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Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Heroes come in many shapes... -- Hebrews 11:29--12:2 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1998
Heroes come in many shapes, sizes, and colors.
True faith is given by... -- Hebrews 11:29--12:2 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1998
True faith is given by God and implanted imperishably in the hearts of his saints.
One day a certain man... -- Luke 12:49-56 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1998
One day a certain man went to the racetrack.
What will tomorrow be like... -- Luke 12:49-56 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1998
What will tomorrow be like? What kind of weather can we expect?
A missionary who had spent... -- Luke 12:49-56 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1998
A missionary who had spent a lifetime serving and helping people in a third world country was visiti
Jim had never been one... -- Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
Jim had never been one to keep his mouth shut, and this morning was no exception.
As the last embers of... -- Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
As the last embers of the campfire dissipated, five members of our boy scout troop, armed with flash
Those who had cares of... -- Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
Those who had cares of King Zed's affairshad terribly great concern,
Dudley Wrinkle had felt like... -- Isaiah 5:1-7 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
Dudley Wrinkle had felt like a highly successful businessman until this latest fiasco.
Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd of... -- Luke 12:49-56 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut complained about the partisanship that has arisen
The movie The Age of... -- Luke 12:49-56 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
The movie The Age of Innocence, based on the novel of the same name by Edith Wharton, received rave
When the Indiana Pacers basketball... -- Hebrews 11:29--12:2 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
When the Indiana Pacers basketball team finally lost out to the New York Knicks in the playoffs, the
A young boy was once... -- Hebrews 11:29--12:2 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
A young boy was once asked by his Sunday school teacher, "How did you become a Christian?" To this t
A young minister from New... -- Hebrews 12:1-7 (8-10), 11-14 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
A young minister from New York City received much rebuke from his city colleagues when they discover
It's for your own good... -- Hebrews 12:1-7 (8-10) 11-14 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
"It's for your own good."No child wants to hear it.Every parent has to say it.
Dotted across the South are... -- Luke 12:49-56 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
Dotted across the South are old cemeteries, community or family burial grounds.
Carla and Ben had been... -- Luke 12:49-56 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
Carla and Ben had been married for about 10 years when the door-to-door evangelists called.
Bonhoeffer and others in Germany... -- Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
Bonhoeffer and others in Germany who did not go along with Hitler's plans to exterminate the Jews we
Children from the earliest ages... -- Jeremiah 23:23-29 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
Children from the earliest ages on like to play hide-and-seek.
On the southern fork of... -- Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:18-26 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
On the southern fork of Long Island's east end, real estate is of great value.
Linda was a recreational director... -- Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:18-26 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
Linda was a recreational director at a home for seniors.
A minister of a large... -- Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:18-26 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
A minister of a large church in California firmly believes in being prepared for the second coming o
Johnnie was excited about the... -- Hebrews 11:29--12:2 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
Johnnie was excited about the class assignment.
The two children grew up... -- Isaiah 5:1-7 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
The two children grew up together, sleeping in the same house, eating the same food, taking the same
Isaiah's words sound much too... -- Isaiah 5:1-7 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 1995
Isaiah's words sound much too harsh for today's ears.

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UPCOMING WEEKS
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Advent 3
31 – Sermons
180+ – Illustrations / Stories
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30 – Commentary / Exegesis
2 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
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Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Christopher Keating
Dean Feldmeyer
George Reed
For January 5-6, 2025:
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Christopher Keating
Dean Feldmeyer
George Reed
For January 5-6, 2025:

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John Jamison
Object: A large paper bag with candy or stickers inside, depending on what you are comfortable giving your children.

Note: When the child reaches into the bag, quickly squeeze or shake the bag and make a noise to surprise them. The goal is just to surprise them, not scare them. Have fun with this!

* * *
John Jamison
Object: A small candle and a bright flashlight. If you have a really bright flashlight, just shine it in the children’s direction, and not directly into their eyes.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent! Today’s story is about Jesus. But I need to warn you that the story may sound a little confusing when I tell it to you.

One day, a man named John was writing to people to tell them about Jesus, and this is what he wrote. He said:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Bill Thomas
Bonnie Bates
Isaiah 60:1-6
David Coffin
An upper middle-aged man is politely led out of the factory where he works by both the union and management representatives into mandatory early retirement. The company wants to hire two employees at a lower rate of pay rather than pay this skilled worker for the thirty years of seniority that he earned through days of sweat and toil.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Jeremiah 31:7-14
Frank Ramirez
Just when you thought the holidays were over, when the last of the holiday snacks, Chex Mix and cookies and the fruit in the basket that arrived in the mail, were finally eaten, New Year’s celebrated and the football games turned off for the moment, and things are almost back to normal — along comes a late Christmas card, with its traditional picture of shepherds and kings and angels and cows and sheep and the light shining out of the manger, a tried and true quotation from scripture or a reference to a Christmas carol, and a swiftly penned greeting from an old friend, to make it all real agai

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth
and thick darkness the peoples,
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
(vv. 1-2)
Frank Ramirez
See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth…a great company, they shall return here (Jeremiah 7:8).

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

When Jesus came, many people failed to recognise him. As we worship him today let us try to recognise him in each other.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, Lord, have mercy.

Reading:

John 1:10-18

SermonStudio

Stephen P. McCutchan
He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the Lord!
-- Psalm 147:20

Constance Berg
Karny runs. She runs marathons. She runs races. She runs for fun. Karny loves to run because it reminds her that she is alive. Alive to feel the ocean breeze near her house. Alive to feel the gentle pain in her legs after a good ten-mile run. She is grateful for her life because she was so close to losing it.
Richard A. Jensen
The focus in Matthew 1 was on names. Name after name after name culminating in THE Name: Jesus! In Matthew 2 there is a focus on places. The first place mentioned is Bethlehem. Matthew begins his birth story by simply telling us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. In the course of the story the Magi come from the east looking for the city in which the "child of the star" was to be found. Herod didn't know. The chief priests and scribes looked it up. Bethlehem!
John T. Ball
Today is an important day in the life of the world and the life of the church. In the northern hemisphere this is the first day of the New Year. Last night many of us celebrated the eve of this New Year -- noisily or somberly. Noisy types went out to dinner and danced until our feet grew weary. We counted down the last seconds of the old year, and wildly greeted one another with shouts, drinks, hugs, kisses, and fireworks. Then we sang the traditional lines of Robert Burn's poem, "Auld Lang Syne," and went home.
Mary S. Lautensleger
Walking in the dark is difficult, even in the familiarity of your own home. Furniture has a way of rearranging itself in the dark so that you can whack your shins a little easier. Small, sharp toys crawl out from their hiding places to park themselves in your path. Your dog or cat is stretched out on the carpet, sleeping blissfully until your foot makes contact with a tail or a paw.
Richard E. Gribble, CSC
One Christmas morning, Dennis, Nancy, and their young son, Eric, were traveling south from San Francisco to their home in Los Angeles. They had spent Christmas Eve with relatives in the Bay Area, but both parents had to work the next day, thus, it was necessary to travel on Christmas. About noon, Dennis and Nancy decided they were hungry so they stopped at a local diner for lunch. Naturally, because it was Christmas, the restaurant was nearly empty and Eric, their young son, was the only child in the restaurant.

Steven E. Albertin
"Sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but words can never harm me."

There has never been a bigger lie that has ever been so widely perpetuated. A friendly playground game erupts into a fight and insults fill the air. One of the combatants defiantly shouts, "Sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but words can never harm me." Even though such words attempt to minimize the harm inflicted by such insults, in fact they reveal just the opposite. These words have wounded him deeply.

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