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First Sunday after Christmas Day - A

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Several years ago, a very... -- Isaiah 61:10--62:3 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Several years ago, a very bright, precocious, five-year-old, having completed a year of kindergarten
There's an old story about... -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
There's an old story about a king, who one day received a visit from an angel.
Judy seemed different, somehow -- even... -- Isaiah 61:10--62:3 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Judy seemed different, somehow -- even Mr. Haggarty, the boss noticed.
As a fiercely independent man... -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
As a fiercely independent man, John didn't need help from anybody.
Art Linkletter tells about his... -- Galatians 4:4-7 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Art Linkletter tells about his all-time favorite religious encounter with a child.
I suspect that if we... -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
I suspect that if we were to ask people to talk about memorable Christmases we would be surprised at
A little boy was visiting... -- Galatians 4:4-7 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
A little boy was visiting his aunt and uncle.
The angel who appeared to... -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
The angel who appeared to Joseph in a dream, was of course instrumental in saving Jesus and his eart
C. P. Snow in his... -- Galatians 4:4-7 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
C. P.
While we like to think... -- Colossians 3:12-21 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
While we like to think that we are a people, a society more advanced, more cultured than our ancesto
The slaughter of the innocents... -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
The slaughter of the innocents is one of the hardest stories in the life of Jesus for us to deal wit
Once upon a time in... -- Colossians 3:12-21 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Once upon a time in a land not so far away, a movie actress was asked to be the spokesperson for the
For more than a year... -- Colossians 3:12-21 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
For more than a year, the nation has been convulsed by the arrest and beating of Rodney King in Cali
Natural scientist Aldo Leopold once... -- Colossians 3:12-21 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Natural scientist Aldo Leopold once studied the inter-relationships of rabbits, lady-slippers, deer
In this account it seems... -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
In this account it seems about all the baby Jesus did was hide out by being moved from spot to spot.
Theodore Roethke begins his poem... -- Isaiah 63:7-9 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Theodore Roethke begins his poem, "In A Dark Time" with these words: "In a dark time, the eye begins
I recently purchased a computer... -- Isaiah 63:7-9 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
I recently purchased a computer.
In a Georgia town back... -- Isaiah 63:7-9 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
In a Georgia town back in the 1920s a baby was born in the house where the Hunters lived.
Because of his love for... -- Isaiah 63:7-9 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Because of his love for them he rescued them.
Andrew could not help but... -- Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Andrew could not help but notice a homemade wooden plaque hanging in his grandfather's garage.
The other day as I... -- Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
The other day as I was visiting with a friend, she began to speak about her mother who is dying of c

The Immediate Word

One Sin At A Time -- Matthew 2:13-23, Hebrews 2:10-18, Isaiah 63:7-9, Psalm 148 -- Carlos Wilton, Stephen P. McCutchan, Thom M. Shuman -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
When we hear of atrocities and other deplorable acts in our world, it is easy to imagine that we are

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160+ – Illustrations / Stories
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34 – Commentary / Exegesis
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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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