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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday... -- John 10:11-18 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Today is Good Shepherd Sunday, and our focus is on shepherds and sheep, especially the one we know a
Blood is thicker than water... -- Acts 8:26-40 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
"Blood is thicker than water." That's what they say.
Ted and Penny looked forward... -- Acts 8:26-40 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Ted and Penny looked forward to their first short-term mission trip to Haiti.
The Ethiopian eunuch was struggling... -- Acts 8:26-40 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
The Ethiopian eunuch was struggling to understand the difficult passage from Isaiah.
James Leigh Hunt's poem Abou... -- 1 John 4:7-21 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
James Leigh Hunt's poem Abou ben-Adhem tells the story of a Muslim man who has a visit from a
The centrality of love in... -- 1 John 4:7-21 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
The centrality of love in the Christian message matches the proven need for love in human life.
Julian of Norwich believed that... -- 1 John 4:7-21 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Julian of Norwich believed that "love" was the only word that could be used to describe God.
Pruning a tree isn't easy... -- John 15:1-8 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Pruning a tree isn't easy. It's an acquired skill.
One Saturday Mike set out... -- John 15:1-8 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
One Saturday Mike set out to remove some vines that were growing too close to the house.
Pruning trees has several important... -- John 15:1-8 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Pruning trees has several important benefits. First is safety.

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SermonStudio

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot -- 2 Kings 2:1-12 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 1996
Many scholars view this narrative as one occasioned by the fear of an uncertain future followed by a
Our Own Mountaintop Walk -- Matthew 28:16-20 -- Leonard H. Budd -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B -- 1993
Matthias was the 13th of the 12 disciples!
The Spirit's Tether -- John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 -- Leonard H. Budd -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 1993
Young Amos was a servant boy who, as an orphan, had attached himself to the Galilee travelers.
Walking Through A Storm -- Mark 4:35-41 -- Leonard H. Budd -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - B -- 1993
Simon was in control of the boat. He was the oldest, and besides it was his boat.

Free Access

Have You Heard The Good News? -- Mark 1:1-8 -- John A. Stroman -- Second Sunday of Advent - B -- 1996
Have you heard the good news?
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
Can Christians Dance? -- Mark 2:23--3:6 -- William G. Carter -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - B -- 1996
A few years ago, I was asked to serve as the worship leader at a regional church conference for teen
What He Said! -- Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 -- George W. Hoyer -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 1996
People left his presence marvelling -- this Jesus -- they left his great gatherings amazed.
No Box Seats In The Kingdom -- Mark 10:35-45 -- William G. Carter -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 1996
Historically speaking, the church has usually painted a pretty picture of the twelve original discip
Looking A Little Bit Crazy -- Mark 3:20-35 -- William G. Carter -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - B -- 1996
A photocopied sign was posted inside a church office.

Stories

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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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