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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mary Stevens lay dying in... -- Acts 8:14-17 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 1995
Mary Stevens lay dying in the cancer ward of a New York metropolitan hospital, her frail, emaciated
The friend of the CEO... -- Ephesians 3:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1995
The friend of the CEO of a 1,000-employee company was surprised to find several employees, one at a
A young 20-something was... -- Ephesians 3:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1995
A young 20-something was well on his way to success in the business world.
Paul, in this passage, reiterates... -- Ephesians 3:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1995
Paul, in this passage, reiterates the inscrutable mysteries of God and God's calling of certain of t
Crash! The boom of thunder... -- Ephesians 3:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1995
Crash! The boom of thunder was almost simultaneous with the flash of lightning!
A joke in Reader's Digest... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1995
A joke in Reader's Digest tells of how a man opened a thank-
The class of seminarians assembled... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1995
The class of seminarians assembled expecting their usual lecture and discussion.
Joseph was busy in his... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1995
Joseph was busy in his shop that day.
Amy Tan broke into the... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1995
Amy Tan broke into the literary world with the enviable feat of making it to the best-seller lists w
A friend of mine, who... -- Isaiah 43:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 1995
A friend of mine, who had just become a father, told me that he wasn't prepared for the tidal wave o
The desire for security of... -- Isaiah 43:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 1995
The desire for security of person and property has triggered a dynamic new industry in our present v
Many young children have treasure... -- Luke 2:15-21 -- 1995
Many young children have treasure boxes filled with little bits of string, pretty stones, birds' nes
Names given to Native-American... -- Luke 2:15-21 -- 1995
Names given to Native-American children are almost always very carefully selected by parents and eld
The young couple were excited... -- Luke 2:15-21 -- 1995
The young couple were excited about their pregnancy.
A Yankelovich survey published in... -- Luke 2:15-21 -- 1995
A Yankelovich survey published in Emerging Trends in January 1994 reported that 69% of American adul
In the little town where... -- Isaiah 60:1-6 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1995
In the little town where I live, we go hog wild at Christmastime, with little white lights and green
Is it possible to be... -- Isaiah 60:1-6 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1995
Is it possible to be a source of light and not even know that you are a possibility of illumination
Hot night in August,br... -- Isaiah 60:1-6 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1995
Hot night in August, crickets chirping.Children dally, front-porch-sitting,
A young boy had a... -- Isaiah 60:1-6 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 1995
A young boy had a question for his Sunday school teacher.
There is no pain quite... -- Exodus 34:1-8 -- 1995
There is no pain quite like that of a stiff-neck.
A close encounter with God... -- Exodus 34:1-8 -- 1995
A close encounter with God in all his majesty is a rare and special thing.
The Lord said to Moses... -- Exodus 34:1-8 -- 1995
"The Lord said to Moses, 'Cut two tablets of stone like the former ones, and I will write on the tab
The first words that come... -- Galatians 4:4-7 -- 1995
The first words that come out of most English-speaking babies are da-da and ma-ma, reflecting for th
In earlier times, it was... -- Galatians 4:4-7 -- 1995
In earlier times, it was not uncommon for parents who adopted children to keep the fact hidden from
In his great novel, Babbitt... -- Galatians 4:4-7 -- 1995
In his great novel, Babbitt, Sinclair Lewis' main character, George Babbitt, becomes a symbol of mod

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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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