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Fourth Sunday of Advent - B

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Kathy was a quiet girl... -- Luke 1:26-38 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Kathy was a quiet girl who mostly stayed in the background of whatever was going on at the time.
A group picture taken after... -- Romans 16:25-27 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
A group picture taken after the wedding vows had been exchanged included a young boy.
Jack and Helen immigrated to... -- 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Jack and Helen immigrated to the United States during World War I and found a home in the mountains
Mary did not feel merry... -- Luke 1:26-38 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Mary did not feel merrywhen the angel camejust fearand awe
Donald Trump is not a... -- 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Donald Trump is not a shy man. In fact, it appears that he claims the spotlight whenever he can.
Two parts of this scripture... -- Luke 1:26-38 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Two parts of this scripture, when put together, provide a fresh sermonic approach: (1) "...
Everyone would like a house... -- 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Everyone would like a house. But unfortunately for some, houses are just too expensive to own.
Bethlehem is a small place... -- Micah 5:2-5a -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Bethlehem is a small place. Indeed the smallest clan in Abraham's family occupied that territory.
The day that Joellen joined... -- Micah 5:2-5a -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
The day that Joellen joined our congregation she asked if she could sing in the choir.
Around Christmas time, children are... -- Hebrews 10:5-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Around Christmas time, children are often struck with the urge to do good; to number among the nice
She was a little old... -- Hebrews 10:5-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
She was a little old lady, well advanced in years.
Many of us have had... -- Hebrews 10:5-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Many of us have had the tragic experience of working hard at a project or a relationship only to be
William Bright wrote a communion... -- Hebrews 10:5-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
William Bright wrote a communion hymn about the sacrifice Christ made on the cross:
In 1967 Dmitri Shostakovich, the... -- Luke 1:39-55 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
In 1967 Dmitri Shostakovich, the Russian composer, wrote a symphony titled, "October." The work was
It was during the month... -- Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
It was during the month of December, the season of Advent that a black seamstress was on her way hom
Nothing is impossible with God... -- Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
"Nothing is impossible with God." With these words a young woman is assured that God has found her t
The shuttle bus rounded a... -- Micah 5:2-5a -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
The shuttle bus rounded a curve along the west rim of the Grand Canyon.
In Porbandar, India, a small... -- Micah 5:2-5a -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
In Porbandar, India, a small, remote, seaside town in the Kathiawar Peninsula, Mohandas Karamchand G
Before the completion of a... -- Hebrews 10:5-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Before the completion of a new church, a cross had to be welded onto a steeple.
Day by day a parish... -- Hebrews 10:5-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Day by day a parish priest prepared his congregation and parish school for Christmas.
The Cherry Tree Carol is... -- Hebrews 10:5-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
The Cherry Tree Carol is a tale that imagines that when the Holy Family was enroute to Egypt in thei
For years, Marsha said, I... -- Hebrews 10:5-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
"For years," Marsha said, "I never bothered about church. My family and I were poor.
Our conviction as Christians is... -- Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Our conviction as Christians is that history is a footnote to the Magnificat: her son shall bring me
Brian was a member of... -- Micah 5:2-5a -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Brian was a member of the Hell's Angels.
The Moravian Church was formed... -- Micah 5:2-5a -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
The Moravian Church was formed following the martyrdom of John Hus in Bohemia.

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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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