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Matthew 2:1-12

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

When the Magi came from... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2000
When the Magi came from the East to find the Christ Child, they were following a quest toward someth
Adolf Hitler may have invented... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2000
Adolf Hitler may have invented the phrase, "Resistance is futile." As he rose to power in the 1930s
All of life is a... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2000
All of life is a journey. It is exciting to anticipate going somewhere and pursuing a goal.
One of the most difficult... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2000
One of the most difficult dynamics in the church is passive-
At Axum, Ethiopia, the ancient... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - A -- 1999
At Axum, Ethiopia, the ancient home of the Queen of Sheba, on the Feast of the Virgin (November 29 b
My friend grew up in... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - A -- 1999
My friend grew up in a Christian home.
Signs, everywhere we go we... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - A -- 1999
Signs, everywhere we go we see signs.
At the age of fourteen... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - A -- 1999
At the age of fourteen, Matt was running away from home. He had to.
Manipulation is the art of... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1998
Manipulation is the art of reworking something. It is a skillful operation ...
It seems that there was... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1998
It seems that there was a young minister who was leading his first worship service.
A popular book among many... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1998
A popular book among many clergy and lay leaders today is Kenneth C.
We always want new people... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 1997
We always want new people in our midst.
Genealogies are often regarded as... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 1997
Genealogies are often regarded as boring and monotonous. They have their bright spots, however.
How often sickness, financial reverses... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 1997
How often sickness, financial reverses, even approaching death have motivated some of our greatest
If we had been royalty... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 1997
If we had been royalty, would we have gone to do homage to another?
Gold is a precious metal... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - A -- 1996
Gold is a precious metal. It's the natural thing to give a king. This gift was to his royalty.
French writer Albert Camus pictures... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - A -- 1996
French writer Albert Camus pictures life for all too many of us in the words:
The Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - A -- 1996
The Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, offered a $500 reward for any stude
When driving a car, our... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - A -- 1996
When driving a car, our eyes are simply not enough. We must depend on our ears to guide us as well.
A joke in Reader's Digest... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1995
A joke in Reader's Digest tells of how a man opened a thank-
The class of seminarians assembled... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1995
The class of seminarians assembled expecting their usual lecture and discussion.
Joseph was busy in his... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1995
Joseph was busy in his shop that day.
Amy Tan broke into the... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1995
Amy Tan broke into the literary world with the enviable feat of making it to the best-seller lists w
The day after Christmas the... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 1994
The day after Christmas the announcer on the radio station said it was Ugly Tie Day for all the men
It is interesting how God... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 1994
It is interesting how God uses the most unlikely circumstances to get us to the place that we shou

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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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