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<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(66, 22, 157);"><span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(66, 22, 157); line-height: 26px;">"Chock full of illustrations that bring God's word alive"</span><br />
<a href="http://www.csspub.com/prod-0788026038.htm"><img width="146" border="0" src="http://lectionaryscripturenotes.com/wp-content/themes/son-of-blue/images/0788026038L.jpg" alt="Walking With Christ by Michael D. Wuchter" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><i>These twelve sermons are chock full of illustrations that bring God's word alive. You can almost smell the bread as he describes a bakery in Manhattan, and you can feel both the raw tension and emerging unity in the diverse communities of the Namibian church. Wuchter gives us himself and his insights in these carefully crafted sermons. They are both a joy and a challenge to read.</i><br />
--Rev. John D. Morris, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Dublin, Ohio<br />
</span> <center><a href="http://www.csspub.com/prod-0788026038.htm"><img width="126" border="0" src="http://lectionaryscripturenotes.com/wp-content/themes/son-of-blue/images/moreinfo.gif" alt="click here for more information" /></a> </center></td>
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<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(66, 22, 157);"><span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(66, 22, 157); line-height: 28px;">Fifteen <br />
Eye-Opening Stories from the Bible</span><br />
<a href="http://www.csspub.com/prod-0788026127.htm"><img width="146" border="0" src="http://lectionaryscripturenotes.com/wp-content/themes/son-of-blue/images/0788026127L.jpg" alt="Seldom Told Bible Tales by James McKarns" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The Bible has its share of sensational literature, and this book's modern retelling of fifteen earthy narratives from scripture is definitely not for the squeamish. But adventuresome readers will find that these curious tales will stir the blood while evoking laughter and tears. With themes such as grace, forgiveness, and redemption set against the background of rebellion, drunkenness, sexual infidelity, and even bloody revenge, these two-fisted, no-holds-barred Bible stories — sometimes with amusing punch lines — are a great tool for teaching deep truths about humanity, the world, and God.<br />
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<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(66, 22, 157);"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(66, 22, 157); line-height: 26px;">...for comfort and release in times of turmoil</span><br />
<a href="http://www.csspub.com/prod-978-0-7880-2555-6.htm"><img width="146" border="0" src="http://lectionaryscripturenotes.com/wp-content/themes/son-of-blue/images/0788025554L.jpg" alt="The Eagle: Don't Despair Passages in the Gospel of John by Ron Lavin" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><i>It's a lovely thought that through one's congregation we can gain, and also give to each other, help in times of despair. Ron Lavin illustrates this principle elegantly in the following chapters as he examines the passages in John's gospel concerning the admonition not to despair. John quotes Jesus as saying to his disciples reassuring words such as, "Do not let your hearts be troubled..." Lavin covers the rest John has to say on the subject very well. Do not despair and do read on.</i><br />
— Jerry L. Schmalenberger, President, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (Retired)<br />
Berkeley, California<br />
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<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(66, 22, 157);"><span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0); line-height: 30px;">A Pastor's<br />
Perspective <br />
of Iraq</span><br />
<a href="http://www.csspub.com/prod-0788026178.htm"><img width="146" border="0" src="http://lectionaryscripturenotes.com/wp-content/themes/son-of-blue/images/0788026171L.jpg" alt="A Quiet Reality by Emilio Marrero, Jr." /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><i>From the Bronx to the rivers of Babylon, the "Mayor of Babylon" Chaplain Emilio Marrero tells a fascinating story of war, compassion, struggles, faith, and ancient biblical history in a country that we read about daily -- Iraq.</i><br />
-- Rear Admiral Fred Metz, US Navy (Retired)<br />
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<td style="border: 1px solid rgb(125, 67, 241); padding: 6px; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><strong>LectionaryScriptureNotes.com</strong> is a free website that provides brief yet probing exegetical commentary for:
<ul>
<li>Pastors who need inspiration and idea starters for their sermons</li>
<li>Church musicians who want to coordinate music and hymn selections with scriptural themes</li>
<li>Anyone who wants deeper insight into each week's lectionary passages</li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">These background notes cover every assigned text in the Revised Common Lectionary for each Sunday and major observance throughout the year.</span></td>
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<h1 style="border-bottom: thin dashed rgb(153, 153, 153); font-size: 1.6em; color: rgb(255, 0, 0); line-height: 2em;">Proper 14 | OT 19 | Pentecost 10</h1>
<p style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"><strong>John 6:35, 41-51</strong><br />
<br />
Within the similarities and differences between this account in John 6:35, 41-51 and the Mark 6:1-6a account describing activities of Jesus in his hometown, we can see the distinction between "the Jesus of history" and "the Christ of faith." In the Mark 6 account there is still a recollection of Jesus, the Jesus of history, as a son of Joseph, as a 1st century Jewish religious and political figure whose father Joseph and mother Mary had been known to other Jews in the village of Nazareth. In John 6:35, 41-51, however, and throughout the Fourth Gospel, Jesus is the Christ of faith, the Son of God who is said to have pre-existed before the foundation of the world was laid, who was the Logos, the "Word" by which the world was called into being. As the Christ of faith in John 6, Jesus is presented as having an exclusivistic claim to God as Father, as one who comes from God and has seen God. It is affirmed that no one can come to Jesus as the Christ unless God the Father draws that person to Jesus as the Christ, and that Jesus as the Christ of faith will raise such a person from the dead on the last day. The person who "eats" of this "bread from heaven" will not die. Jesus the Christ as this "bread from heaven" is far superior to the manna that the fathers of the 1st century Jews had eaten in the wilderness, for although they ate they still died. According to John 6, the bread that the Johannine Jesus as the Christ of faith will give for the life of the world is the flesh of the Christ of faith, the Lamb of God who in Johannine terms "takes away the sin of the world."<br />
<br />
When this John 6:35, 41-51 text is read and when it forms the primary basis for the worship service, we have an obligation to the people of the congregations in which we serve to say something about the theological development that occurred between perceiving Jesus as the Jesus of history, one among several sons of Joseph and his wife Mary, and Jesus as the Christ of faith, the only-begotten Son of God. If we do not indicate this development and show that we are aware of this distinction, we shall be propagating the longstanding and non-productive anti-Jewish polemic that is associated with this text. If we do not share some of our understanding of this theological development and of this distinction in perceptions of Jesus, we shall simply be promulgating supersessionistic anti-Jewish polemic without helping the thinking people within the congregations in which we serve to come to a better understanding of the process in the development of their Christian religion as the impact that the Jesus of history had made on some of his followers was shaped by the inspiration of God into belief in Jesus as the Christ of faith, one with God, through whom salvation and eternal life is offered to all of us.</p>
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<p style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"><strong>Ephesians 4:25--5:2</strong><br />
<br />
Here in Ephesians 4:25-5:2 we have the parenesis, the guidelines of how we should respond to the proclamation that Jesus as the Christ provides eternal life for us. As among those who as the "Body of Christ" are "in Christ," we should put aside all bitterness, anger, and slander and replace them with kindness and forgiveness. Then we will not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. We are exhorted to be imitators of God and to conduct ourselves in a life that is characterized by love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. We see that by the time that this section of the epistle "to the Ephesians" was written much reflection had occurred within the thoughts of some of the followers of Jesus about the significance of Jesus' life, of his death, and of his resurrection as the Christ of faith. In some ways this Ephesians 4:25--5:2 text is similar to that of the Fourth Gospel and of the "Epistle to the Hebrews," all of which may stem from approximately the same period in the development of the early Church.<br />
<br />
<strong>1 Kings 19:4-8</strong><br />
<br />
The food that the Lord provided for Elijah in this Elijah story was so nutritious that it sustained Elijah during his journey of forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God at Horeb. It is said that Elijah would have preferred to die under the broom tree, but the Lord would not permit that to occur. Instead, the Lord permitted Elijah only to sleep, and then through the intermediary of an angel in this story twice touched him and told him to eat the freshly baked cake and the jar of water provided for him so that he would be strengthened. This story about Elijah obviously has a message for us also in our discouragement and in our need.<br />
<br />
<strong>Psalm 34:1-8</strong><br />
<br />
This Individual Hymn of Praise and Thanksgiving is appropriately used in conjunction with the Elijah story in 1 Kings 19:4-8. It is a poetic, hymnic rendition of the Elijah story situation. The psalmist cried unto the Lord, and the Lord heard the psalmist. The angel of the Lord is said to camp around those who fear the Lord in order to deliver them. "O taste and see that the Lord is good" can be understood metaphorically, or almost literally with reference to the freshly baked cakes of the Elijah story in 1 Kings 19:4-8 or of the bread and wine of the Christian Eucharist.<br />
<br />
<strong>2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33</strong><br />
<br />
The situation depicted here is most understandable to those who have participated in war and battle conditions in which the combatants are conditioned to do everything possible to destroy the enemy and to preserve one's own life and the lives of one's buddies. David as king confounds his general and the men who are engaged in the horrible conditions of battle in behalf of David and of the nation in his desire to spare the life of his own son Absalom who has rebelled against David. We are torn as we read and hear this story between identification with David as a father trying to save his son from death and with Joab and the soldiers under Joab's command who are being killed or injured because of the horrible civil war that was caused by David and by David's son. Perhaps this text should be used in high school and adult Bible study sessions rather than in a worship setting, so that we will be able to share and discuss our feelings. The story provides a good opportunity for those who have been involved in the horrors of military combat to talk within a supportive congregational setting about their experiences and their feelings.<br />
<br />
<strong>Psalm 130</strong><br />
<br />
Out of the depths of despair the psalmist cries for help from the Lord. The psalmist waits for the Lord to come, for the Lord to rescue the psalmist and to rescue the people of Israel. Although the situation depicted in this prayer is not specifically a situation of war and of the horrible conditions endured during battle conditions, the psalm certainly can be associated with war, as it is when the reading of this psalm is linked to the 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 reading.</p>
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<!-- END: photoblock --> <span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; font-family: arial; margin-top: 4px; font-weight: bold;">A New Society In Christ?</span><br />
In verse 31, Paul gives advice that seems eerily prescient: "Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you." Perhaps Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Cambridge police officer James Crowley would have done well to follow that advice last week. Though only those two gentlemen (and God) know the true details that led to Gates' arrest for disorderly conduct, the incident -- particularly in the wake of President Obama's comments on the matter -- has led to a renewed national conversation on race and racial profiling. Mary Austin will examine not only how following Paul's guidelines can make us into better people in Christ, but also how doing so individually in great numbers can make us over collectively into a new society in Christ -- one that is marked by tolerance, lack of fear, lack of anger, and racial harmony....<a href="http://www.sermonsuite.com/index.php?s=tiw">more</a></td>
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<!-- END: photoblock --> <span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; font-family: arial; margin-top: 4px; font-weight: bold;">Holy Believing</span><br />
No one wants to die. Yet who among us would like to live forever? This is our paradox. This is our dilemma. To die means the end of what we are and have; it signifies also the cessation of whatever yet we had hoped to be. But wouldn't living forever be equally undesirable? For it holds out endlessness and sameness, like Shakespeare's "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow..." On the other hand, however, who would want to play a harp throughout all time, or listen endlessly to "The Hallelujah Chorus"? It is obvious that such questions and thinking are colored and even determined by our worldly concepts. Our idioms come from the vocabulary of time and space...<a href="http://www.sermonsuite.com/index.php?s=stu">more</a></td>
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<td><a href="http://www.sermonsuite.com/emphasis-online.html"><img width="75" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.sermonsuite.com/imageul/Kalas.jpg" /></a></td>
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<td style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10px;"><center> David Kalas</center></td>
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<!-- END: photoblock --> <span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; font-family: arial; margin-top: 4px; font-weight: bold;">Appetites</span><br />
From our very first day out of the womb, we are introduced to the experience of hunger. I suspect that we don't understand it much at first; we just feel it. And when we feel it, it makes us cry. As we grow up, our hunger may make us cry less and less, but it remains a strong feeling. Our understanding of the feeling remains imperfect. We are certainly better equipped than a newborn to recognize what we are feeling, but still it is often unclear to us. We think we're hungry at times when what we're really feeling is tired. Sometimes boredom masquerades as hunger. Sadness and discouragement, likewise, can prompt us to want to eat...<a href="http://www.sermonsuite.com/emphasis-online.html">more</a></td>
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<td style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10px;"><center> David O. Bales </center></td>
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<!-- END: photoblock --> <span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; font-family: arial; margin-top: 4px; font-weight: bold;"> The Final Robert</span><br />
Everything seemed strange. The church was long and dark, and from the back it was difficult to see in the subdued light. The extreme strangeness began with the first speaker. "When the final Robert was the original Bobby we had to play his games. At anyone else's birthday he was always last to come to the table; and, if we were going somewhere for someone else's birthday, we had to sit and wait for him until Dad blew the horn a couple times." Other people spoke, and then Aunt Virginia. Didn't she die ten years ago? "We gave the final Robert all the chances we gave others -- the hugs and presents, and we listened to his childhood concerns. Yet he was the child of the permanent scowl and the word 'No' "...<a href="http://www.sermonsuite.com/storyshare.html">more</a></td>
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<td><a href="http://www.sermonsuite.com/the-village-shepherd.html"><img width="75" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.sermonsuite.com/imageul/jan3.jpg" /></a></td>
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<td style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10px;"><center> Janice Scott </center></td>
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<!-- END: photoblock --> <span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; font-family: arial; margin-top: 4px; font-weight: bold;">Unnoticed Gifts</span><br />
When Jesus was on this earth, some people realized what a huge and wonderful gift from God they'd been given. But others were antagonistic and hostile, and in effect threw the gift back into God's face. It started in Nazareth, Jesus' own village. There were all sorts of murmurings against Jesus. "Isn't this the guy we grew up with? How could he be anything special? Get him out of here!" And Jesus was unable to perform many miracles in his home village, because of the attitude of those who knew him well. In today's gospel we see the discontent spreading...<a href="http://www.sermonsuite.com/the-village-shepherd.html">more</a></td>
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<td><a href="http://www.sermonsuite.com/children-sermons.html"><img width="75" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.sermonsuite.com/imageul/LeahThompson.jpg" /></a></td>
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<td style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10px;"><center> Leah Thompson </center></td>
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<!-- END: photoblock --> <span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; font-family: arial; margin-top: 4px; font-weight: bold;"> Building <br />
Others Up</span><br />
<b>Object: Legos</b><br />
How many of you have played with Legos before? <i>(allow answers)</i> How many of you build things with K'nex or Lincoln Logs? Building things can be a lot of fun! There are all kinds of things you can build with building blocks. What kind of things have you built? <i>(allow answers)</i> Using Legos, you can build castles, houses, helicopters, or ships. Building is fun! Sometimes we help other people build things out of Legos or other building blocks. When we are helping to build something, we have to talk to the other people. What are some things you talk about when you are helping someone build?...<a href="http://www.sermonsuite.com/children-sermons.html">more</a></td>
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<td style="background-color: rgb(66, 22, 157); color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">Author of <br />
<i>Lectionary Scripture Notes</i></td>
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<td align="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(66, 22, 157);"><span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0); line-height: 20px;"><a style="text-decoration: none;" href="http://www.lectionaryscripturenotes.com/norman-beck"><img width="130" border="0" src="http://www.lectionaryscripturenotes.com/wp-content/themes/son-of-blue/images/beck.jpg" alt="Norman A. Beck is the Poehlmann Professor of Theology and Classical Languages and the Chairman of the Department of Theology, Philosophy, and Classical Languages at Texas Lutheran University." style="padding-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px;" /><br />
Dr. Norman A. Beck</a></span></td>
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<td align="center" style="border: 1px solid rgb(66, 22, 157);"><span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(66, 22, 157); line-height: 26px;">"Risky business writing a book like this one ... I loved it!" <br />
— Leonard Sweet </span><br />
<a href="http://www.csspub.com/prod-078802616X.htm"><img width="146" border="0" src="http://lectionaryscripturenotes.com/wp-content/themes/son-of-blue/images/078802616XL.jpg" alt="Confessions Of An Insignificant Pastor by W. Mark Elliott" /></a><br />
<p align="le" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Mark Elliott bares his soul as he takes a brutally honest look at the real person we pastors are on the inside that few people ever know. Each page speaks to the honest confessions inside and draws out the hidden person in us all. <i><b>This book is destined to set you free!</b></i></p>
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