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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Emphasis Contributors

Commentary Writers
David Kalas

David Coffin
Frank Ramirez
Mark Ellingsen
 
Illustration Writers
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Bill Thomas
Mark Ellingsen

Fourth Sunday in Lent - C

Mark Ellingsen
Joshua 5:9-12
The First Lesson is taken from one of the so-called Old Testament history books.  As a whole, the book tells the story of Israel’s successful victory in Canaan.  It shares the theological perspective of Deuteronomy and so may be the product of the 7th century BC reforms of King Josiah, though the book clearly has its roots in the oral local traditions prior to the settlement of the Hebrews in Israel.  It posits with the Deuteronomistic reform a tension between Yahweh’s mercy or election and a conditional view of salvation being dependent on what Israel does.

This text is an account of the first Passover spent by the Hebrews in the promised land.  Yahweh is reported to have said to Joshua that on that day [the first Passover] He...
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Mark Ellingsen
Joshua 9:5-12
Elizabeth Kwak-Hefferan wrote a piece on the Yellowstone National Park website about “Old Faithful.” The geyser was discovered in 1870 by the Washburn Expedition and was named for its frequent and somewhat predictable eruptions, which number more than a million since Yellowstone became the world’s first national park in 1872. In the article Kwak-Hefferan notes, “Old Faithful in Yellowstone, currently erupts around twenty times a day. These eruptions are predicted with a ninety percent confidence rate, within a ten-minute variation, based on the duration and height of the previous eruption.”

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.

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UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Lent 2
20 – Sermons
170+ – Illustrations / Stories
26 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
20 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Lent 3
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Lent 4
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
22 – Worship Resources
27 – 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: A rock about the size of a tennis ball, baseball, or even a softball.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent!

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Christopher Keating
George Reed
Mary Austin
For March 30, 2025:

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
Paul reread the parable again and sighed. Why had he agreed to lead the Bible study this week? When Pastor Luke asked him, he had been all excited and enthusiastic. He knew the parable of the prodigal son inside and out having read commentaries and stories about it before. He had actually preached a sermon on the passage when Pastor Luke was away and received great feedback from the congregation.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Joshua 5:9-12
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Mark Ellingsen
Joshua 9:5-12

SermonStudio

Bonnie Bates
It is a well-known cliché that “God never gives us more than we can handle”, but I have sometimes found that not to be so. When my youngest brother died of brain cancer at age five, it was more than I could handle. When my first husband was emotionally and physically abusive, it was more than I could handle. When my second husband and I lost our twin sons at birth, it was more than I could handle. The COVID pandemic was more than we could handle. Wars and violence are often more than we can handle. Homelessness, poverty, grief, and loss are often more than we can handle.
John N. Brittain
I suppose we are all a little bit nervous about the prospect of a sermon on a Bible story as familiar and sometimes as overworked as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. "What can I possibly say that hasn't been said before?" And I know what's going through your minds: "Are we going to be subjected to the same old sermon yet another time?" Confronting a familiar Bible passage like this mid-Lent really serves to address the discipline of reading Scripture as part of our devotional life, particularly passages that are very familiar.
Charles D. Reeb
A. A. Milne, the creator of Winnie the Pooh, wrote a simple, yet telling poem in his work, Now We Are Six:

When I was One, I had just begun.
When I was Two, I was nearly new.
When I was Three, I was hardly Me.
When I was Four, I was not much more.
When I was Five, I was just alive.
But now I am Six, I'm as clever as ever.
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.1

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to worship:

While the Prodigal Son was still far off, his father saw him, ran to him, put his arms around him and kissed him. In our worship today, let us turn to God so that he may run to us, put his arms around and kiss us.

Invitation to confession:

Jesus, for the times when we run away from you,

Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, for the times when we have wasted our inheritance on dissolute living,

Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, when we return to you,

Lord, have mercy.

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