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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

A few years ago an... -- John 20:19-31 -- Day of Pentecost - A -- 1996
A few years ago an artist painted a very impressive picture of Christ with the little children.
There was a discussion during... -- John 20:19-31 -- Day of Pentecost - A -- 1996
There was a discussion during a Sunday School class on the individuals Jesus chose to be his discipl
Notice the difference between the... -- Luke 24:44-53 -- Ascension of the Lord - A -- 1996
Notice the difference between the world's way and the way of the scripture for today: Brigitte Bardo
How faithful is our witness... -- Luke 24:44-53 -- Ascension of the Lord - A -- 1996
How faithful is our witness?
Katlynn realized the most powerful... -- Luke 24:44-53 -- Ascension of the Lord - A -- 1996
Katlynn realized the most powerful witness she could provide came out of her own experiences.
In October 1994, 53 members... -- 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 1996
In October 1994, 53 members of a religious cult in Switzerland died when they burned down the chalet
In 1926 and '27, Charles... -- 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 1996
In 1926 and '27, Charles A. Lindbergh was an airmail pilot.
Serious young athletes learn fairly... -- 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 1996
Serious young athletes learn fairly quickly that the training required for success is not easy and t
A friend of mine told... -- 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 1996
A friend of mine told me about the most special piece of furniture in his house.
Not long ago Geraldo had... -- John 17:1-11 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 1996
Not long ago Geraldo had a program on gangs. On the panel he had a number of gang members.
I present two examples of... -- John 17:1-11 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 1996
I present two examples of unity: 1. An ancient Chinese was proud of his ecumenity.
Christ meant that his work... -- John 17:1-11 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 1996
Christ meant that his work on earth had been successfully completed, and now the hour had come when
Five years ago, his doctors... -- John 17:1-11 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 1996
Five years ago, his doctors had given Andrew six months to live -- at best.
If we want to understand... -- 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 -- Day of Pentecost - A -- 1996
If we want to understand what another person is talking about, we need to be familiar with some comm
You know the scenario. It's... -- 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 -- Day of Pentecost - A -- 1996
You know the scenario. It's Christmas Eve.
How many times have we... -- 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 -- Day of Pentecost - A -- 1996
How many times have we watched a great basketball game between two teams and the score is tied with
A group of pastors were... -- Acts 2:1-21 -- Day of Pentecost - A -- 1996
A group of pastors were discussing the subject, "How do you motivate people?
Charles Schulz, in his book... -- Acts 2:1-21 -- Day of Pentecost - A -- 1996
Charles Schulz, in his book, Teenager Is No Disease, has one teenager asking another, "Do you think
I am amazed how God... -- 1 Peter 2:2-10 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 1996
I am amazed how God blesses congregations with such diversity.
A six-year-old girl... -- John 14:1-14 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 1996
A six-year-old girl was taking her first ride in an airplane.
A parishioner in a church... -- John 14:1-14 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 1996
A parishioner in a church I served decided to enter the ordained ministry.
Jesus is saying to his... -- John 14:1-14 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 1996
Jesus is saying to his listeners, "Don't worry." He saw troubled hearts everywhere, worrying about f
14:1-14... -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 1996
14:1-14
A tribal court in Alaska... -- 1 Peter 3:13-22 -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - A -- 1996
A tribal court in Alaska had to decide how to punish two boys who had attacked a 25-year-old man, le
The American couple was taking... -- 1 Peter 3:13-22 -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - A -- 1996
The American couple was taking a guided tour on a South Sea island.

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UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Ascension of the Lord
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 7
20 – Sermons
170+ – Illustrations / Stories
26 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
20 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Pentecost
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

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John Jamison
Object: The lying game. You have probably played this game but called it something else. The idea is that you will ask a child a question, have them either answer truthfully or with a lie, and then have everyone else try to guess if they are telling the truth or not. After everyone has guessed, ask the child if they told the truth or not so everyone knows if they were right and then either congratulation the child for tricking everyone, or congratulate the others for guessing correctly.

The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
For June 15, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Wayne Brouwer
When Ryan Barbarisi was in fifth grade at Grace Community Christian School in Tempe, Arizona, his teacher asked each member of his class to finish this sentence — “I would be rich if . . . ” — and then to draw a picture of what he or she was thinking about. Here is what Ryan wrote: “I would be rich if I had enough money to buy a mansion and a red Ferrari. I would like to have these things because if I had a mansion, I would have a good life. If I had a Ferrari, I would burn up the streets.”
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Mark Ellingsen
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8

StoryShare

Frank Ramirez
A little while, and you will no longer see me…. (v. 12)

As the autumn of 1796 approached George Washington, who was nearing the end of his second term as President of the United States, set about to accomplish what many considered unthinkable — write a farewell letter to the nation he’d led in battles both military and political for 45 years.

The Village Shepherd

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



These responses may be used:




Let us pray for the Church and for the world, and let us thank God for his goodness.

Almighty God our heavenly father, you promised through your Son Jesus Christ to hear us when we pray in faith.

SermonStudio

James Evans
(See Trinity Sunday, Cycle A, for an alternative approach.)

John Jamison
He had been looking forward to Sunday afternoon all week. As a pastor, Sunday afternoons were usually as busy as any time, with youth groups and then preparing for Sunday evening services. But this week, there was no youth group meeting. And this week, there were no Sunday evening services. He had been very careful to protect the calendar so that nothing got scheduled in place of these things, and he would have a full Sunday afternoon, and evening, all to himself -- or at least with the family. Who knows? Maybe he would read a book. Or maybe go for a walk.
Stephen P. McCutchan
If I mentioned Sophia to you, what memories would it evoke? Would you think of a movie called Sophie's Choice? Or perhaps you know of someone whose name is Sophia. Some of you might think of a controversy stirred up several years ago at a women's conference that was exploring feminine images for God. Some who objected to their ideas accused them of pagan worship when they used Sophia to refer to the feminine side of God.
Glenn E. Ludwig
Probably most of us are familiar with the phrase that serves as the title for my sermon this day -- on a need-to-know basis. Some of you who work in government jobs or on highly classified positions where national security is involved certainly know what it means. When I first came to this church I made the mistake of asking someone where he worked and when he told me of the famous government agency whose headquarters are near here I made the mistake of asking him what he did there. The response was: "If I told you, I'd have to kill you." Okay. I learned a big lesson on that one.
One of the Apollo 17 astronauts said that, as he looked back upon the earth from the moon, the earth, spinning slowly against the vast, black background of space, looked like "a big, blue marble." Think about how beautiful, but fragile and precious, irreplaceable and unique, the earth is. Consider the earth.

From Psalm 8, our First Reading:

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