Emphasis Contributors
Illustration Writers
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Bill Thomas
Mark Ellingsen
Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - C
Wayne Brouwer
In 1637, Eilenburg, Saxony, was surrounded by the dark night of the soul. Europe was at war. Eilenburg was tossed back and forth by the armies. Three times during that year it was attacked and severely damaged. When the armies left, refugees poured in by the thousands. Diseases ran rampant. Food was scarce.
There was only one pastor in the city, a fellow named Martin Rinkart. His journal for 1637 indicates that he conducted over 4,500 funerals that year, sometimes as many as forty or fifty a day. Life was a constant death, and each morning stank of disaster.
Still, somehow, even today, 1637 is important for nearly every Thanksgiving celebration around the world for Christians still sing the song Pastor Rinkart wrote that year. They sing it with gusto. They sing it...
There was only one pastor in the city, a fellow named Martin Rinkart. His journal for 1637 indicates that he conducted over 4,500 funerals that year, sometimes as many as forty or fifty a day. Life was a constant death, and each morning stank of disaster.
Still, somehow, even today, 1637 is important for nearly every Thanksgiving celebration around the world for Christians still sing the song Pastor Rinkart wrote that year. They sing it with gusto. They sing it...
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7; Psalm 66:1-12
Reading an anecdote from Michael Shannon led me to research a well-known scientist and botanist of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century named Curtis G Lloyd. One of the final things he did was set up the Lloyd Wildlife Area in Crittenden, Kentucky. No axe ever has disturbed the 20-acre plot or ever will. When he died, Curtis’ ashes were scattered there, near an impressive tombstone. One side bears his name and says, “Erected by himself, for himself, in his own lifetime,” and then there is a line from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “What fools these mortals be.” On the other side it reads, “How many days, months, years, nobody knows, and nobody cares.”
Reading an anecdote from Michael Shannon led me to research a well-known scientist and botanist of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century named Curtis G Lloyd. One of the final things he did was set up the Lloyd Wildlife Area in Crittenden, Kentucky. No axe ever has disturbed the 20-acre plot or ever will. When he died, Curtis’ ashes were scattered there, near an impressive tombstone. One side bears his name and says, “Erected by himself, for himself, in his own lifetime,” and then there is a line from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “What fools these mortals be.” On the other side it reads, “How many days, months, years, nobody knows, and nobody cares.”
Lectionary Commentary and Sermon Illustrations
Emphasis Preaching Journal provides in-depth lectionary-based commentary on lectionary texts, plus thousands of sermon illustrations to help you create riveting sermons.For over 45 years, Emphasis has provided subscribers with scripturally sound, lectionary-based commentaries and sermon illustrations that connect with the people in the pews.
For each week, Emphasis writers delve into the heart of the lectionary readings, providing you with several fresh, solid ideas -- based squarely on the lectionary texts -- for creating sermons that speak powerfully to your audience. They look for overall themes that hold the readings together. Then, they zero in on the themes and the specific scripture links, suggesting directions for the sermon and worship service. Since a single idea each week may not provide what you are looking for at that particular time, writers suggest several, giving you the opportunity to select the one that matches your specific needs.
