Login / Signup

The Immediate Word

TIW Contributors

George Reed
Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
Chris Keating
Tom Willadsen
Bethany Peerbolte
Katy Stenta
Quantisha Mason-Doll
Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B
Thomas Willadsen
Dean Feldmeyer
Chris Keating
George Reed
Quantisha Mason-Doll
Katy Stenta

For September 19, 2021:



Dean FeldmeyerSuffer The Powerless
by Dean Feldmeyer

What is The Immediate Word?

The Immediate Word gives a theological perspective on today's headlines and popular culture for your sermon, children’s sermon, and worship service. The Immediate Word gives a theological perspective on today's headlines and popular culture.

Cutting Edge: THE IMMEDIATE WORD gives you the tools to be cutting edge ... to put you in touch with today's most critical issues and to aid you in crafting messages and presentations that will truly help your congregants understand the Gospel in the context of what is current and most important to them.

Collaborative: THE IMMEDIATE WORD is a unique collaboration of some of the sharpest, most contemporary clergy of our day in an Internet-based service that gives you weekly information, inspiration, and presentation materials for your sermon, children’s sermon, and worship service.

Enabling: THE IMMEDIATE WORD will enable you to create high-impact sermons, children’s sermons, sermon outlines, worship services and compose pastoral prayers that help people pray with you, write compelling pastoral columns for your newsletter, arm your Sunday school teachers with meaningful, up-to-the-minute discussion sermon material, speak more constructively during the "Concerns of the Church" portion of your sermon, children's sermon and worship service about matters that worry your parishioners, advertise timely discussion topics to draw people into your church, and more.

Interactive: THE IMMEDIATE WORD is a dynamic, interactive process. First, among the team of clergy that creates it every week. Secondly, with you: you can personally participate in the creation process by providing your input and reactions to the input of others on new sermons, children’s sermons, sermon outlines and worship resources.

Timely: THE IMMEDIATE WORD sends participants the topic of the week on Friday and the final product on Tuesday afternoon, giving you time to digest the sermon and worship service materials and then incorporate them into your preparations for the coming Sunday service to deliver high-impact sermons and worship services.

Satisfaction Guaranteed: THE IMMEDIATE WORD is not only guaranteed to satisfy you, we believe it will actually energize your ministry. We are so confident that you will find THE IMMEDIATE WORD to be such a great value that if you are not completely satisfied with the service we will refund the balance of your subscription payment, no questions asked.
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Signup for FREE!
(No credit card needed.)
Proper 19 | OT 24 | Pentecost 16
32 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
28 – Children's Sermons / Resources
27 – Worship Resources
22 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 20 | OT 25 | Pentecost 17
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
25 – Worship Resources
27 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 21 | OT 26 | Pentecost 18
30 – Sermons
150+ – Illustrations / Stories
26 – Children's Sermons / Resources
28 – Worship Resources
24 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Signup for FREE!
(No credit card needed.)

Recent TIW Installments

Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B
Suffer The Powerless
Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B
Controlling the Narrative
Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B
Hearing Our Siblings' Cries
Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - B
Heartwork
Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B
Heading For The Exits

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Thomas Willadsen
Dean Feldmeyer
Chris Keating
George Reed
Quantisha Mason-Doll
Katy Stenta
For September 19, 2021:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Proverbs 31:10-31
Bill Thomas
Bonnie Bates
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Proverbs 31:10-31

StoryShare

C. David Mckirachan
“Women and children first!” We all know the cry in an emergency. I always found that interesting when women and children don’t get much say in what’s going on. According to law and money, men get the power and the pay. Women get the responsibility of raising kids and service work. Interesting.

According to statistics, when women participate in a group, it raises the group’s IQ, it helps with the group’s interpersonal dynamics, and it increases the group’s problem-solving skills. So, why are women second class citizens in our culture?

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A trophy or other award of some kind. For extra fun and think your group can handle it, have the children join you when you do the physical motions with the crowds of people.

They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus said, "Whoever welcomes a little child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, we sometimes fail to appreciate little children.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, we sometimes fail to welcome children into our lives and our church services.
Christ, have mercy.

SermonStudio

Dennis Koch
Gospel Note:
This particular passage is apparently directed toward certain false Christologies that turned Jesus into a docetic divine messenger and granted his followers an exalted status. Contrary to that view, Mark asserts not only that suffering and death were the destiny of Jesus, but also that discipleship is not a matter of the greatness of priority and prestige; that true "greatness" resides in the humble assumption of such despised roles asservant and child.

Liturgical Color:
Green

Suggested Hymns:
All Depends On Our Possessing
Constance Berg
Mark is a chaplain in a nursing home. He loves his job; it gives him the feeling of doing "hands-on ministry" that was lacking when he was a parish pastor. He calls his job very rewarding.

But twenty years ago, Mark's job was almost his death sentence. Mark had been so happy to get the job as nursing home chaplain. He worked long hours, and he loved the feeling of helping and feeling needed.
John T. Ball
In today's text, Jesus teaches the disciples about the power of evil. He says plainly, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him." Religious movements wanting to capture the attention of a large number of followers, need to have a realistic understanding of evil. No one will last long in a religion glossing over the harsh, brutal facts of human suffering. Dwelling only on those sweet moments when we walk in the garden with our Savior will soon bring us to having our faith shattered by the intrusions of evil -- ours, others, and that of history and nature.
Wayne H. Keller
The Community Gathers To Celebrate

Pastoral Invitation

In the name of the risen Christ, hello. Welcome to God's world, and everything in-between. For what purpose have you come today? (Thirty seconds of silence.) Invite people to respond. If no one responds, express for the people that they probably come for a variety of reasons, some positive, some not so positive, some healthy, some not so healthy. For whatever reason, we are here. We are here today to discover the meaning of true greatness. Welcome!

Hymn of Adoration

Special Occasion