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Frank Ramirez
John Sumwalt
Peter Andrew Smith

Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C

John E. Sumwalt
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. (vv.8-10)

I, John Sumwalt, believe in God! It’s the reality in which, as the Apostle Paul wrote, “I live and move and have my being.”

I learned that at my mother’s knee, and from my farmer father as he milked cows and plowed the fields. Dad always had a sense of awe and thankfulness for all the Creator had given us.

The first verse in the Bible sums it up for me – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” – Genesis 1:1

I learned that verse in Sunday school. I believed it because of what I learned at home. And I didn’t change my mind when I studied experimental psychology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
John E. Sumwalt
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. (vv.8-10)

I, John Sumwalt, believe in God! It’s the reality in which, as the Apostle Paul wrote, “I live and move and have my being.”

I learned that at my mother’s knee, and from my farmer father as he milked cows and plowed the fields. Dad always had a sense of awe and thankfulness for all the Creator had given us.

The first verse in the Bible sums it up for me – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” – Genesis 1:1

I learned that verse in Sunday school. I believed it because of what I learned at home. And I didn’t change my mind when I studied experimental psychology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

What is StoryShare?
StoryShare is a treasure house with hundreds of good stories to share, stories which relate authentic, life-changing experiences that demonstrate the Lord's power and presence. Many are intensely personal accounts that concern visions, healing, or answers to prayers, but all bear witness to the indescribable joy, comfort and peace that come from a personal encounter with the divine. Our "Good Stories" section includes short fiction, parables much like those Jesus told.

Can I share stories that I have?
Yes, you can. You have good stories to share too, probably more than you know: personal stories, and stories from others that you have used over the years. StoryShare is always looking for stories involving personal experiences of the presence of God. Have you or someone you know heard the voice of God or been healed as a direct answer to prayer? If you have a story that you can share send it to StoryShare for review. Simply click here (storyshare@sermonsuite.com) and email your story to us.

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StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. (vv.8-10)

I, John Sumwalt, believe in God! It’s the reality in which, as the Apostle Paul wrote, “I live and move and have my being.”
John E. Sumwalt
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. (vv.8-10)

I, John Sumwalt, believe in God! It’s the reality in which, as the Apostle Paul wrote, “I live and move and have my being.”

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John Jamison
Object: A sign that says, “The Home of Jesus!” (Click here to download the sign I used.)

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The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
George Reed
Dean Feldmeyer
For February 2, 2025:
  • Love Notes To The Powerful by Chris Keating. Jesus' sermon to his hometown crowd provides a reminder of what Rev. William Barbour has called "the terrible joy" of preaching.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Coffin
Imagine an aging church leader or preacher who has seen one technology tool after another change the face of how messages of fait are communicated. It started with the chalkboard, overhead plastic sheets on a projector to now various forms of computer software programs off a laptop onto a screen. With all the modern technology changes going at increasing megabytes per second, is God’s Word still as accurate and effective as in times past?
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Jeremiah 1:4-10
There are plenty of things in contemporary American society which could use a prophetic voice to challenge them. We think of all the ugliness in our public discourse and on the net. There is the rising tide of anti-semitism. Reuters reported a 268.1 times wage gap in 2023 between the salary of the median employed worker and CEO pay. Racism is hardly vanishing given legislation passed in a number of state legislatures against teaching Critical Race Theory. John Calvin well described an important aspect of the sort of prophecy we need. He wrote:

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
The story of the presentation of Jesus in the temple is strong on two 'bit-part' characters, Simeon and Anna, both of whom are old, and neither of whom has any other mention in the Bible. This story is an imaginary biography of Anna.

SermonStudio

Schuyler Rhodes
Most people, at one time or another, have had the regrettable experience of needing refuge. Untold millions around this war-ripped world are literally refugees, whose lives are shattered as they are uprooted and left bereft of home, family, and any visible means of sustenance. Countless women around the world suffer from the brutality of abuse by their male partners and are in need of refuge. Each day the numbers of homeless poor on the streets of America grows and grows. They, too, need refuge.
Richard E. Gribble, CSC
During the 56 years of his life, Adolf Hitler did incredible harm and was responsible for the death of millions of people. Yet in all of the horror that he unleashed, there were pinpoints of light and nobility. One German soldier, Private Joseph Schultz, was one of those pinpoints.
Derl G. Keefer
Jeremiah had a task, a vision, and a promise from God. The prophet Jeremiah had a call from God to preach his word to a people needing to hear from God. His call has been duplicated multiple times over the centuries.
J. Ellsworth Kalas
David Kalas
In the church, most of us think of Epiphany simply as a season on the church calendar, and sometimes as a season we don't understand too well. We may recall that we are celebrating particularly the revealing of Christ to the Gentile world, via the Wise Men, but not much more.

The dictionary, however, adds further dimension to the word, listen: "a sudden, intuitive perception ... into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience."
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