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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

The story is told of... -- Hebrews 7:23-28 -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - B -- 1994
The story is told of a search committee that could not fulfill its obligation to select a pastor fro
Bob and Ray had been... -- Mark 10:35-45 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 1994
Bob and Ray had been aides to Senator Clang for two-and-a-
In some ways great discoveries... -- Hebrews 3:1-6 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 1994
In some ways great discoveries and inventions and foundations can be compared to balancing an accoun
The film adaptation of Norman... -- Hebrews 2:9-11 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - B -- 1994
The film adaptation of Norman Maclean's autobiographical novel, A River Runs Through It, presents a
During the primary elections in... -- 1 Timothy 2:1-7 -- Thanksgiving Day - B -- 1994
During the primary elections in 1992, two candidates for the Arizona state legislature ended up in a
In the movie, Oh God... -- John 18:33-37 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 1994
In the movie, Oh God!, Jerry Landers discovers very quickly and humorously that God's kingdom and ve
SOME THINGS WE CANNOT DO... -- Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 1994
SOME THINGS WE CANNOT DO ... by James Nankivell
One of the answers sometimes... -- Romans 8:14-17 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B -- 1994
One of the answers sometimes given to the question, why did God create the world and us?
Clara Maass is not a... -- Sirach 44:1-10, 13-14 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1994
Clara Maass is not a name widely known, at least not as well known as her British counterpart, Flore
There is a story about... -- 1 Corinthians 12:4-13 -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 1994
There is a story about a man who had seven sons who could not get along with one another.
Although Mother's Day is not... -- John 15:9-17 -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - B -- 1994
Although Mother's Day is not recognized on most liturgical calendars, many parishioners look for a m
Every spring our local electric... -- Mark 4:35-41 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - B -- 1994
Every spring our local electric company sends out notices about kite flying safety: safety posters h
In his Report to Greco... -- John 15:1-8 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 1994
In his Report to Greco, Nikos Kazantzakis describes Easter Sunday, shortly before daybreak, in the m
A woman stopped by the... -- Mark 4:26-34 -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - B -- 1994
A woman stopped by the pastor's office to share some news with him.
What would you do if... -- John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 1994
What would you do if you were God?
Pretty is as pretty does... -- 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - B -- 1994
"Pretty is as pretty does," generations of children have been told.
General Norman Schwartzkopf was holding... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - B -- 1994
General Norman Schwartzkopf was holding a press conference during the war in Iraq.
Five loaves of bread and... -- John 6:4-15 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
Five loaves of bread and two fish don't seem worth much even in Jesus' own time; yet, when blessed a
William Barclay wrote the following... -- John 2:13-22 -- Third Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
William Barclay wrote the following in his first commentary on John.
The manager of a baseball... -- 1 Corinthians 15:19-28 -- Easter Day - B -- 1994
The manager of a baseball team is the most important person on the team.
What was his voice like... -- Mark 1:21-28 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - B -- 1994
What was his voice like? Gentle? Commanding?
A recent college graduate, Jim... -- Mark 1:14-20 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B -- 1994
A recent college graduate, Jim showed how one of his professors had been instrumental in helping J
Then Andrew found his brother... -- John 1:35-42 -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - B -- 1994
"Then Andrew found his brother Simon and told him, 'We have found the Messiah' ...
Nowadays, we think nothing of... -- Acts 10:34-38 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B -- 1994
Nowadays, we think nothing of blacks and other minorities playing in the major leagues.
This text, when found in... -- Ephesians 1:3-14 -- 1994
This text, when found in the Greek, is one long single sentence.

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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