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A Calendar, A Dream, A Child, And A Donkey -- Matthew 2:13-23, Isaiah 63:7-9, Hebrews 2:10-18, Psalm 148 -- Julia Ross Strope -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
December 26, 2004First Sunday after Christmas / Cycle A

Emphasis Preaching Journal

John says that, though the... -- John 1:1-18 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
John says that, though the law was given through Moses, "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
And the Word became flesh... -- John 1:1-18 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
"And the Word became flesh and lived among us...."
This passage talks of Christ... -- John 1:1-18 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
This passage talks of Christ being the light of the world, a light which the darkness of the world c
Reading Isaiah's recitation of the... -- Isaiah 63:7-9 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Reading Isaiah's recitation of the Lord's gracious acts, brought to mind the following poem by Charl
God sensed our need and... -- John 1:1-18 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
God sensed our need and the word, God's self-expression, became flesh to assure us and to empower al
Reading Isaiah's recitation of the... -- Isaiah 63:7-9 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Reading Isaiah's recitation of the Lord's gracious acts, brought to mind the following poem by Charl
The Wisdom literature in the... -- Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
The Wisdom literature in the Bible shows deep concern for a topic equally timely today; how can pare
Dietrich Bonhoeffer's letters to his... -- Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Dietrich Bonhoeffer's letters to his parents while incarcerated in the Nazi prison reflect the spiri
A customer was negotiating a... -- Isaiah 63:7-9 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
A customer was negotiating a price on a used car.
Christ is the perfect example... -- Hebrews 2:10-18 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Christ is the perfect example, of course, but even in the everyday world, there are times when suffe
Jane has a reputation for... -- Isaiah 63:7-9 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Jane has a reputation for her kindness.
In the New Revised... -- Hebrews 2:10-18 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
In the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, the inclusive language adds sisters to v.
The company was laying off... -- Isaiah 63:7-9 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
The company was "laying off" again, and a woman who had worked there for ten years was losing her jo
There is an old story... -- Hebrews 2:10-18 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
There is an old story which tells of the end of time, when all the people of the world gathered befo
There are those who would... -- Hebrews 2:10-18 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
There are those who would strip Jesus of his humanity.
For the one who sanctifies... -- Hebrews 2:10-18 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
"For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father.
A pastor in Ohio relates... -- Hebrews 2:10-18 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
A pastor in Ohio relates this story:
A proud grandmother was showing... -- Galatians 4:4-7 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
A proud grandmother was showing off photos of her new grandchild at a church potluck.
Pioneer of salvation ... br... -- Hebrews 2:10-18 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
... Pioneer of salvation ...
Most of us so easily... -- Isaiah 61:10--62:3 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Most of us so easily forget.
Why did God use suffering... -- Hebrews 2:10-18 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Why did God use suffering to reveal the truth of his love to the world?
The tradition of Christmas in... -- Isaiah 61:10--62:3 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
The tradition of Christmas in this country is really a collection of many traditions wrapped up like
It's funny the things we... -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
It's funny the things we remember from even stupid television shows.
Several years ago, a very... -- Isaiah 61:10--62:3 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A
Several years ago, a very bright, precocious, five-year-old, having completed a year of kindergarten

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John Jamison
Object: This is a role play activity.

Note: You will need to select six children to play roles in this activity. If you have a smaller group, you might ask some older youth or even adults to play the parts of the two attackers and the man being attacked. I will give suggestions for how they can play their roles, but feel free to help your children make the story as fun and memorable as you can. I have used boys and girls in the various roles, but you can change those however you want to change them.

* * *

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Christopher Keating
George Reed
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
For July 13, 2025:
  • Samaritans Among Us by Dean Feldmeyer based on Acts 2:1-21. Samaritans were despised and dismissed by the original audience who first heard Jesus tell this parable. Who are the Samaritans in our lives and how does this parable apply today?
  • Second Thoughts: The Helpers by Katy Stenta based on Amos 7:7-17.

StoryShare

Frank Ramirez
I say, “You are gods,
    children of the Most High, all of you;
nevertheless, you shall die like mortals
    and fall like any prince….”
(vv. 6-7)

There have been any number of brother-sister acts that achieved a measure of fame. Take the Carpenters, famed for their singing, musicianship, and songwriting skills. Also worthy of mention are John and Joan Cusack who have acted together in over sixteen films.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Wayne Brouwer
An ancient legend tells of a remote mountain village where people used to send their senior citizens out into the woods to die. The villagers had an eye to the future; they felt that those beyond a certain age would only slow down progress or use up valuable resources to no economically profitable end. Those who reached a certain age weren’t “put out to pasture” or “put out of their misery”; they were simply put out of other people’s way.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Amos 7:7-17 and Psalm 82
The tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It is more than 2,700 feet high—over half a mile tall. It has 160 floors and is twice as tall as the Empire State Building in New York City. It is home to the world’s fastest elevator which reaches speeds of forty miles an hour. The Burj Khalifa also hosts the world’s highest outdoor observation deck (on the 124th floor) and the world’s highest swimming pool (on the 76th floor).

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Mabel hummed a familiar hymn tune as she made her way to church. She always enjoyed her Sunday morning walk. It was one of the few times she felt safe to walk alone through the inner city, for she knew nobody would be up at 7.45 in the morning. Today was a particularly beautiful morning, with blue sky, warm sunshine, and the song of a few intrepid blackbirds who still inhabited the city.

SermonStudio

James Evans
Often, a distinction is made between the pastoral or priestly work of the church and the prophetic work. Pastoral care has to do with the care of souls, the offering of comfort in times of loss. The priestly character of pastoral work seeks to mediate the presence of God to those who are hurting.

Schuyler Rhodes
Trusting is never easy. Even in the best of relationships, people step into trust slowly. There is wariness -- questioning -- worry. What happens if trust is betrayed? What if this doesn't work? Sometimes it's like a dance. We step in and out of trust, moving to the rhythms of fear. For many, the routine is achingly familiar. Indeed, it's not easy to trust.
John Jamison
It was back in the days when the railroad was the most common mode of transportation. There were automobiles, and some airplanes, but the steam locomotive was the way most folks traveled and the way that most of the goods were distributed around the country. After dinner, people sat in the drawing room and listened to the radio programs, fading in and out from some faraway location, over the magical broadcasting signal.
Robert Leslie Holmes
Not many tourists to Washington, D.C., look for the Federal Bureau of Standards offices. It's the Capitol and the White House, the Supreme Court Building or the Smithsonian most of us want to see when we go there. Yet, at the Bureau of Standards offices something very important is stored, something that impacts your life and mine every single day. Have you ever bought the materials for a new project? When you did, most likely you purchased so many inches or feet or yards. Or, you stopped to buy gasoline for your car and purchased it at a certain price per gallon.
David O. Bales
I have the two best jobs in the world. I teach social studies at Leon Griffith Junior High School (a fairly small junior high) and I am Sunday School Superintendent at Calvary Presbyterian Church (an enormous church school). Each job is my vocation. I tell people that at school they'll find my room where the halls cross. At church they can look but probably won't find me. I'll be in someone's classroom. At each job I practice what I most deeply believe: it's how you see the world that determines how you respond to it. I'll give you an example, actually, two examples.
Erskine White
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed,
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
(Stuart K. Hine)

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