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Matthew 5:1-12

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

In a PeanutsI... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - A -- 1999
In a Peanuts comic strip Charlie Brown is talking to Linus and asks, "Do you ever think much
If you wanted to know... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - A -- 1999
If you wanted to know what the Communists stood for, you'd read the Communist Manifesto; if y
I once asked an adult... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1996
I once asked an adult Vacation Bible School class what their favorite part of the worship service wa
Poor In SpiritInner... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1996
Poor In SpiritInner vision, inner sighteyes to see beyond
Jim Crane, in one of... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1996
Jim Crane, in one of his cartoon books, shows two men who
All the world seems to... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1996
All the world seems to be engaged in the mad pursuit of
The dictionary defines the word... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1996
The dictionary defines the word "beatitude" as a "blessing,"
William Blake's Clod And The... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1996
William Blake's "Clod And The Pebble" illustrates 2 kinds of love: "Love seeketh only self to please
On a Saturday afternoon in... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1996
On a Saturday afternoon in November 1994, a Methodist minister officiated at a wedding in Bridgeport
The Jameson family was large... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 1996
The Jameson family was large and close.
To put it bluntly, Mary... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - C -- 1995
To put it bluntly, Mary was having a hellish year. First, her father became ill.
Contemporary studies of the word... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - C -- 1995
Contemporary studies of the word "blessed" are wont to substitute the word "happy" in its place.
In the early days of... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - C -- 1995
In the early days of this nation's history, it was a common experience for Presbyterian, Baptist, an
Claire and Dan pulled into... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - C -- 1995
Claire and Dan pulled into the shopping center looking for the furniture store.
Speeches come and go. When... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1994
Speeches come and go.
In an old Kudzu cartoon... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1994
In an old Kudzu cartoon, the Rev. Will B.
One of my favorite saints... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1994
One of my favorite saints who was my spiritual mentor shared this story with me from his ministry .
I spend most weekends at... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1994
I spend most weekends at a retreat house, where I am responsible for housekeeping and cooking, and m
(M)The... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1982
(M)
M)The Beatitudes... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1982
(M)
(L)Blessed... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1982
(L)"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness ..."
(L)A... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1982
(L)
L)I went... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1982
(L)
(M)Often... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1982
(M)
(M)William... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1982
(M)

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UPCOMING WEEKS
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30 – Worship Resources
35 – Commentary / Exegesis
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Easter 6
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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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