum
We will meet Psalm 22 in its entirety on Good Friday, but here the lectionary designates just verses 23-31. The lectionary psalms generally illuminate the week's First Lesson, which in this case is about the covenant initiated by God with Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 17. The nine verses from this psalm, while not inappropriate, nonetheless leave us looking for an obvious connection with the First Lesson.

John S. Smylie
I think some people are natural-born gardeners. Our Lord grew up in a society that was familiar with agriculture. The images that he used to explain the ways of his Father in heaven are familiar to his audience. Growing up, my closest experience to agriculture was living in, "the Garden State." Most people, when they pass through New Jersey, are surprised to see that expression on the license plates of vehicles registered in New Jersey. Most folks traveling through New Jersey experience the megalopolis, the corridor between New York City and Washington DC.
Ron Lavin
A pastor in Indiana went to visit an 87-year-old man named Ermil, who was a hospital patient. A member of his church told the pastor about this old man who was an acquaintance. "He's not a believer, but he is really in need," the church member said. "I met him at the county home for the elderly. He's a lonely old man with no family and no money."

Paul E. Robinson
"Love is a many splendored thing...." Or so we heard Don Cornwall and the Four Aces sing time and again. Of course you or I might have other words to describe love, depending on our situation.

Love. "I love you." "I love to play golf." "I just love pistachio lush!" "It's tough to love some people." "Jesus loves me, this I know."

Love.

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