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

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This year, for the first... -- Acts 10:34-38 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
This year, for the first time, our country is officially celebrating a national holiday in honor of
The story is told of... -- Acts 10:34-38 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
The story is told of two tribes that for years were in a perpetual state of conflict.
Finding the proper hymn for... -- Acts 10:34-38 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
Finding the proper hymn for the proper occasion is often easier said than done.
It must have been amazing... -- Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
It must have been amazing for the people around at Jesus' Baptism to hear the word from heaven about
The church was stately, exquisitely... -- Acts 10:34-38 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
The church was stately, exquisitely appointed, and symbolically precise.
Luke's portrait of John the... -- Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
Luke's portrait of John the Baptist is carefully drawn.
Clearly, the Baptism of Jesus... -- Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
Clearly, the Baptism of Jesus was his identification with the ministry of John, and the confirmation
Great expectations. Dreams of the... -- Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
Great expectations. Dreams of the everyday housewife. Phantoms of future redemption.
In a recent, exciting book... -- Acts 8:14-17 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
In a recent, exciting book, Preaching and the Holy Spirit, James Forbes describes his Christi
This baptismal scene makes me... -- Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
This baptismal scene makes me think of that which is reverent and holy -- quiet and, in a sense, "pa
Do we lay hands on... -- Acts 8:14-17 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
Do we lay hands on life for good or ill? Once there was a king and a wise man.
In the year 1198 in... -- Isaiah 61:1-4 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
In the year 1198 in the city of Paris, this passage from the prophet Isaiah was read on the Sunday b
It is possible to sleep... -- Acts 10:34-38 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
It is possible to sleep through a revolution.
The Spirit of the Lord... -- Isaiah 61:1-4 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me ... to bring good tidings to the afflicted ...
Up until this moment in... -- Acts 10:34-38 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
Up until this moment in time Peter had believed that the kingdom of God was only for Jews.
This text from Isaiah provided... -- Isaiah 61:1-4 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
This text from Isaiah provided the context of Jesus' sermon in his home synagogue.
John Wesley went, with his... -- Acts 10:34-38 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
John Wesley went, with his brother, Charles, to serve as a missionary to the Indians in Georgia.
The prophet describes the mission... -- Isaiah 61:1-4 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
The prophet describes the mission of the Messiah in terms of servanthood.
John Updike's novel Roger's... -- Acts 10:34-38 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
John Updike's novel Roger's Version is the story of a theological professor who finds himself
At a ministers' conference two... -- Isaiah 42:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
At a ministers' conference two years ago, former United Methodist Bishop, James Armstrong, stressed
Picture three men in three... -- Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
Picture three men in three different situations.
The people of Israel were... -- Isaiah 42:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
The people of Israel were chosen for a mission -- to be a light for the nations.
Luke tells of John the... -- Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
Luke tells of John the Baptist saying that Jesus would separate the wheat from the chaff.
The servant whom God has... -- Isaiah 42:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
The servant whom God has chosen and who will be baptized and filled by God's spirit is a man of j
Time magazine (May... -- Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C
Time magazine (May 6, 1991) ran an article on the Church of Scientology, a cult founded by sc

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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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