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Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B

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When the Taliban ruled... -- Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2003
When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, they sowed a rigid conformity of lifestyle that did not ho
Throughout her long life... -- Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2003
Throughout her long life of service, Mother Teresa minimized her own needs through her vows of
There was a man who... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2000
There was a man who was having serious relationship problems in his life.
Hundreds of tourists include a... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2000
Hundreds of tourists include a day or more at the Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island, British Colu
At first glance this passage... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2000
At first glance this passage may challenge our adoration of Jesus, for it appears that he refuses a
On a mission trip to... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2000
On a mission trip to West Virginia, our group helped at a shelter for abused women and children.
There is a constant and... -- James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2000
There is a constant and unending temptation to bend our behavior to honor the wealthy.
Horace Greeley was the newspaper... -- James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2000
Horace Greeley was the newspaper editor famous for saying, "Go west, young man." He was also famous
We chose a mongrel, but... -- James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2000
We chose a mongrel, but our neighbor chose a purebred.
People at the church had... -- James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2000
People at the church had mixed feelings about Jim. Some liked having him there.
The woman who begged Jesus... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1997
The woman who begged Jesus to heal her daughter was no fool.
Andre Gide, the French novelist... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1997
Andre Gide, the French novelist, in a short story titled "The Pastoral Symphony," tells of a young g
Harriet Tubman, like the Syrophoenician... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1997
Harriet Tubman, like the Syrophoenician woman in this story, was an outcast.
The pleasant waitress arrived, and... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1997
The pleasant waitress arrived, and the customer said: "I'll have the special for today, and a cup of
The cartoonist Charles Schulz, creator... -- James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1997
The cartoonist Charles Schulz, creator of Peanuts, illustrates well what James means when he
George and Doris were in... -- James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1997
George and Doris were in theatre all their lives; like many theatre people they were characters, tha
Back in Texas in 1917... -- James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1997
Back in Texas in 1917 the state's governor, James Ferguson, refused to sign a bill that would have p
James reminds his readers that... -- James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1997
James reminds his readers that faith must not only be professed, it also must be practiced.
Among the many items that... -- Isaiah 35:4-7a -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1997
Among the many items that have been kept which belonged to Abraham Lincoln is the big family Bible.
I never thought about it... -- Isaiah 35:4-7a -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1997
I never thought about it before until I read about it, but being able to read Braille means that one
My father's been gone from... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1994
My father's been gone from this world for a quarter century now and I suppose it's all right to hono
Street dogs were not allowed... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1994
Street dogs were not allowed into Palestinian homes. The dog was not a favorite animal.
Henry could take government surplus... -- James 2:1-5 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1994
Henry could take government surplus food supplies and make them taste almost like Grandma's homestyl
One day word came to... -- James 2:1-5 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1994
One day word came to a bishop that one of the churches in his care was ignoring the poor and the hom
An elderly woman was walking... -- James 2:1-5 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1994
An elderly woman was walking carefully down the sidewalk in her affluent neighborhood on a bright wi

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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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