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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Once upon a time in... -- Luke 10:38-42 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - C -- 1995
Once upon a time in a land far away, a king decided to become more informed about the everyday lives
Harold had been a hard... -- Luke 10:38-42 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - C -- 1995
Harold had been a hard-working and valued member of our church board for four years, always to be co
Drat! Marjorie thought. She'd done... -- Amos 8:1-12 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - C -- 1995
"Drat!" Marjorie thought.
When the guilty verdict was... -- Amos 8:1-12 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - C -- 1995
When the guilty verdict was rendered, the wife tearfully slumped in her courtroom chair.
Amos brought a basket of... -- Amos 8:1-12 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - C -- 1995
Amos brought a basket of fruit as an object lesson for the people of Israel: God is going bananas
Richard Gillett in The Human... -- Amos 8:1-12 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - C -- 1995
Richard Gillett in The Human Enterprise tells of a woman named Mary McDaniel.
In the liturgy for the... -- Genesis 18:1-10 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - C -- 1995
In the liturgy for the Eucharist we name ourselves as children of Abraham and Sarah.
There is a Hebrew proverb... -- Genesis 18:1-10 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - C -- 1995
There is a Hebrew proverb which reads, "A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great
We are limited as to... -- Genesis 18:1-10 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - C -- 1995
We are limited as to what we presently can know about the universe.
Back in Independence, Missouri, they... -- Genesis 18:1-10 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - C -- 1995
Back in Independence, Missouri, they say that Harry Truman was a man of his word.
Harold and Nancy were brother... -- Colossians 1:15-20 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 1995
Harold and Nancy were brother and sister. They had been close as children.
Christ's earthly ministry was extremely... -- Colossians 1:15-20 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 1995
Christ's earthly ministry was extremely short but its influence has not only endured, it also contin
Grandmother was a woman of... -- Colossians 1:15-20 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 1995
Grandmother was a woman of great wisdom. Her own children often sought her counsel and advice.
Mindy had worked at Vasconcellos... -- Luke 10:25-37 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 1995
Mindy had worked at Vasconcellos and Associates for five years now.
Good Samaritan laws are misnamed... -- Luke 10:25-37 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 1995
"Good Samaritan" laws are misnamed. Found on the books of a number of jurisdictions in the U.S.
We may not be as... -- Luke 10:25-37 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 1995
We may not be as wise as the lawyer who questioned Jesus, but we all have one thing in common, "What
Back in 1983 (November 14... -- Luke 10:25-37 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 1995
Back in 1983 (November 14), U.S.
A compelling scene in Francis... -- Deuteronomy 30:10-14 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 1995
A compelling scene in Francis Ford Coppola's film version of Bram Stoker's Dracula finds a man belie
Do you remember the public... -- Deuteronomy 30:10-14 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 1995
Do you remember the public service television ads about drug abuse?
The word which is present... -- Deuteronomy 30:10-14 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 1995
The "word" which is present to us Christians is not only the "word of God" in Scripture, but also th
Small plaques, T-shirts and... -- Colossians 1:1-14 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 1995
Small plaques, T-shirts and bumper stickers with clever sayings abound.
The man had come to... -- Colossians 1:1-14 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 1995
The man had come to this church before. The pastor recognized him.
After leading his Chicago Bulls... -- Colossians 1:1-14 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 1995
After leading his Chicago Bulls basketball team to NBA championships, Michael Jordan felt that there
The Jesuit is a suspense... -- Colossians 1:1-14 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 1995
The Jesuit is a suspense-filled novel by John Gallahue.
Many years ago my adolescent... -- Colossians 1:15-20 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - C -- 1995
Many years ago my adolescent daughter came home from summer Bible camp with a beautifully-colored, h

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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
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Proper 9 | OT 14 | Pentecost 4
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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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