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Emphasis Preaching Journal

We always draw a solid... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
We always draw a solid lesson from Thomas' doubt: Believe even if you haven't seen.
On this first Easter evening... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
On this first Easter evening the doors aren't just shut. They're locked.
Anxiety is prevalent in our... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Anxiety is prevalent in our world today, and the church is certainly not immune to worldly concerns.
Franciscan priest Richard Rohr describes... -- Acts 3:12-19 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Franciscan priest Richard Rohr describes what faith is not, and what it is:
Dave took his daughter to... -- Acts 3:12-19 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Dave took his daughter to the doctor's office. Daphne could not get over her bad cold.
Nothing refreshes like a good... -- Acts 3:12-19 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Nothing refreshes like a good drink of water. How often have you heard that?
Sometimes, we just want to... -- 1 John 3:1-7 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Sometimes, we just want to know.
The pastor gathered the children... -- 1 John 3:1-7 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
The pastor gathered the children in worship.
On Sunday afternoons the state... -- 1 John 3:1-7 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
On Sunday afternoons the state children's home dressed the children in their nicest clothes and para
You are witnesses of these... -- Luke 24:36b-48 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
"You are witnesses of these things." What does this mean?

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SermonStudio

When Something Is About To Happen -- Mark 13:32-37 -- Thomas G. Long -- 1996
"I'll tell you what keeps me coming to this church." The man who spoke was punching the air with his
What Do You Mean, "Repent"? -- Mark 1:1-8 -- Thomas G. Long -- 1996
Bright Lights, Big City is Jay McInerney's searingly-witty, emotion-ripping novel of one ma
There's A Man Going Around Taking Names -- John 1:6-8, 19-28 -- Thomas G. Long -- 1996
There is an old black gospel song from the American South, most often sung to the driving beat of a
Where's The Treasure? -- Luke 1:26-38 -- Thomas G. Long -- 1996
When I was a child there was a game we would play in our neighborhood to pass the time on rainy afte
Shepherds And Bathrobes -- Luke 2:8-20 -- Thomas G. Long -- 1996
Sometimes the events described in the Bible bowl us over with their sheer size.
They Also Serve Who Wait -- Luke 2:25-40 -- Thomas G. Long -- 1996
"The whole thing is rotten," said Morris Weiser, as he tapped his cane on the vaulted ceiling of the
We Interrupt This Service -- John 1:1-18 -- Thomas G. Long -- 1996
It was question and answer time at the worship workshop.
Evergreen Wreath and Faded Leaf -- Isaiah 64:1-9 -- First Sunday of Advent - B -- 1996
The occasion was a joyous one as the young bride and groom settled into their seats at the head tabl
The Warrior and the Shepherd Are One! -- Isaiah 40:1-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B -- 1996
A friend conveys the story of his childhood misconception about finding his vocational way in life.
The Giver Becomes the Receiver -- 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B -- 1996
The text for today lifts before us Yahweh's choice of the family of David as the vehicle for God's d

Stories

The Political Pulpit

Worship

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
Mary Austin
Alyssa Spradlin
For November 1, 2026:
Christopher Keating
Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
Mary Austin
Alyssa Spradlin
For November 1, 2026:

CSSPlus

Wesley T. Runk
The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Good morning boys and girls. Does anyone here remember someone saying, “I am the greatest?” I remember hearing it many times by a prize fighter named Ali. Does anyone here remember Muhammed Ali? He used to say a lot of things and he was a very good boxer. He told everyone that he saw that he was “the greatest of all time.” Wow! Not many people say those kind of things about themselves.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Sandra Herrmann
What is a saint?

According to the Roman Catholic church, a saint is a holy person who has been elevated by God to heaven, there to pray for those of us who need their help. There is a three-step process: the request by those who knew the person in life, and who attest to their holiness; a witness by at least two people that they asked the candidate to pray for them and their prayer was granted in a miraculous way; and an investigation by the Vatican into all this evidence. The declaration is made by the pope.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the people how they could be blessed by God and experience God's kingdom. In our worship today let us explore the Sermon on the Mount.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I'm full of pride instead of being poor in spirit.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm overbearing and pushy, instead of being meek.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm not exactly pure in heart.
Lord, have mercy.

Reading:

StoryShare

John S. Smylie
Keith Hewitt
Bryan Meadows
Frank Ramirez
Contents
What's Up This Week
"The Fifth Gospel" by John Smylie
"The Burden" by Keith Hewitt
"Up Stream" by Bryan Meadows
"A Magical Little Poem" by Frank Ramirez


What's Up This Week
John S. Smylie
Keith Hewitt
Bryan Meadows
Frank Ramirez
Contents
What's Up This Week
"The Fifth Gospel" by John Smylie
"The Burden" by Keith Hewitt
"Up Stream" by Bryan Meadows
"A Magical Little Poem" by Frank Ramirez


What's Up This Week
Keith Hewitt
Larry Winebrenner
Peter Andrew Smith
Constance Berg
Sandra Herrmann
Contents
"New Leadership" by Sandra Herrmann
"Lost" by Keith Hewitt
"Three Paths for the End of October" by Larry Winebrenner
"Ahmad's Final Lesson" by Larry Winebrenner
"Freedom to Live" by Peter Andrew Smith
"The Fullness of Life" by Constance Berg


* * * * * * * *


New Leadership
by Sandra Herrmann
Joshua 3:7-17
Keith Hewitt
Larry Winebrenner
Peter Andrew Smith
Constance Berg
Sandra Herrmann
Contents
"New Leadership" by Sandra Herrmann
"Lost" by Keith Hewitt
"Three Paths for the End of October" by Larry Winebrenner
"Ahmad's Final Lesson" by Larry Winebrenner
"Freedom to Live" by Peter Andrew Smith
"The Fullness of Life" by Constance Berg


* * * * * * * *


New Leadership
by Sandra Herrmann
Joshua 3:7-17

SermonStudio

Mary S. Lautensleger
"Surprise! You're adopted!" If you were to hear those words from a trusted relative, surprise would be an understatement, I'm sure. Total shock would probably be more descriptive terminology for your emotional state as you examined the official court record and your original birth certificate. "Adopted" does describe each of us though, because we have been adopted by God into God's family. How do we know? The Bible tells us so.
James L. Killen, Jr.
When we put together the collection of things that we can believe, we need to ask a question about the person in the middle of the inquiry. What can we believe about ourselves? We don't often ask that question but it is a very important one. Some people are oppressed by low self-esteem. Others are led astray by exaggerated images of themselves. It is important to get a realistic understanding of who we are -- and of who we can be. The Bible has something to say on the subject that may surprise you. Are you ready? Hold on to your hat. The Bible says you were created and called to be saints.
Argile Smith
At an office meeting, Ben got the official news that he would become the manager of one of the most influential departments in the company. His colleagues admired him because of his tireless work, and they respected him as a dependable person in whom they could place their trust. They were glad when they found out that he had gotten the promotion. In order to celebrate the news with him, they bought him a gift. Well, it was actually more like a gag-gift, the kind that he would place on his shelf and chuckle over every time he saw it.
Joseph M. Freeman
Maybe both the best and the worst of us in humanity are far better preachers than we are doers and deliverers of what we preach and teach. And maybe maturity has everything to do with our genuine willingness to bring a greater congruity between our esteemed words and those actions compatible with, not contradictory of, those words. Jesus, fully divine and fully human, loved and valued not just the right deeds, but also the right motives and attitudes.
Mary Sue Dehmlow Dreier
Commotion At The Communion Rail

Tommy didn't budge.

When everyone else got up to leave the communion rail, he stayed kneeling. His folded hands were perched on the rail, and his little head was bowed so far down that his forehead was squinched against his thumb knuckles. His eyes were closed hopefully, as if he were waiting for a big present.
Charles L. Aaron, Jr.
As the movie Contact opens, the audience sees a precocious girl named Eleanor learning how to use a ham radio. Nicknamed "Sparks" by her father, she has reached a man in Florida, and is excited that her radio lets her speak with someone so far away. In a later scene she asks her father wistfully if she can call her deceased mother on the radio. He responds sadly that no antenna is big enough.
George L. Murphy
You know that old saying, "Be careful what you wish for, because it might come true"? We see examples of that again and again in life. During the war in Iraq, Hampton Sides, a journalist who had been slated to be "embedded" with one of our frontline Marine battalions, gave an interview on NRP (National Public Radio). At almost the last possible moment, Sides decided not to go with the Marines, but instead to report from Central Command in Qatar.
Richard C. Brand
It seems fair to say that the saints of the Lord have always shown us what it is to be worthy of God. It is why we remember them and rejoice for them. They have shown us what a life worthy of God might look like. To talk about the saints, we may talk about Kagawa in Japan, about Mother Teresa, about Bishop Tutu and Nelson Mandela, about D. T. Niles in India, and about Saint Patrick in Ireland. To know the stories of Dorothy Day in New York City and Oscar Romero in Latin America is to have examples of what it means to lead lives worthy of the God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
Amy C. Schifrin
Martha Shonkwiler
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