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First Sunday in Lent - C

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

During World War I, a... -- Romans 10:8b-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
During World War I, a Protestant chaplain in Italy became friendly with a local priest.
John Wesley set sail for... -- Romans 10:8b-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
John Wesley set sail for Georgia on October 14, 1735, on the Simmonds.
There is something in human... -- Luke 4:1-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
There is something in human nature that seeks to avoid the hour of testing.
When Martin Luther entered the... -- Romans 10:8b-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
When Martin Luther entered the monastery at Erfurt, Germany, he gave himself wholly to prayers, fast
For centuries the Mediterranean world... -- Luke 4:1-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
For centuries the Mediterranean world had been fascinated with Greek culture.
It is surprising how often... -- Romans 10:8b-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
It is surprising how often those we have believed in disappoint us.
One beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon... -- Deuteronomy 26:1-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
One beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon my wife and I were sitting in the backyard eating plums, each o
Moses had a way of... -- Deuteronomy 26:5-10 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
Moses had a way of making every Hebrew feel that he or she was a part of the Exodus experience.
After many years' hiatus my... -- Deuteronomy 26:1-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
After many years' hiatus my college roommate and his family came to our home for a long-delayed visi
My Lord God, br... -- Deuteronomy 26:1-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
"My Lord God,
What happens to your first... -- Deuteronomy 26:1-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
What happens to your first fruits?
John Calvin wrote in his... -- Romans 10:8b-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
John Calvin wrote in his commentary on Isaiah, "It is not enough, therefore, that we believe in some
A teacher was anxious for... -- Romans 10:8b-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
A teacher was anxious for her fifth graders to learn.
The nature of temptation is... -- Luke 4:1-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
The nature of temptation is to attack one's weaknesses.
In his 1999 movie End... -- Luke 4:1-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
In his 1999 movie End of Days, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays an ex-cop, now private security pr
A Scottish preacher in the... -- Romans 10:8b-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
"A Scottish preacher in the last century who had lost his wife delivered an unusually personal sermo
After 30 years of happy... -- Romans 10:8b-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
After 30 years of happy marriage, film star Robert Mitchum was asked what he thought had made his ma
Warren Wiersbe, in his book... -- Luke 4:1-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
Warren Wiersbe, in his book, The Strategy of Satan, speaks about the time when Jesus was temp
The Gods Must Be Crazy... -- Luke 4:1-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
The Gods Must Be Crazy is a movie about the confusion created in a "primitive" South A
Where To Lodge The Gift... -- Luke 4:1-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C
Where To Lodge The GiftDo we giveto the Opportunistor

The Immediate Word

Galilean Idol! -- Luke 4:1-13, Romans 10:8b-13, Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 -- Paul Bresnahan, Thom M. Shuman -- First Sunday in Lent - C
Why is the American public so interested in what is happening with others -- especially the famous a

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UPCOMING WEEKS
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Easter 4
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160+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
23 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
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33 – Sermons
140+ – Illustrations / Stories
34 – Children's Sermons / Resources
30 – Worship Resources
35 – Commentary / Exegesis
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Easter 6
30 – Sermons
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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