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Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

People came to her frequently... -- 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1994
People came to her frequently for advice, sometimes commenting on her reputation for wisdom.
As Ron waits to count... -- 1 Kings 2:1O-12; 3:3-14 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1994
As Ron waits to count down the seconds of each of his wife's labor pains, he quietly prays for his w
A certain lawsuit ended up... -- John 6:51-58 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1994
A certain lawsuit ended up at the United States Supreme Court in the summer of 1993.
Several college students were discussing... -- John 6:51-58 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1991
Several college students were discussing the sacrament of the Lord's supper in an interdenominationa
Irma Dovey wrote of her... -- John 6:51-58 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1991
Irma Dovey wrote of her thoughts as she recently received the sacrament of holy communion in a churc
When C. S. Lewis gave... -- Ephesians 5:15-20 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1991
When C. S.
Always and for everything giving... -- Ephesians 5:15-20 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1991
"... Always and for everything giving thanks ..."
A Philadelphia hotel clerk gave... -- Ephesians 5:15-20 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1991
A Philadelphia hotel clerk gave his room to an elderly man and his wife when there were no other roo
Wisdom is something deeper than... -- Proverbs 9:1-6 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1991
Wisdom is something deeper than the genetic ability to memorize all sorts of quotations, calculation
These words are the opposite... -- Proverbs 9:1-6 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1991
These words are the opposite of what we generally hear, that is, we are generally told that we shoul
Someone said, Life is what... -- Proverbs 9:1-6 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1991
Someone said, "Life is what happens when you've planned something else." Wisdom can be what happens
I had often ministered to... -- 2 Samuel 18:24-33 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1991
I had often ministered to Ruth and Larry. Their son, Bill, had been a terrible disappointment.
In Charles Williams' novel, Descent... -- 2 Samuel 18:24-33 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1991
In Charles Williams' novel, Descent into Hell (1937), the characters eventually become schooled in t
Another man running ... He also... -- 2 Samuel 18:24-33 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1991
"... Another man running ...
At the age of 93... -- 2 Samuel 18:24-33 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1991
At the age of 93, she received word that her son had just died following a long struggle with cancer
I stand by the beds... -- John 6:60-69 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B
I stand by the beds of my two sleeping children. Melanie is seven years old and John is nine.
Have you ever heard a... -- John 6:55-69 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B
Have you ever heard a black person or a Polish person or a Swedish person tell a joke on themselves?
In the days before yeast... -- John 6:51-58 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B
In the days before yeast was available in foils packets at the supermarket, it had to be
The disciples did not respond... -- John 6:55-69 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B
The disciples did not respond well to hard words from Jesus, and neither do we.
Many of us have been... -- John 6:51-58 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B
Many of us have been guilty of taking some pretty remarkable things for granted, simply
A certain novelist was once... -- Joshua 24:1-2, 15-18 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B
A certain novelist was once called a "toy socialist," because he spoke eloquently about the movement
Choose this day whom you... -- Joshua 24:1-2, 15-18 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B
"Choose this day whom you will serve," said Joshua to the Israelites.
When Cathy, from the comic... -- Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-25 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B
When Cathy, from the comic strip by Cathy Guieswite, went to "The Last Resort," a fitness and health
John Hanson and his family... -- Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-25 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B
John Hanson and his family emigrated from Sweden in 1875 and lived, for about five years, in the cit

The Immediate Word

Null -- 1 Kings 2 10-12; 3:3-14, Ephesians 5:15-20, John 6:51-58 -- Carlos Wilton -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B
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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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