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First Sunday of Advent - C

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Alcohol, drugs, and pornography grab... -- Luke 21:25-36 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2006
Alcohol, drugs, and pornography grab our attention. So do eating disorders, gambling,
Righteousness and justice are... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Righteousness and justice are not realities that the late Supreme Court Justice Haim Cohn obse
In a Peanuts... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
In a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy is yelling at Linus.
In his book I... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
In his book Theology of Hope, Jurgen Moltmann comments on the relationship of promise t
In one of the... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
In one of the most favorite and annually repeated episodes in the cartoon Peanuts, Lucy
Jerusalem is anything but... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Jerusalem is anything but safe these days.
Just as Paul was... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Just as Paul was so thankful for the joy he felt because of the Thessalonian Christian witness
Daniel Young, in a... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Daniel Young, in a speech at Hillsdale College, related how ermine -- small animals widely val
Years ago, while I... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Years ago, while I was a seminary student in Pittsburgh, I had the opportunity of a summer's e
Christianity is not a... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Christianity is not a faith of individuals.
Even when it's obvious... -- Luke 21:25-36 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Even when it's obvious the end is near, some of us will still not be ready.
My grandfather was a... -- Luke 21:25-36 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
My grandfather was a watcher. He watched nature for signs of what was to come.
Dr. Joseph B. Slowinski... -- Luke 21:25-36 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Dr. Joseph B. Slowinski was an expert on venomous snakes.
Watchfulness for the coming... -- Luke 21:25-36 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Watchfulness for the coming kingdom is a central theme for Advent.
In the June 27, 1999... -- Luke 21:25-36 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
In the June 27, 1999 issue of the New York Times, Marcelle Fischler wrote an article about Cl
Helen Lane, 78, of Crab... -- Luke 21:25-36 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
Helen Lane, 78, of Crab Orchard, Tennessee, has written an annual Fall weather column for the Crossv
Shortly after they opened a... -- Luke 21:25-36 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
Shortly after they opened a remodeled school in Hyannis, Massachusetts, school officials found that
My grandpa's eyes were ever... -- Luke 21:25-36 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
My grandpa's eyes were ever alert for signs.
It was the beginning of... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
It was the beginning of the end of Nazi totalitarianism in Europe, ushered in on D-Day with nights a
There is a genuine sense... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
There is a genuine sense of celebration and appreciation for others in this passage. N. G.
Our confirmation class was discussing... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
Our confirmation class was discussing how Jesus Christ was at work in us and through us by the power
Timothy had returned to Corinth... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
Timothy had returned to Corinth from Thessalonica with a very encouraging report about his mission.
Paul is issuing a clear... -- Romans 13:11-14 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 1998
Paul is issuing a clear call for Christians to be awake and alert, and as Christians today, we need
Here Jesus speaks to his... -- Matthew 24:36-44 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 1998
Here Jesus speaks to his disciples about his return at the end of the age.
Sandra and Tom had just... -- Matthew 24:36-44 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 1998
Sandra and Tom had just celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

Intercession

Prayer

Preaching

Sermon

The Village Shepherd

When Will He Come? -- 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 -- Janice B. Scott -- First Sunday of Advent - C
Some years ago when our children were very small, we took advantage of one of those holiday
The New Golden Era -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- Janice B. Scott -- First Sunday of Advent - C
The memory is a strange phenomenon.
The Coming -- Luke 21:25-36 -- Janice B. Scott -- First Sunday of Advent - C
Today, as well as being Advent Sunday is also the first day of year 3 of the Revised Common Lectio

Stories

Worship

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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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