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Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

We wrestle with the Incomprehensible... -- Genesis 32:22-30 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
We wrestle with the Incomprehensible One who has revealed himself to us; yet he is still mystery bey
It is usually my nose... -- 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
It is usually my nose, not my ears, that sometimes itches during a church service, more often than n
One of the conditions that... -- Genesis 32:22-30 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
One of the conditions that causes the most wrestling with God is an over-dependence upon feelings.
A woman felt she had... -- Luke 18:1-8a -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
A woman felt she had a legitimate grievance against a photographic company.
In the story of Jacob... -- Genesis 32:22-30 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
In the story of Jacob wrestling at the Jabbok, Jacob readily tells his adversary his own name, but t
A modern example of vindication... -- Luke 18:1-8a -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
A modern example of vindication was reported in the May 30th edition of Jet Magazine which fo
It is much easier to... -- Genesis 32:22-30 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
It is much easier to wrestle against a visible opponent than it is to wrestle with conscience.
Professor Benjamin Bloom of the... -- Luke 18:1-8a -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
Professor Benjamin Bloom of the University of Chicago recently led a group of researchers in a study
The Dec. 15, 1982, edition... -- Exodus 17:8-13 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
The Dec.
You can't walk on water... -- Luke 18:1-8a -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
You can't walk on water because water gives.
I asked famed Southern Baptist... -- 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
I asked famed Southern Baptist teacher and author, Dr.
In Alfred Hitchcock's famous thriller... -- Micah 1:2; 2:1-10 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
In Alfred Hitchcock's famous thriller Rear Window, a man idly peering into apartment windows
Please read verses 10-13 before... -- 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
Please read verses 10-13 before you get into this reading for today.
Norman Cousins wrote in the... -- Genesis 32:22-30 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
Norman Cousins wrote in the Saturday Review, "What holds men back today is not the pressure o
While serving as an exchange... -- 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
While serving as an exchange minister on the Isle of Man during the summer of 1983, I had occasion t
The time is out of... -- Genesis 32:22-32 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
The time is out of joint; O cursed spite, That I was ever born to set it right! Shakespeare i
They ought always to pray... -- Luke 18:1-8 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
"They ought always to pray and never lose heart." For many years I have received a Christmas letter
In John Osborne's play, Luther... -- Genesis 32:22-30 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
In John Osborne's play, Luther, the papal representative Cajetan comes to Luther to work out
God hears our prayers and... -- Luke 18:1-8 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
God hears our prayers and answers in one of three ways: "yes," "no," or "not yet." But if we do not
It was more the brazenness... -- Genesis 32:22-30 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
It was more the brazenness of youth than wisdom which caused a young pastor to confront the fifty-ye
The pastoral concern of Luke... -- Luke 18:1-8 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
The pastoral concern of Luke is clear, "losing heart." For two thousand years we have been praying,
Augustine struggled long and hard... -- Kings 5:14-17 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
Augustine struggled long and hard against the pull of the world and the pull of the spirit.
The widow in today's parable... -- Luke 18:1-8 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
The widow in today's parable is praised for her persistence in presenting her requests before an unj
Washing in the Jordan seven... -- 2 Kings 5:14-17 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
Washing in the Jordan seven times seemed too simple to Namaan, the leper.
Promoting the desire and the... -- 2 Kings 5:14-17 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - A
Promoting the desire and the expectation of something-for-nothing mentality: "At United we don't thi

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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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