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Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

There are times when land... -- 1 Kings 21:1-3, 17-21 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
There are times when land is more than just a commodity to be bought and sold.
I have spent countless hours... -- Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
I have spent countless hours in hospitals with parishioners who were sick or dying.
Now that we are in... -- Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
Now that we are in the midst of the vacation season, we face the annual dilemma of packing our suitc
The urge to own something... -- 1 Kings 21:1-3, 17-21 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
The urge to own something that belongs to someone else is a powerful one.
Years ago when our children... -- 2 Samuel 11:26-12:10, 13-15 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
Years ago when our children were very small they would often ask us to tell them a story at bedtime.
In his fascinating book, I... -- Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
In his fascinating book, A Forgotten Glory, James Wakefield Burke has meticulously recorded t
Mary Johnson is 88 years... -- 1 Kings 21:1-3, 17-21 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
Mary Johnson is 88 years old.
Do you ever get the... -- Isaiah 66:10-14 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
Do you ever get the feeling that when we humans talk about justice and judgments we are talking an e
When Jesus stood up in... -- Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
When Jesus stood up in his hometown synagogue and told the people the kingdom of God was at hand, it
Was I to blame for... -- 2 Samuel 11:26-12:10, 13-15 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
"Was I to blame for this, God?" Ralph asked first when his son contracted an incurable disease.
On June 16, 1991, Cardinal... -- Isaiah 66:10-14 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
On June 16, 1991, Cardinal John J.
Do you remember the old... -- 1 Kings 21:1-3, 17-21 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
Do you remember the old "Rube Goldberg" machines?
Authority at its best is... -- 2 Samuel 11:26-12:10, 13-15 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
Authority at its best is something that can be given, but can never be taken.
PrayerO... -- Isaiah 66:10-14 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
Prayer"O Nourishing, Nurturing,Mothering God,
Ahab lusting for Naboth's vineyard... -- Kings 21:1-3, 17-21 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
Ahab lusting for Naboth's vineyard so he can turn it into a vegetable patch.
When the Lord instructs the... -- Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
When the Lord instructs the 70 to "eat what is set before you," both humorous and sad stories come t
Have you ever experienced times... -- Isaiah 66:10-14 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
Have you ever experienced times when God seemed hidden, if not altogether absent?
What a temper tantrum. You'd... -- 1 Kings 21:1-3, 17-21 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
What a temper tantrum. You'd expect this behavior from a little, tiny child.
An unusual member of the... -- Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
An unusual member of the plant kingdom, the mimosa or sensitive plant avoids relationship with any o
A friend once told me... -- Galatians 6:7-18 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
A friend once told me a story of a young African girl who attended church shortly after accepting Ch
Elijah told Ahab something he... -- 1 Kings 21:1-3, 17-21 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
Elijah told Ahab something he did not want to hear.
Many of the members of... -- Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
Many of the members of churches are somewhat disdainful of Mormons.
Yielding yourself to God... -- 2 Samuel 7:18-29 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
Yielding yourself to God as David did is a way of saying thanks for his goodness.
A strange paradox in contemporary... -- Galatians 6:7-18 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
A strange paradox in contemporary living is our preoccupation with the problem of the risk.
The strong female imagery in... -- Isaiah 66:10-14 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
The strong female imagery in this passage of God's care for his people prompted my remembering an ol

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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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