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Elizabeth Achtemeier

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Commentary

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Christ conquers death -- Isaiah 25:6-9, Revelation 21:1-6a, John 11:32-44 -- Mark J. Molldrem, Elizabeth Achtemeier -- All Saints Day - B -- 2018
Note: Because of a scheduling error, we are highlighting this commentary from 2000 by Mark J.

Preaching

SermonStudio

Easter Day -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Easter Day - A -- 2004
The resurrection is for everyone. That is the message of our text.
Proper 28 -- Judges 4:1-7, Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - A -- 2004
It is somewhat of a mystery as to why this one text from Judges is inserted into the lectionary at t
Seventh Sunday of Easter -- Acts 1:6-14 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 2004
Our reading for this Sunday includes verses 6 to 11, which were part of our stated text for last Sun
Second Sunday of Easter -- Acts 2:14a, 22-32 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Second Sunday of Easter - A -- 2004
Three important religious festivals are prescribed for Israel in the Old Testament -- Tabernacles i
Christ the King -- Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - A -- 2004
The temptation of the preacher in using these passages from Ezekiel is to lapse into a sentimental d
Proper 25 -- Deuteronomy 34:1-12 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - A -- 2004
In the scriptures, the first five books of the Old Testament, or the Pentateuch, are sometimes calle
Third Sunday of Easter -- Acts 2:14a, 36-41 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Third Sunday of Easter - A -- 2004
Picking up where we ended our reading last week, we continue this morning with Acts' account of Pete
New Year's Day -- Ecclesiastes 3:1-13, Numbers 6:22-27 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- New Year's Day - A -- 2004
I cry at weddings.
Proper 5 -- Genesis 12:1-9 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - A -- 2004
This text in Genesis 12 is one of the most important passages in the Bible for it lays the foundatio
Fourth Sunday of Easter -- Acts 2:42-47 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2004
These stories in Acts about the beginning of the church in Jerusalem are intended by Luke, the autho
Third Sunday after Epiphany -- Isaiah 9:1-4 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 2004
Isaiah 9:1-4 is the first part of the lesson that is the stated Old Testament text for a Sunday on C
Proper 6 -- Genesis 18:1-15 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - A -- 2004
In our Old Testament lesson last Sunday, we heard God promise to Abraham that he would be the forbea
Fifth Sunday of Easter -- Acts 7:55-60 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2004
I got in a religious dispute one time with a relative over particular truths in the Christian gospel
Sixth Sunday of Easter -- Acts 17:22-31 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2004
There is a strange belief abroad in our land at the present time, the belief that we cannot know God
Reformation Sunday -- Joshua 3:7-17 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Reformation Sunday - A -- 2004
Israel has been encamped at Shittim in the territory of Moab on the Eastern side of the Jordan River
Ascension of Our Lord -- Acts 1:1-11 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Ascension of the Lord - A -- 2004
The book of the Acts of the Apostles is the second volume of Luke's great account of God's act of sa
Ash Wednesday -- Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Ash Wednesday - A -- 2004
Sometime between 500 and 350 B.C., post-exilic Israel experienced a devastating locust plague, follo
Thanksgiving Day -- Deuteronomy 8:7-18 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Thanksgiving Day - A -- 2004
Our text for this day is about forgetting and remembering.
Trinity Sunday -- Genesis 1:1--2:4a -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - A -- 2004
This priestly account of God's creation of the world has been called the most theological chapter in
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany -- Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12) -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - A -- 2004
In the church, we speak often of "salvation." But what do we mean by that term?
Second Sunday after Christmas -- Jeremiah 31:7-14 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Second Sunday after Christmas - A -- 2004
Jeremiah 31 is a part of what has been known as the Little Book of Comfort that is made up of chapte
Proper 9 -- Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67, Zechariah 9:9-12 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - A -- 2004
God has promised Abraham that he will be the forebear of many descendants.
Proper 7 -- Genesis 21:8-21, Jeremiah 20:7-13 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - A -- 2004
God has a way of humbling our pride.
Pentecost -- Acts 2:1-21 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Day of Pentecost - A -- 2004
On the previous Sundays of this Eastertide, we have heard the risen Christ tell his followers to rem
Proper 10 -- Genesis 25:19-34, Isaiah 55:10-13 -- Elizabeth Achtemeier -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - A -- 2004
It may seem rather startling to read in verse 20 of this passage that Isaac is forty years old when
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 10 | OT 15 | Pentecost 5
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 11 | OT 16 | Pentecost 6
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 12 | OT 17 | Pentecost 7
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

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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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