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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

How well do you know... -- Philippians 3:4b-14 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - A -- 1996
How well do you know Jesus?
This story is told of... -- Philippians 3:4b-14 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - A -- 1996
This story is told of Leonardo da Vinci: In his first painting of The Last Supper, he put such detai
It's not over until it's... -- Philippians 3:4b-14 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - A -- 1996
"It's not over until it's over," is a popular modern phrase.
In the eyes of his... -- Philippians 3:4b-14 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - A -- 1996
In the eyes of his culture, in the common worldview, Jason had it made.
We know that the pews... -- Matthew 21:33-46 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - A -- 1996
We know that the pews in our churches are rarely filled to capacity.
An old Kudzu cartoon shows... -- Matthew 21:33-46 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - A -- 1996
An old Kudzu cartoon shows the resident preacher, Will B.
Workplace violence is on the... -- Matthew 21:33-46 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - A -- 1996
Workplace violence is on the rise.
As a child I was... -- Matthew 21:33-46 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - A -- 1996
As a child I was fascinated by the visitors who ate on our back porch.
Don't worry! An easy thing... -- Philippians 4:1-9 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - A -- 1996
Don't worry! An easy thing to say but a difficult thing to do. Instead of worrying -- pray.
Alfie reflects the opposite of... -- Philippians 4:1-9 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - A -- 1996
Alfie reflects the opposite of what Jesus promises.
As life unfolds we find... -- Philippians 4:1-9 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - A -- 1996
As life unfolds we find many causes for rejoicing.
Given the circumstances of her... -- Philippians 4:1-9 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - A -- 1996
Given the circumstances of her birth and childhood, her socioeconomic background, her lack of opport
In the movie The Wizard... -- Philippians 3:12-21 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - A -- 1996
In the movie The Wizard Of Oz, the story begins with Dorothy feeling that there is no hope for her,
A man sat on a... -- Philippians 3:12-21 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - A -- 1996
A man sat on a park bench next to a pond.
The people who achieve the... -- Philippians 3:12-21 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - A -- 1996
The people who achieve the most in this life seem to be motivated to accomplish even more.
Earl Nightingale tells us to... -- Philippians 3:12-21 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - A -- 1996
Earl Nightingale tells us to envision our goals every day, and before we know it we will have obtain
A church decided to form... -- Matthew 22:1-14 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - A -- 1996
A church decided to form several small groups that would meet once a week in homes for prayer, Bible
Many are called; few are... -- Matthew 22:1-14 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - A -- 1996
Many are called; few are chosen.
God is offering to all... -- Matthew 22:1-14 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - A -- 1996
God is offering to all humanity the opportunity to participate in the great joy, or feast, of eterna
There was a haunted look... -- Matthew 22:1-14 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - A -- 1996
There was a haunted look in Old Tom's eyes and he wouldn't eat. So Sally took him to the vet.
Cyrus of Panopolis, fifth century... -- Luke 2:1-20 -- 1996
Cyrus of Panopolis, fifth century Christian bishop in Phrygia, Asia Minor, nurtured an uncharacteris
Be prepared for anything, her... -- Mark 13:24-37 -- 1996
"Be prepared for anything," her father must have told her, because he saw to it that his elementary-
It would have been easy... -- Mark 1:1-8 -- 1996
It would have been easy for John the Baptist to fool himself into believing that he was, in fact, mo
Simeon and Anna are remembered... -- Luke 2:22-40 -- 1996
Simeon and Anna are remembered in part because they were able to recognize the true identity of th
The virgin Mary was literally... -- Luke 1:26-38 -- 1996
The virgin Mary was literally a nobody.

Political Pulpit

Sermon

The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 7 | OT 12 | Pentecost 2
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 8 | OT 13 | Pentecost 3
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 9 | OT 14 | Pentecost 4
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: A pig stuffed animal.

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

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
George Reed
For June 22, 2025:

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian,  for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.  As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (vv. 25-28)

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Mark Ellingsen
1 Kings 19:1-4 (5-7) 8-15a
Life can be frightening sometimes. Thus it is both comforting but disconcerting to find a giant of faith like Elijah to fear the future. On that matter Martin Luther once claimed:
David Kalas
We’re not far from the 4th of July. And while for so many Americans, it seems that the holiday has become more about long weekends, cookouts, and fireworks shows, the theme of freedom is still there at least in the background. We might take advantage of that, therefore, and give some thought to the theme of freedom as it is revealed in our assigned texts for this week.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

The madman cried out to Jesus, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" In our worship today let us explore what Jesus has to do with us and invite him to heal our brokenness.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, we often find ourselves thinking, saying and doing things that we quickly regret.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

Constance Berg
When Jill was five, she began to have headaches. The headaches were so severe she would throw up. Sometimes she would pass out. They usually came once a month. Jill could be playing, resting, or watching television when the headaches would come. Her only warning was a sudden pain in her head, then a blinding light would appear, and she would be rocked with pain. In her teenage years, they became debilitating, causing Jill to be in bed for three days at a time.
Stan Purdum
I'm not sure when the term "burn out" ceased being only a description of what happened to a campfire when you ran out of firewood to a term describing the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest, usually coming immediately after an extended period of overwork, but the expression seems to fit that later situation, doesn't it? Exhaustion, deep weariness, all used up, nothing more to give, wiped out, burned out -- call it what we will, its symptoms are all too familiar to many of us.
April Yamasaki
In the classic movie, Mary Poppins, Julie Andrews plays a no-nonsense, yet delightful, nanny to two young children. As a nanny to a wealthy family, she is part teacher, part parent, and part disciplinarian. She gets the children up in the morning, puts them to bed at night, supervises their many adventures, and guides them in many ways. While they are in her care, she is responsible for their overall safety and well-being.

Julia Ross Strope
Zoos are no longer in people's good graces.
Religion faces the same problem.
Certain illusions about freedom plague them both.
-- Yann Martel, Life of Pi

Call To Worship
Leader: I'm so glad you're here! There are seats for everyone; there's slight air movement; the windows engender tranquility and imagination and words will stimulate fresh thoughts.

People: It's good to be here, in sanctuary. We're glad for opportunities to gather and to express our gratitude to God and our appreciation for one another.

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