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Mark Ellingsen

Mark Ellingsen, a minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), has been a professor of Church History at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia, since 1993. He graduated magna cum laude from Gettysburg College (Pennsylvania) and Yale University, from which he received three master's degrees in divinity, arts, and philosophy, as well as his Ph.D. He has authored 26 books including his latest, Dialoguing With Critical Race Theory: Constitutional and Christian Links (Vernon Press). He and his wife have three grown children. When he is not writing or teaching, Ellingsen enjoys discussing politics, sports, and playing guitar.
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Commentary

Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Sermon Illustrations for Lent 5 (2022) -- Isaiah 43:16-21, Philippians 3:4b-14, John 12:1-8 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - C -- 2022
Isaiah 43:16-21 
Sermon Illustrations for Palm/Passion Sunday (2022) -- Isaiah 50:4-9a, Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 22:14--23:56 -- Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2022
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 23 | OT 28 (2022) -- Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7, 2 Timothy 2:8-15, Luke 17:11-19 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C -- 2022
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7; Psalm 66:1-12
Sermon Illustrations for Maundy Thursday (2022) -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 2022
Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14
Sermons Illustrations for Proper 24 | OT 29 (2022) -- Jeremiah 31:27-34, 2 Timothy 3:14--4:5, Luke 18:1-8 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - C -- 2022
Jeremiah 31:27-34
Sermon Illustrations for Good Friday (2022) -- Isaiah 52:13--53:12, Hebrews 10:16-25, John 18:1--19:42 -- Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas -- Good Friday - C -- 2022
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 (2022) -- Joel 2:23-32, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18, Luke 18:9-14 -- Bill Thomas, Mark Ellingsen, Frank Ramirez -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - C -- 2022
Joel 2:23-32, Psalm 65
Sermon Illustrations for Easter Day (2022) -- Acts 10:34-43, 1 Corinthians 15:19-26, John 20:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, Isaiah 65:17-25 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez -- Easter Day - C -- 2022
Isaiah 65:17-25
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 26 | OT 31 (2022) -- Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4, 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12, Luke 19:1-10 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez -- Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 - C -- 2022
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
Sermon Illustrations for Easter 2 (2022) -- Acts 5:27-32, Revelation 1:4b-8, John 20:19-31, Revelation 1:4-8 -- Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2022
Acts 5:27-32
Sermon illustrations for Easter 3 (2022) -- Acts 9:1-6 (7-20), Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez -- Third Sunday of Easter - C -- 2022
Acts 9:1-6 (7-20)
Sermon illustrations for Easter 4 (2022) -- Acts 9:36-43, Revelation 7:9-17, John 10:22-30 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2022
Acts 9:36-43
Sermon Illustrations for Easter 5 (2022) -- Acts 11:1-18, Revelation 21:1-6, John 13:31-35 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2022
Acts 11:1-18
Sermon Illustrations for Easter 6 (2022) -- Acts 16:9-15, Revelation 21:10, 22--22:5, John 14:23-29 -- Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2022
Acts 16:9-15
Sermon illustrations for Ascension of the Lord (2022) -- Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 1:15-23, Luke 24:44-53 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez -- Ascension of the Lord - C -- 2022
Acts 1:1-11
Sermon Illustrations for Easter 7 (2022) -- Acts 16:16-34, Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21, John 17:20-26 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - C -- 2022
Acts 16:16-34
Sermon illustrations for Day of Pentecost (2022) -- Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:14-17, John 14:8-17 (25-27) -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez -- Day of Pentecost - C -- 2022
Acts 2:1-21
Sermon Illustrations for New Year's Day (2022) -- Ecclesiastes 3:1-13, Revelation 21:1-6a, Matthew 25:31-46 -- Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen -- New Year's Day - C -- 2022
Ecclesiastes 3:1-13
Sermon Illustrations for Trinity Sunday (2022) -- Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31, Romans 5:1-5, John 16:12-15 -- Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - C -- 2022
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Sermon Illustrations for Christmas 2 (2022) -- Jeremiah 31:7-14, Ephesians 1:3-14, John 1:(1-9) 10-18 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez -- Second Sunday after Christmas - C -- 2022
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Sermon Illustrations for Epiphany of the Lord (2022) -- Isaiah 60:1-6, Ephesians 3:1-12, Matthew 2:1-12 -- Mark Ellingsen, Frank Ramirez, Bill Thomas -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 2022
Isaiah 60:1-6
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 7 | OT 12 (2022) -- 1 Kings 19:1-4 (5-7) 8-15a, Galatians 3:23-29, Luke 8:26-39 -- Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - C -- 2022
1 Kings 19:1-4 (5-7) 8-15a, Psalms 42 and 43
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 8 | OT 13 (2022) -- 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14, Galatians 5:1, 13-25, Luke 9:51-62 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - C -- 2022
2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
Sermon Illustrations for Baptism of Our Lord (2022) -- Isaiah 43:1-7, Acts 8:14-17, Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 2022
Isaiah 43:1-7

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Sermon Illustrations for Epiphany 2 | OT 2 (2022) -- Isaiah 62:1-5, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, John 2:1-11 -- Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez, Mark Ellingsen -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - C -- 2022
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13), Psalm 138

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The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Lent 2
20 – Sermons
170+ – Illustrations / Stories
26 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
20 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Lent 3
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Lent 4
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
22 – Worship Resources
27 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A rock about the size of a tennis ball, baseball, or even a softball.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent!

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Christopher Keating
George Reed
Mary Austin
For March 30, 2025:

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
Paul reread the parable again and sighed. Why had he agreed to lead the Bible study this week? When Pastor Luke asked him, he had been all excited and enthusiastic. He knew the parable of the prodigal son inside and out having read commentaries and stories about it before. He had actually preached a sermon on the passage when Pastor Luke was away and received great feedback from the congregation.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Joshua 5:9-12
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Mark Ellingsen
Joshua 9:5-12

SermonStudio

Bonnie Bates
It is a well-known cliché that “God never gives us more than we can handle”, but I have sometimes found that not to be so. When my youngest brother died of brain cancer at age five, it was more than I could handle. When my first husband was emotionally and physically abusive, it was more than I could handle. When my second husband and I lost our twin sons at birth, it was more than I could handle. The COVID pandemic was more than we could handle. Wars and violence are often more than we can handle. Homelessness, poverty, grief, and loss are often more than we can handle.
John N. Brittain
I suppose we are all a little bit nervous about the prospect of a sermon on a Bible story as familiar and sometimes as overworked as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. "What can I possibly say that hasn't been said before?" And I know what's going through your minds: "Are we going to be subjected to the same old sermon yet another time?" Confronting a familiar Bible passage like this mid-Lent really serves to address the discipline of reading Scripture as part of our devotional life, particularly passages that are very familiar.
Charles D. Reeb
A. A. Milne, the creator of Winnie the Pooh, wrote a simple, yet telling poem in his work, Now We Are Six:

When I was One, I had just begun.
When I was Two, I was nearly new.
When I was Three, I was hardly Me.
When I was Four, I was not much more.
When I was Five, I was just alive.
But now I am Six, I'm as clever as ever.
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.1

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to worship:

 While the Prodigal Son was still far off, his father saw him, ran to him, put his arms around him and kissed him. In our worship today, let us turn to God so that he may run to us, put his arms around and kiss us.

Invitation to confession:

 Jesus, for the times when we run away from you,

Lord, have mercy.

 Jesus, for the times when we have wasted our inheritance on dissolute living,

Christ, have mercy.

 Jesus, when we return to you,

Lord, have mercy.

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