Our texts for this coming Sunday can be found here. So many good texts from which to choose.
I will be preaching the Acts story. I love the story of the Spirit sending Phillip to help the Ethiopian eunuch understand and interpret scripture.
The Psalm is from the end of Psalm 22. I love these verses:
Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord,
and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.
The epistle reading continues our time in 1 John.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.
And our gospel reading from John’s gospel reminds us we are the branches and Jesus is the vine.
Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.
Do you have previous sermons on these texts that might illuminate things for someone else?
Ideas for Time with the Children? Anyone have a communion liturgy around the vine-branches text?
RevGalBlogPals 
I am preaching on the Acts passage as well and am tying it into our mission statement. As of now, my sermon is talking about how we are called to see others as worthy of hearing and living into God’s word, how sometime worship looks different then we think, and how even if we live exactly into the mission of the church that we don’t always know the end of the story. It is only Tuesday so, I still have time to decide that I hate it and start from scratch.
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That sounds great!
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I think I am weaving something about us all being the vine branches no matter whether we have always been there or have been ingrafted on. Something about how ALL can be ingrafted and that even the branches we might least suspect can bear great fruit. Readings will be Acts and Gospel.
I am tempted for the children’s talk to give them carboard branches to add to a giant vine picture to show how branches can grow from an existing branch OR be grafted on but are both wanted, needed and equally able to bear fruit. [I might even use an idea from Starters on Sundays to have the congregation add leaves with prayers….but that would take a bit of prep and I am not sure I have time this week to cut out 100+ vine leaves].
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I like that. Each year in my garden, I look at some shrub or another and think, “is this one coming back this year? Looks pretty dead and unpromising.” And then it comes back. Life is tenacious and strong.
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Thankful for all the comments here. I’m working on vine & branches, but I don’t have much yet. A household-wide stomach bug has put me behind (already) this week in my thinking and preparation. Not so much as a title, and I need to get the bulletin to the supply congregation tonight at the latest. It’s such a strong image, and I don’t know where to go with it.
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Prayers for healing! And for a quick arrival by the Spirit for some inspiration!
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Thank you.
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I am, yet again, a week ahead. I played with a sermon I had used before, exploring the word ABIDE as the key to understanding what we are being invited into. I added in some interactive work for folks to do (and some crochet work for me). http://wp.me/psDHQ-MI
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Love it. Thanks for sharing!
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Also… anyone got something up their robe sleeve on the next bit of John 15? That’s where I’m going this week.
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We have our annual meeting Sunday, and worship will be abbreviated with the meeting immediately following. I’m using John and 1 John to consider what we are called as a community to do….. being fruitful.
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Will be good texts for a congregational meeting!
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I meant to post a link several days ago, but when I searched my blog for this meditation on John 15, I realized I never posted it! So here it is. I have used it in several versions. The most recent was during Lent, as we explored the “I am” statements of Jesus. So here’s the link, if it helps jog anyone’s creative juices… http://pastorsings.com/2015/04/28/good-grapes/
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Thank you!
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I honestly don’t know what I will preach on Sunday. I know that I chose the John text what now feels like a lifetime ago, but I’ve written my blog for this week on both the gospel and 1 John texts. So here it is: https://rachaelkeefe.wordpress.com/2015/04/30/called-to-love/
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This has been so helpful, Rachael. My mind keeps going back to the Ethiopian and Phillip. When he asks the question “what prevents me from being baptized” I think of all the unloving things Phillip could have said in response, but didn’t. He is the bearer of much good fruit.
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Linda, that sounds like a great way to bring the texts together. I hope it goes well for you!
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