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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

The Rev. Dr. John W... -- Acts 14:21-27 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
The Rev. Dr. John W. Suter, Jr., wrote the original version of this prayer first published in 1919.
This church has changed so... -- Acts 14:21-27 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
"This church has changed so much in the last two years, I don't even feel at home here anymore.
Contemporary literature is not wanting... -- Acts 14:21-27 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
Contemporary literature is not wanting for pessimistic themes about human nature.
Harold, a scientist at NASA... -- Revelation 21:1-6 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
Harold, a scientist at NASA, was attending his grandpa's funeral.
The following inscription is found... -- Revelation 21:1-6 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
The following inscription is found on the grave of Dean Alford: "The inn of a traveler on the way to
Write it down! We write... -- Revelation 21:1-6 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
Write it down! We write it down to remember, to pass it on to others.
Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) is... -- Revelation 21:1-6 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) is internationally recognized as one of the great forces of the Ar
Martin Luther read Revelation twice... -- Revelation 19:1, 4-9 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
Martin Luther read Revelation twice and then pronounced his verdict: "My spirit can not accommodate
Often I have heard Christians... -- Revelation 19:1, 4-9 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
Often I have heard Christians say, "I hope I will be good enough to go to heaven when I die." If the
A Modern Fable I... -- Revelation 19:1, 4-9 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
A Modern Fable
A Sunday school teacher was... -- Revelation 19:1, 4-9 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
A Sunday school teacher was asked by one of her students, a small boy of ten, "What do people do in
How do we love? St... -- John 13:31-35 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
How do we love? St. Francis de Sales was asked how to achieve the love of God.
It is a principle of... -- John 13:31-35 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
It is a principle of acting that you do not go out on stage and try to conjure up within yourself th
The dying man's last wish... -- John 13:31-35 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
The dying man's last wish was to see his six children.
Aaron was never going to... -- John 13:31-35 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
Aaron was never going to become a nuclear physicist, or even a storekeeper for that matter, so he di
Here is a deep philosophical... -- Acts 16:9-15 -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
Here is a deep philosophical question.
Political theorists in ancient Greek... -- Acts 16:9-15 -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
Political theorists in ancient Greek culture held that qualities for community leadership were first
There were about a dozen... -- Acts 16:9-15 -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
There were about a dozen people present for the quarterly deacons' meeting at the church.
Have you ever noticed how... -- Acts 13:14, 43-52 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
Have you ever noticed how close the words insight and incite are?
The only sermons of mine... -- Acts 13:14, 43-52 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
The only sermons of mine which evoke a response anything like what Paul and Barnabas experienced are
Shake the dust off your... -- Acts 13:14, 43-52 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
"Shake the dust off your feet and don't worry about it," said my baseball coach.
George knew what it meant... -- Acts 13:14, 43-52 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
George knew what it meant not to have enough: not enough money to pay the rent, not enough food to f
When businesses advertise, they try... -- Acts 13:15-16, 26-33 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
When businesses advertise, they try to take their message and put it in places where their potential
Apartheid in South Africa has... -- Acts 13:15-16, 26-33 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
Apartheid in South Africa has been a system of repression and injustice.
Family reunions are the greatest... -- Acts 13:15-16, 26-33 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 1995
Family reunions are the greatest/awfullest events on the face of the planet.

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UPCOMING WEEKS
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Proper 7 | OT 12 | Pentecost 2
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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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