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First Sunday of Advent - B

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Daryl's boss thought he could... -- Mark 13:24-37 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
Daryl's boss thought he could beat the system. He cheated on safety-guard measures in the factory.
Ever expected an important phone... -- Mark 13:32-37 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
Ever expected an important phone call?
In her book, Receiving the... -- Isaiah 64:1-9 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
In her book, Receiving the Day: Christian Practices for Opening the Gift of Time, Dorothy Bas
Two persons stepped briskly along... -- Mark 13:32-37 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
Two persons stepped briskly along the same city street in the early days of the Advent season.
The preschool children at the... -- Isaiah 64:1-9 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
The preschool children at the church came to see Pastor Mary and were thrilled to present her with s
At a fort in a... -- Mark 13:32-37 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
At a fort in a coastal town in France, a cannon was fired every day at five o'clock.
Mike's experience was no different... -- Isaiah 64:1-9 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
Mike's experience was no different from others graduating from high school and joining the service.
It is a bittersweet moment... -- Isaiah 64:1-9 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
It is a bittersweet moment for Carla.
A family and their recent... -- 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
A family and their recent college-graduate daughter never imagined she would still be waiting for a
The story is told about... -- 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
The story is told about a man who was shipwrecked and marooned on an island alone for twenty years.
Bill and Mary's son, David... -- 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
Bill and Mary's son, David, was going camping on his own for the first time.
In my early teens I... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
In my early teens I attended a fundamentalist church with my mother.
After some consultation with other... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
After some consultation with other doctors, many prayers and hours of soul-searching, Jim had decide
Kip Keino will be remembered... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
Kip Keino will be remembered as a great long distance runner.
Thanks to Lady Bird Johnson... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
Thanks to Lady Bird Johnson, wife of the late President, Texas highways are a blaze of color during
She was a Christian woman... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
She was a Christian woman and proud of it! Yet something in her soul was withered and shriveled.
One has only to look... -- Luke 21:25-36 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
One has only to look at the vast number of books available in any bookstore to realize that there is
My wife and I went... -- Luke 21:25-36 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
My wife and I went for a walk through a city park that had many softball fields.
Native American Prayer:I... -- Luke 21:25-36 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
Native American Prayer:"O Great Spirit,
There will be signs in... -- Luke 21:25-36 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars." The Bethlehem star must have been some star.
The prophet speaks of a... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
The prophet speaks of a new name for Jerusalem. What difference does it make what a city is called?
In a small country church... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
In a small country church, preparations were being made for the Sunday school Christmas program.
May He banish from the... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
May He banish from the hearts of all men and women whatever might endanger peace.
I will make a righteous... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
"I will make a righteous branch sprout from David's line." For many years, we had a maple tree stump
There is an old legend... -- Zechariah 14:4-9 -- First Sunday of Advent - B
There is an old legend that when end times come a golden thread will be stretched across the Valley

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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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