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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Jesus not only taught love... -- Ephesians 3:14-21 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - B -- 2000
Jesus not only taught love; he is love.
Clergy see it all too... -- Ephesians 2:11-22 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 2000
Clergy see it all too often -- families on one side of a marriage refusing to accept the choice thei
Little guys tend to be... -- Ephesians 1:3-14 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 2000
Little guys tend to be chosen last in team sports.
At 21 years of age... -- 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - B -- 2000
At 21 years of age Bruce could see no need for God. He had it all figured out.
The benevolent wealthy man wanted... -- 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - B -- 2000
The benevolent wealthy man wanted to share all that he had with the less fortunate.
Many people find it just... -- Ephesians 6:10-20 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 2000
Many people find it just plain difficult to digest emotionally the abundance of bad news in the medi
Before Sally went to summer... -- Ephesians 5:15-20 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 2000
Before Sally went to summer camp her mother gave her a list.
One of the findings of... -- 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - B -- 2000
One of the findings of the Church Growth Movement is that members attract like members.
There was a man who... -- 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - B -- 2000
There was a man who owned and drove a hearse. It was his family car.
In 1997, five Jewish students... -- 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - B -- 2000
In 1997, five Jewish students sued Yale University.
A young teenager was rummaging... -- Galatians 4:4-7 -- New Year's Day - B -- 2000
A young teenager was rummaging through some old family records in a closet.
In 1964, Pope Paul VI... -- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2000
In 1964, Pope Paul VI gave Mother Teresa the limousine that he had used during a visit to India.
In 1997, a man who... -- 2 Corinthians 1:18-22 -- Epiphany 7 | Ordinary Time 7 - B -- 2000
In 1997, a man who said that he was an exiled prince from Borneo announced at a United Nations confe
For a high school science... -- Acts 19:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B -- 2000
For a high school science project a few years ago, a student conducted a survey.
David Berkowitz was convicted of... -- Ephesians 3:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2000
David Berkowitz was convicted of being the Son of Sam serial killer, the one who terrorized New York
Lewis Smedes is a professor... -- Colossians 3:12-17 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - C -- 2000
Lewis Smedes is a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary in California.
Christians would rather read the... -- Hebrews 1:1-4 (5-12) -- 2000
Christians would rather read the Book of Hebrews than tackle the apocalyptic Book of Revelation.
The New York Times... -- Titus 2:11-14 -- 2000
The New York Times Magazine had the story of the Scheibner family who home school their child
Some folks think that Paul... -- Hebrews 10:5-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
Some folks think that Paul wrote Hebrews, but it's just not his style.
A third grader, Megan, came... -- Philippians 4:4-7 -- Third Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
A third grader, Megan, came and sat down next to me on the first night of summer church camp.
Mr. Starr was the high... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
Mr. Starr was the high school journalism teacher.
Timothy had returned to Corinth... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2000
Timothy had returned to Corinth from Thessalonica with a very encouraging report about his mission.
First Church was having all... -- James 3:1-12 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2000
First Church was having all sorts of problems.
Pastor Kiwelu came to the... -- James 3:13--4:3, 7-8a -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2000
Pastor Kiwelu came to the United States on a pastoral exchange.
People at the church had... -- James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2000
People at the church had mixed feelings about Jim. Some liked having him there.

Political Pulpit

Sermon

The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 28 | OT 33 | Pentecost 23
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Christ the King Sunday
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Thanksgiving
34 – Sermons
80+ – Illustrations / Stories
24 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
24 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Christopher Keating
Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
For November 16, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Coffin
Another natural disaster has flattened a number of coastal communities. Despite the weather and major television station warnings, and government disaster preparations, the dystopian destruction nightmare of Luke 21 has decimated another community. Also, it is reasonable to believe that this is not the last year for hurricanes, Tsunami’s, wild fires, mudslides and tornados. They will occur again. However as weary citizens are interviewed in one group of people with the background of homes in rubble and streets still draining flood waters, they will not leave. This is their home.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Isaiah 65:17-25 and Isaiah 12

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
“The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD. (v. 25)

A week after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, country singer Toby Keith — who died Feb. 5, 2024 — wrote a patriotic ballad titled “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” It was filled with populist fighting rhetoric that matched the mood of a nation shaken by the shocking death and destruction of that day.

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A blood pressure monitor. It is actually called a sphygmomanometer, and is pronounced “sfig·mow·muh·naa’·muh·tr”.

* * *

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:

The Church of Christ

Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

The local community

Those who suffer

The communion of saints


These responses may be used:


Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

SermonStudio

Stephen P. McCutchan
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
-- Isaiah 12:3

John W. Clarke
No reading of Luke is complete without coming to realize that Luke is concerned that the world understands that Jesus is the hope of the world and that any teaching that leads away from that fact is a false teaching. No matter what, no matter when, Jesus will be there to give us life.

Scott Suskovic
Whoever does not work should not eat!
-- 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NLT)

Wow! Kind of takes your breath away, doesn't it? Not a lot of ambiguity in that rule. "You don't work, you don't eat." For a religion based on grace, it seems a bit unyielding.

Mark Ellingson
Freedom is such a lovely word, a compelling image. What is freedom? How would you define it? What does it mean to you? Webster's New World Dictionary defines freedom as being exempt from control or from arbitrary restrictions. Freedom is said to be the ability to choose or determine one's own actions.

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