Login / Signup

Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C

Hold down Ctrl (Windows) / Command (Mac) for multiple selections (scroll list to see all options)

Children's Activity

Commentary

Children's bulletin

Children's sermon

Devotional

Drama

Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

I was preaching on a... -- 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30, 41-43 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
I was preaching on a Sunday morning in one of my early pastorates.
Suppose your father had died... -- Isaiah 55:10-13 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Suppose your father had died shortly after you were born.
I was on my... -- 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
I was on my annual two-week Naval Reserve tour of duty in Norfolk, Virginia.
The people of Israel were... -- 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30, 41-43 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
The people of Israel were very proud of their temple.
From The Rock, IIIbr... -- Kings 8 (22-23, 27-30, 41-43) -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
From The Rock, IIIO weariness of men who turn from GOD
My oldest daughter joined... -- Hebrews 9:11-15 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
My oldest daughter joined the Marine Corps when she was eighteen.
Solomon's prayer is beautiful, yet... -- 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30, 41-43 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Solomon's prayer is beautiful, yet, at the same time, it conjures up a rather negative image.
In a children's sermon I... -- Genesis 14:18-20 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
In a children's sermon I talked about Jesus washing his disciples' feet.
Dr. Barry Bailey tells... -- Hebrews 9:11-15 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Dr.
Abram's visit to Melchizedek is... -- Genesis 14:18-20 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Abram's visit to Melchizedek is reminiscent of the Last Supper.
Tim had been named the... -- Genesis 14:18-20 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Tim had been named the devotional leader at the May Council meeting.
The Yaxchilan lintels, murals... -- Hebrews 9:11-15 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
The Yaxchilan lintels, murals made by the Mayas in A.D.
George MacDonald wrote in I... -- Genesis 14:18-20 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
George MacDonald wrote in The Word of Jesus on Prayer (SecondSeries):
Robert Frost, in the poem... -- Genesis 14:18-20 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Robert Frost, in the poem, "The Trial by Existence," calls us to the adventure of taking up the Cros
We often refer to... -- Hebrews 9:11-15 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
We often refer to our inherited qualities as being present in our genes.
Real love defies description. The... -- Genesis 14:18-20 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Real love defies description.
We encounter God through the... -- Genesis 14:18-20 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
We encounter God through the most unexpected people -- the poor, the homeless, the needy, the sick,
In an Appalachian coal town... -- Luke 9:11-17 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
In an Appalachian coal town a single parent was asked how she kept her life on an even keel.
Being considered mad by... -- Mark 3:20-35 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Although Melchizedek is a shadowy... -- Genesis 14:18-20 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Although Melchizedek is a shadowy figure mentioned only briefly in the Bible, he is often considered
During a lengthy tour throughout... -- 1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11) 22-30, 41-43 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
During a lengthy tour throughout Europe, a poet visited, in the process, many of the grand cathedral
The London Tablet once asked... -- Luke 9:11-17 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
The London Tablet once asked the question, "Who are the happiest people on earth?" Answer: "A
When Jesus began doing... -- Mark 3:20-35 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
When Jesus began doing and saying unusual things, almost nobody understood him.
Paul had found a radically... -- Galatians 1:1-10 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Paul had found a radically different motive for his life when he made the choice to serve Jesus Chri
A Hasidic legend tells how... -- 1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11) 22-30, 41-43 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
A Hasidic legend tells how once upon a time three Hasidim made a pilgrimage to spend high holy days

Prayer

Preaching

Sermon

Stories

Worship

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Signup for FREE!
(No credit card needed.)
Easter 4
28 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
23 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 5
33 – Sermons
140+ – Illustrations / Stories
34 – Children's Sermons / Resources
30 – Worship Resources
35 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 6
30 – Sermons
180+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
23 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Signup for FREE!
(No credit card needed.)

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.

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL