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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Stories of remarkable rescues are... -- Matthew 26:14--27:66 -- Passion Sunday - A -- 1999
Stories of remarkable rescues are somewhat common.
In the book The... -- Matthew 26:14--27:66 -- Passion Sunday - A -- 1999
In the book The Inner Voice of Love, the late Catholic priest Henri J. M.
I grew up in Oklahoma... -- Ephesians 5:8-14 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
I grew up in Oklahoma and lots of Indian children went to my grade school.
What would things be like... -- John 9:1-41 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
What would things be like without light? We could not see. Plants could not grow.
Our church has a very... -- John 9:1-41 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
Our church has a very active Evangelism Committee which regularly sends teams of visitors to visit t
People throughout history have worshiped... -- John 9:1-41 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
People throughout history have worshiped the sun.
There is a story that... -- John 9:1-41 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
There is a story that still makes its rounds in my hometown.
Larry's parents were devout Christians... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
Larry's parents were devout Christians.
When Diana lay dying of... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
When Diana lay dying of cancer, her thoughts were of her adult Christian single friends with whom sh
A woman walked into a... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
A woman walked into a convenience store and startled an armed robber.
A missionary was shipwrecked on... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
A missionary was shipwrecked on a desert island, and spent many miserable days waiting for rescue.
During the 1992-1995 war in... -- John 11:1-45 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
During the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the city of Sarajevo came under siege by the Bos
A young pastor wept. He... -- John 11:1-45 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
A young pastor wept.
Dr. Jerome Groopman, of the... -- John 11:1-45 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
Dr.
We call it our faith... -- John 11:1-45 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
We call it our "faith journey" and rightly so. Pastors deal with the term all the time.
It is said Mother Teresa's... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - A -- 1999
It is said Mother Teresa's brother, a soldier for the king, was furious when she declared that she w
In Oriental philosophy, emptiness is... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - A -- 1999
In Oriental philosophy, emptiness is understood not only in terms of humility, but also in terms of
I remember reading somewhere that... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - A -- 1999
I remember reading somewhere that when the news of the 1944 D-Day landing filtered into one prisoner
In the New Revised... -- John 10:1-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 1999
In the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Jesus says, "Anyone who does not enter the
A number of years ago... -- John 10:1-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 1999
A number of years ago I was a Girl Guide Captain.
Grizzly, a German shepherd belonging... -- John 10:1-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 1999
Grizzly, a German shepherd belonging to Lana Crawford Davis of Klamath Falls, Oregon, had an intuiti
Pastors struggle with being compassionate... -- John 10:1-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 1999
Pastors struggle with being compassionate and understanding in every situation.
Randy laughed. He was watching... -- Romans 5:1-11 -- Third Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
Randy laughed.
In his book The... -- Romans 5:1-11 -- Third Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
In his book The Gift of Peace, Joseph Cardinal Bernadin of Chicago describes the last three y
In 1851 Herman Melville published... -- Romans 5:1-11 -- Third Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
In 1851 Herman Melville published Moby Dick, a novel considered by many to be the greatest Am

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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
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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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