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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

The mother had to be... -- John 10:11-18 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - B -- 1994
The mother had to be restrained from rushing into the burning building, where one of her children wa
In one of the episodes... -- Luke 24:36b-48 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 1994
In one of the episodes of MASH, the sophisticated shell, inside which Major Winchester protects him
Bertrand Russell on the subject... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - B -- 1994
Bertrand Russell on the subject of faith: "We may define faith as a firm belief in something for whi
He tried to imagine what... -- 1 John 1:1--2:2 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 1994
He tried to imagine what it would be like to have never known the light of day.
As unlikely as it may... -- John 18:1-19:42 -- Good Friday - B -- 1994
As unlikely as it may seem, sometimes in the midst of great suffering and pain, our minds may be fl
Occasionally you will find a... -- 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - B -- 1994
Occasionally you will find a race horse with blinders on.
In the movie Good Morning... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 1994
In the movie Good Morning Vietnam the main character played by Robin Williams continually offends hi
A recent study found that... -- 1 Corinthians 7:17-23 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B -- 1994
A recent study found that men and women navigate differently but do equally well in finding their de
Like these disciples, many of... -- Acts 19:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B -- 1994
Like these disciples, many of us have no idea that we are to receive the Holy Spirit, and are suspic
In the movie Field Of... -- John 1:43-51 -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - B -- 1994
In the movie Field Of Dreams, the main character, Ray Kinsella, played by Kevin Costner, hears a vo
One of the few rays... -- Romans 5:1-11 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
One of the few rays of hope to come from the midst of the war in Bosnia is of a soldier's action to
A Jewish wisdom myth finds... -- Sirach 24:1-2, 8-12 -- 1994
A Jewish wisdom myth finds expression in these words. Wisdom takes up residence in Jerusalem.
A woman made an appointment... -- Romans 8:31-39 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
A woman made an appointment with her pastor. She needed to talk with someone.
New oil fields were discovered... -- 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 1994
New oil fields were discovered in central Michigan in the 1930s and great tracts of land lying north
There is no greater gift... -- 2 Kings 4:18-21, 32-37 -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - B -- 1994
There is no greater gift than the gift of life.
How easy it sounds. How... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- 1994
How easy it sounds. How different from the way it must have been for Mary, probably aged 14 or 15.
When Caroline's baby was born... -- Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - C -- 1994
When Caroline's baby was born in 1939, delivered by a midwife in a small Louisiana town, the proud m
A young man was given... -- Luke 3:7-18 -- Third Sunday of Advent - C -- 1994
A young man was given the part of John the Baptist in a church play.
In 1765 John Fawcett was... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 1994
In 1765 John Fawcett was called to pastor a very small congregation in Wainsgate, England.
The Israelite children approached the... -- Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - B -- 1994
The Israelite children approached the "Heavenly Bread" much like we approach the bread of holy commu
An old ordination hymn of... -- 2 Kings 2:1-15 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - B -- 1994
An old ordination hymn of the church has the line, "Elijah's mantle o'er Elisha cast." I am not at a
I once had an opportunity... -- Ephesians 1:3-14 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 1994
I once had an opportunity to live a lifelong fantasy to be a cowboy when I served a church in Texas.
In his struggle to free... -- Ephesians 2:11-22 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 1994
In his struggle to free India from the British who ruled it, Mohandas K.
What kind of images come... -- 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - B -- 1994
What kind of images come to mind when we hear the word "king" or think about the lives of royalty?
Anyone who is stopped for... -- Ephesians 5:15-20 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1994
Anyone who is stopped for a traffic offense and is believed to be driving under the influence of alc

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Proper 7 | OT 12 | Pentecost 2
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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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