Category: Bulletin Inserts

This is the weekly bulletin insert from Sermons That Work.

Epiphany Bible Study: Week 7

During the season of Epiphany, The Episcopal Church’s Office of Global Partnerships is offering a weekly Bible study prepared by writers across the church and Anglican Communion. Each piece, consisting of the Sunday readings, can be studied alone, in small groups, or even with a congregation. You can find the whole study for each week at www.sermonsthatwork.org.

This week’s study for Epiphany 7 (C) was written by the Rt. Rev. Eduardo Coelho Grillho, the bishop of Rio de Janeiro.

Genesis 45:3-11, 15

³ Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵ And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. ⁶ For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. ⁷ God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to keep alive for you many survivors. ⁸ So it was not you who sent me here but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. ⁹ Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me; do not delay. ¹⁰ You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. ¹¹ I will provide for you there, since there are five more years of famine to come, so that you and your household and all that you have will not come to poverty.’

¹⁵ And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them, and after that his brothers talked with him.

Commentary from Eduardo Coelho Grillo

The story of Joseph is well known. His brothers sold him to merchants and, after some time dealing with imprisonment and dreams, he ended up becoming a great administrator in the land of Egypt. Today’s reading brings us a reunion between Joseph and his brothers. Such an emotional meeting brought not only regret and sadness but also joy and reconciliation. All that in a few verses, in a few sentences. By that family story, we are invited to reflect on reconciliation and rebuilding relationships. As we read that passage lightly, it may sound as if the forgiveness was instantaneous between Joseph and his brothers. In fact, they all had to overcome resentment and guilt to move forward. They were called by God, as Joseph points out, to restore their family bonds as life challenged them all with famine and difficult living conditions.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever felt betrayed or despised by those you love or trust (family, friends, mates, etc.)?
• Do you believe in reconciliation and forgiveness as essential experiences for mental and spiritual health?

Weekly bulletin inserts

This weekly bulletin insert provides information about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact us at stw@episcopalchurch.org.

Sermons That Work

For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds. Small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between use the resources that Sermons That Work provides.

Church of the Redeemer

Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

This is the weekly bulletin insert from Sermons That Work.

Epiphany Bible Study: Week 6

During the season of Epiphany, The Episcopal Church’s Office of Global Partnerships is offering a weekly Bible study prepared by writers across the church and Anglican Communion. Each piece, consisting of the Sunday readings, can be studied alone, in small groups, or even with a congregation. You can find the whole study for each week at www.sermonsthatwork.org.

This week’s study for Epiphany 7 (C) was written by Larissa Minniecon, the truth-telling and reconciliation missioner for the Anglican Board of Mission, Australia, and an Indigenous emergency relief worker with St. John’s Anglican Church, Glebe.

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

15 Now I want you to understand, brothers and sisters, the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, ² through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain. ³ For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures ⁴ and that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. ⁹ For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I but the grace of God that is with me. ¹¹ Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you believed.

Commentary from Larissa Minniecon

“That the Gospel did not come as Good News for Aboriginal people, but rather came as bad news, was due to the notion held by Missionaries that all of Aboriginal Culture was demonic. Thus began a Ministry of oppression and degradation, in trying to turn Aboriginal people into White folk. So, today the Christian faith of Aboriginal people is endeavouring to Aboriginalise the Gospel and Christian teaching.”

– Bishop James Leftwich, from Christian Faith and Aboriginal Culture, National Council of Churches in Australia

As people of faith, we hold this tension of the resurrection as an anchor to our Christian faith, proclaiming that without Christ’s resurrection, faith is futile and humanity remains in sin. The Apostle Paul’s writing challenges believers to recognize the transformative power of the Gospel, but how is this message being shared and received across others and cultures? Bishop James Leftwich’s words shed light on the historical tension between the Christian faith and our experience as Indigenous people and Aboriginal culture. Missionaries, in their colonial mindset, often misrepresented the Gospel by framing Aboriginal traditions and identity as inherently demonic. This injustice opposes the gift of transformative justice we inherit in the resurrection of Christ, which restores and redeems all creation. Today, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christians are reclaiming their faith by “Aboriginalising” the Gospel, ensuring it speaks to our unique experiences through a cultural lens. This act of resistance and restoration demonstrates the Gospel’s true purpose – a message of hope, liberation, and justice. The church must confront its complicity in oppression and injustice; it must embody a faith that upholds transformative justice and true reconciliation. 

Discussion Questions

• How does the resurrection of Christ challenge us to confront systems of oppression and embody a faith that brings restoration and dignity for all?
• In what ways can we ensure that the resurrection and faith are shared and lived out in ways that honor justice and truth-telling for marginalized and oppressed communities?

Weekly bulletin inserts

This weekly bulletin insert provides information about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact us at stw@episcopalchurch.org.

Sermons That Work

For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds. Small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between use the resources that Sermons That Work provides.

Church of the Redeemer

Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

This is the weekly bulletin insert from Sermons That Work.

Epiphany Bible Study: Week 5

During the season of Epiphany, The Episcopal Church’s Office of Global Partnerships is offering a weekly Bible study prepared by writers across the church and Anglican Communion. Each piece, consisting of the Sunday readings, can be studied alone, in small groups, or even with a congregation. You can find the whole study for each week at www.sermonsthatwork.org.

This week’s study for Epiphany 5 (C) was written by the Rev. Sharack Owuor, a priest formed in Butere, Uganda, currently serving as the rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Port Huron, Michigan.

Isaiah 6:1-8

6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. ² Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. ³ And one called to another and said,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”

⁴ The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. ⁵ And I said, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

⁶ Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. ⁷ The seraph touched my mouth with it and said, “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” ⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”

Commentary from Shadrack Owuor

Isaiah is overwhelmed by the majesty of God. The seraphim’s cry, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory,” reveals the unmatched holiness of God. Confronted with God’s splendor, Isaiah is painfully aware of his sinfulness, exclaiming, “Woe is me! I am lost.” Yet God does not leave him in despair. The seraph cleanses him with a live coal, a powerful symbol of forgiveness and purification. Set free from guilt, Isaiah responds eagerly to God’s call: “Here am I; send me!”

Isaiah reminds me of our own lives, especially those moments when we feel unworthy in the face of God’s holiness. However, through Christ, we are encouraged that our sins are blotted out, freeing us to embrace our calling as messengers of his love. We cannot encounter the holy God and remain the same.

Discussion Questions

• How does God’s grace free you to respond to his call?
• How do the holiness and love of God inspire both awe and action in you?

Weekly bulletin inserts

This weekly bulletin insert provides information about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact us at stw@episcopalchurch.org.

Sermons That Work

For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds. Small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between use the resources that Sermons That Work provides.

Church of the Redeemer

Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

This is the weekly bulletin insert from Sermons That Work.

Epiphany Bible Study: Week 4

During the season of Epiphany, The Episcopal Church’s Office of Global Partnerships is offering a weekly Bible study prepared by writers across the church and Anglican Communion. Each piece, consisting of the Sunday readings, can be studied alone, in small groups, or even with a congregation. You can find the whole study for each week at www.sermonsthatwork.org.

This week’s study for the Presentation was written by the Rev. Cn. Wadie N. Far, a priest from Jordan serving in the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.

Hebrews 2:14-18

¹⁴ Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. ¹⁶ For it is clear that he did not come to help angels but the descendants of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

Commentary from Wadie Far

While for some, God is far and distant, that should not be the case for us Christians. We believe that God came down to earth to be with us, to guide, to teach, to heal, and to give us salvation. In this belief, we should find great strength, for our God is not a distant, far away God, who does not understand our problems and challenges. Rather, God is the one who humbled himself and took on flesh for us. We believe in a God who wants to dwell in our hearts and wants to be close to us. Jesus paid our debt on the wood of the cross, and gave us life; in return, we are asked to believe in him, and that faith, if it is a living faith, should lead us to care for others as he has cared for us. We are to walk humbly with people, teaching and guiding them, listening to them, proclaiming the gift of salvation to them, and reminding them that our Lord and Savior knows what they are going through. He is not far from their suffering, and he has given them life.

Discussion Questions

• Have you opened your heart for Jesus to dwell in it?
• Do you trust Jesus with your sufferings and challenges, or are you still trying to take care of them by yourself?
• Do you lead others to Christ, so that they can find their comfort in him?

Weekly bulletin inserts

This weekly bulletin insert provides information about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact us at stw@episcopalchurch.org.

Sermons That Work

For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds. Small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between use the resources that Sermons That Work provides.

Church of the Redeemer

Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

This is the weekly bulletin insert from Sermons That Work.

Epiphany Bible Study: Week 3

During the season of Epiphany, The Episcopal Church’s Office of Global Partnerships is offering a weekly Bible study prepared by writers across the church and Anglican Communion. Each piece, consisting of the Sunday readings, can be studied alone, in small groups, or even with a congregation. You can find the whole study for each week at www.sermonsthatwork.org.

This week’s study for Epiphany 3 (C) was written by Lynnaia Main, The Episcopal Church’s representative to the United Nations.

Luke 4:14-21

¹⁴ Then Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding region. ¹⁵ He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

¹⁶ When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to set free those who are oppressed,
¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

²⁰ And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. ²¹ Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Commentary from Lynnaia Main

Luke writes of Jesus’ return to Galilee, after having been tempted by the devil in the wilderness. He is now filled with the power of the Spirit and about to begin his ministry in Galilee. Jesus begins to teach in the synagogues and word begins to spread about him through the surrounding country. When he arrives on the Sabbath day at the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth, which would have been his usual practice when he lived there, he stands up and reads from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…” along with subsequent verses that seem to describe the ministry he is beginning. This might have appeared to the listeners in the synagogue to be simply a regular reading of the scriptures… until Jesus goes on to say, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

One might think that those who were listening to Jesus in the synagogue that day would have been incredulous about his seemingly self-important conclusions. On the contrary, although it is not included in the passage chosen for this commentary, the next verse reveals that his actions are, at first, well received: “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.  They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’”

Discussion Questions

• Imagine yourself in the synagogue the day that Jesus read these scriptures aloud. What would have been your reaction to his declaring, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”? What would have convinced you that his seemingly outlandish statement should be taken seriously?
• As Christians, we believe that God calls each of us to ministry. Imagine that you, like Jesus, are called to read this Isaiah passage that begins with “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” What actions of ministry would you describe thereafter? What has God called you to do at this point in your life, or what is God calling you to do?

Weekly bulletin inserts

This weekly bulletin insert provides information about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact us at stw@episcopalchurch.org.

Sermons That Work

For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds. Small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between use the resources that Sermons That Work provides.

Church of the Redeemer

Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.

Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.