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Second Sunday of Advent - C

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Prepare yourself isn't what you... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2006
"Prepare yourself" isn't what you like to hear. You expect next, "Sit down, I have bad
The author of Luke was... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2006
The author of Luke was careful to establish the exact dating of the events he records.
Our Lukan text for today... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2006
Our Lukan text for today is a marvelous passage. It could well be a page out of USA
Christian writer Tony Campolo tells... -- Malachi 3:1-4 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Christian writer Tony Campolo tells the story of a man who used to make his wife miserable.
The French painter, Henri Matisse... -- Malachi 3:1-4 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
The French painter, Henri Matisse, sometimes created art that left his admirers scratching their hea
There's a story about a... -- Malachi 3:1-4 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
There's a story about a group of women who were studying Malachi 3.
Niagara Falls is a most... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Niagara Falls is a most popular and beautiful spot to visit.
Few things are as powerful... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Few things are as powerful as the power of recollection.
Reluctantly the young man went... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Reluctantly the young man went to the worship service. Jim was all alone in a new town.
Many will remember the adages... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Many will remember the adages from Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac: "Haste makes w
Bible scholar and preacher Eugene... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Bible scholar and preacher Eugene Peterson tells of a time when he experienced wonder at the birth o
Those who encountered John the... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Those who encountered John the Baptist must have been astonished by his costume.
Each year, the government of... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Each year, the government of Australia sets aside one day as a National Day of Forgiveness.
One wonders if the work... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
One wonders if the work of a leveler is always fraught with danger.
There was a congregation that... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
There was a congregation that placed an advertisement in the local newspaper.
My first internship was in... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
My first internship was in a tiny parish in Northwestern Ontario which was off the beaten track.
Giang A Ca, a North... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
Giang A Ca, a North Vietnam Hmong tribesman, was sentenced to three years imprisonment (1997).
Paul's prayer for his beloved... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
Paul's prayer for his beloved Philippian Church that has literally been faithful in good days and ba
When I was a teenager... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
When I was a teenager I attended an ecumenical gathering called an Ashram.
Mr. Starr was the high... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
Mr. Starr was the high school journalism teacher.
David Gonzalez, in his I... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
David Gonzalez, in his New York Times column "About New York," once wrote about Father John F
When a tornado warning sounded... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
When a tornado warning sounded in Jarrel, Texas, on May 27, 1997, two young members of the high scho
A pastor and psychologist co... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 1997
A pastor and psychologist co-hosted a radio call-in counseling program.
One of the most inspiring... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 1997
One of the most inspiring songs in the musical Godspell is the marvelous opening lyric titled
Rachel is an energetic little... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 1997
Rachel is an energetic little girl. At age three she discovered magic markers.

Intercession

Prayer

Preaching

Sermon

The Immediate Word

The Refiner's Fire: From Failure To Forgiveness -- Luke 3:1-6, Philippians 1:3-11, Malachi 3:1-4, Luke 1:68-79 -- Scott Suskovic, Stephen P. McCutchan, Thom M. Shuman -- Second Sunday of Advent - C
In Advent, we live with a truth that is already here and not yet here.

The Village Shepherd

The Importance Of Preparation -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Janice B. Scott -- Second Sunday of Advent - C
Now that most of the population of the UK, even in rural areas like this, have access to pri
The Last Piece Of The Puzzle -- Malachi 3:1-4 -- Janice B. Scott -- Second Sunday of Advent - C
In our house, things change at Christmas.
Getting Ready -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Janice B. Scott -- Second Sunday of Advent - C
A great and wise man once called one of his workmen to him saying, "Go into the far country and bu

Stories

Worship

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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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