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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

The revelation of God's nature... -- John 12:20-33 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
The revelation of God's nature and purpose is the true meaning of the incarnation -- Jesus came to s
The minister asked if anyone... -- Romans 7:13-25 -- Third Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
The minister asked if anyone in the congregation knew a perfect person.
In a recent I Witness... -- Ephesians 2:1-10 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
In a recent I Witness Video television show the action centered on a dramatic boat rescue.
Sometime ago an article appeared... -- John 10:11-18 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - B -- 1994
Sometime ago an article appeared in the "Dear Abby" column of the newspaper, written by a woman who
The movie The Godfather raised... -- 1 John 2:1-5 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 1994
The movie The Godfather raised quite a stir when it showed, in the closing moment of the film, the n
The lesson was on biblical... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - B -- 1994
The lesson was on biblical heroes.
Washington School's principal, Mr. Tavender... -- 1 John 1:1--2:2 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 1994
Washington School's principal, Mr.
In the city of Baku... -- Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9 -- Good Friday - B -- 1994
In the city of Baku, Azerbaijan, there is an ancient palace, built of solid stone, which is now a m
The day after Christmas the... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 1994
The day after Christmas the announcer on the radio station said it was Ugly Tie Day for all the men
If you avoid marriage, you... -- 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - B -- 1994
If you avoid marriage, you avoid encumbrances, and you can devote yourself to the Lord's work witho
It was the bottom of... -- 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B -- 1994
It was the bottom of the ninth inning. The home team was one run down. There were two men out.
At the time of Jesus... -- John 1:43 -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - B -- 1994
At the time of Jesus, the fig tree had become a symbol -- rabbis would sit under the fig trees and t
One of the youth at... -- Acts 19:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B -- 1994
One of the youth at the church said to me, "Knock, knock." To this I replied, "Who's there?" "John,"
Oh, yes, it would have... -- Jeremiah 31:7-14 -- 1994
Oh, yes, it would have been a lot easier, not to mention faster, if she had just gone to the remnant
This past year I sat... -- Romans 5:1-11 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
This past year I sat in my NFL quarterback chair in our family room watching an NFL game coming from
Orville was a six-year... -- Romans 8:31-39 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
Orville was a six-year-old boy, the last of several children born and raised in this farm house.
EmmanuelI close my... -- 1 Kings 19:9-18 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 1994
EmmanuelI close my eyes,envisioning the beautyof enormous snowflakes
The old man was seated... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 1994
The old man was seated at the counter in the big-city cafe.
How do you tell the... -- 2 Kings 4:18-21, 32-37 -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - B -- 1994
How do you tell the importance of a religious man? By telling of his miracles.
Perhaps each of us knows... -- Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - C -- 1994
Perhaps each of us knows at least one little girl or boy who is positive that the gift they want the
There is nothing which has... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- 1994
"There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man by which so much happiness is produced as by a
As a professor in a... -- Luke 3:7-18 -- Third Sunday of Advent - C -- 1994
As a professor in a professional faculty in the local university, my friend is asked each year to wr
Many legends have grown up... -- Philippians 1:3-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 1994
Many legends have grown up about King Richard I "the Lionheart" of England, largely due to the even-
It was in the mid... -- 2 Kings 2:1-15 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - B -- 1994
It was in the mid-40s, and Dr. Selden D.
During the first days of... -- Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - B -- 1994
During the first days of Boris Yeltsin's economic reforms, there was much confusion and hardship in

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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
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Proper 8 | OT 13 | Pentecost 3
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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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