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William J. Carl, III

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Sermon

The Village Shepherd

God Never Gives Up On Us -- 1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20 (11:14-15) -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - B -- 2008
Note: There is no content for Proper 5 / OT 10 / Pentecost 3 from The Village Shephe

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God Never Gives Up On Us -- 1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20 (11:14-15) -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - B -- 2008
Have you noticed that no matter how much of a mess we make of our lives, God never gives up on us?
Finding Our Roots In God And Country -- 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - B -- 2008
It's a scary thing to go back and explore your roots.
The Real Underdog! -- 1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49 -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - B -- 2008
Every boy I knew growing up in the Midwest loved this story. We acted it out.
Dancing In Holy Places -- 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 2008
Dancing in holy places -- that's the theme of this text.
What A Way To Start A Church! -- Acts 2:1-21 -- William J. Carl, III -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 2008
What a way to start a church! It's certainly not the typical format for new church development.
Getting Through The Grief -- 2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - B -- 2008
Getting through grief may be one of the hardest things we do as human beings.
Having Trouble Sleeping Through The Night -- 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20) -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - B -- 2008
Having trouble sleeping through the night? You're not alone. Samuel did, too.
The Many Faces Of God -- Isaiah 6:1-8 -- William J. Carl, III -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B -- 2008
Think of all the faces we show the world every day.
Samuel Was The Search Committee -- 1 Samuel 15:34--16:13 -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - B -- 2008
I don't know about you but when I was growing up I always loved hearing the story of Cinderella.
Finding The Right House For God -- 2 Samuel 7:1-14a -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 2008
Have you ever noticed how some families move a lot?
God Never Gives Up On Us -- 1 Samuel 8:4-11 (12-15) 16-20 (11:14-15) -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - B -- 2008
Have you noticed that no matter how much of a mess we make of our lives, God never gives up on us?
The Problem With Finding The Kingdom -- Matthew 13:44-52 -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - A
I don't know about you, but when I finished reading these parables of the kingdom, I wasn't so sure
Straight Talk, Due Process and Grace -- Matthew 18:15-20 -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
It never ceases to amaze me how periodically someone joins the church thinking with great naivete th
The Problem With Miracles In Our Time -- Matthew 14:22-33 -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - A
If the truth be known, most of us would have to admit that we walk a very fine line between believin
Rocky -- Matthew 16:13-20 -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A
It is said that Winston Churchill never liked talking to subordinates.
Church People Beware! -- Matthew 21:28-32 -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - A
I don't know about you, but I don't think much of the choices Jesus offers in this passage.
Who's Keeping Score? -- Matthew 18:21-35 -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - A
What we have in our passage is the contrast between a theology of grace and a theology of keeping sc
You Provide The Bread -- Matthew 14:13-21 -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - A
When I was growing up, church picnics were a big thing.
Living Sacrifices -- Matthew 16:21-28 -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
If we're really honest we have to admit that Peter speaks for all of us when he rebukes Jesus for sa
The Faith Of Outsiders -- Matthew 15:21-28 -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - A
Have you ever had an inner emotional pain that would not go away?
The Unfairness of God -- Matthew 20:1-16 -- William J. Carl, III -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A
Have you ever noticed how sometimes life just isn't fair?

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What A Way To Start A Church! -- Acts 2:1-21 -- William J. Carl, III -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 2008
What a way to start a church! It's certainly not the typical format for new church development.
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 16 | OT 21 | Pentecost 11
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 17 | OT 22 | Pentecost 12
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 18 | OT 23 | Pentecost 13
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

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Object: This message is a role play. You can do this with only two children playing the parts of the two women, but if you have more children, you could have two more playing the parts of the children, another playing the part of the synagogue leader, and another playing the part of the country’s leader. You can also add any other roles you might want to add to make it interesting. Also, I have created places for your characters to speak, but you can add more of those to make it all more fun and memorable.

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StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
“We have questions about your conduct as our pastor,” Carl announced as soon as Pastor John sat down at the hastily called board meeting. “We have received complaints about you from the congregation.”

“Complaints?” Pastor John frowned. “From whom and about what?”

“Mrs. Finnigan saw you coming out of what she politely described as ‘A Gentleman’s Club’ last Thursday night when she was driving downtown.” Bruce scowled. “Do you deny this?”

“Not at all,” Pastor John said. “I did have to go to that place on Thursday evening.”

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
Jesus was aware of people's deepest needs and what prompted their actions. In our worship today let us consider how we can discover people's deepest needs and the motives for their actions.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes we see only the surface and condemn without real understanding.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we are afraid to get sufficiently close to other people to see their inner needs.
Christ, have mercy.

SermonStudio

James Evans
(See Epiphany 4/Ordinary Time 4, Cycle C, for an alternative approach.)

The old saying, "experience is the best teacher," could serve as a subtitle for this psalm. Written as a prayer for help in a time of distress or oppression, the psalm subtly hints at a recognition and awareness that only comes with time. There is a track record, so to speak, that the psalmist is aware of: God's record of dependability. Based on God's proven record of saving power and grace, the psalmist is able to pray for salvation, but at the same time celebrate the certainty of its arrival.
Lee Ann Dunlap
Carrie's1 high school guidance counselor noticed she had been acting out a bit in school recently. She had appeared depressed and had been having some authority issues over rules and such. The guidance counselor set Carrie up with a local pastor who had been volunteering a few hours each Friday after a teen suicide a few months before. Most of the other students who came to see the pastor just needed someone to listen to their usual teen issues and heartaches. But, shortly into their time together, Carrie began to open up about some real grown-up problems.
Kirk R. Webster
It's a typical Sunday morning at St. Stephen Presbyterian Church in Orlando, Florida. The people file in and sit down in plush pews. Their attention is drawn to the chancel where they see choir members calmly seated, robed in dark blue and white. The mahogany altar table is draped with a silk parament. Two bronze candleholders stand guard at the table edges.
R. Robert Cueni
As was his custom, Jesus went that Sabbath morning to the synagogue for worship. As he was preaching and teaching, he happened to glance toward the fringe of the crowd where he saw a very crippled woman. She was bent over and was unable to stand up straight. When he inquired, Jesus was told the woman had been that way for eighteen years.
John H. Will
Call to Worship
Indeed, this is a day of rest and gladness.
This is God's Sabbath, created for our reflection and renewal.
Let us then not profane it, but keep it holy.
We do this as we honor God and commit ourselves to the well--being of God's creation.
Each of us individually needs a personal rejuvenation of spirit.
Together we seek a strengthening of community, a community that continues to build itself in love.
So do we come as one people to worship God, our Maker and our Sustainer.

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