Login / Signup

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Hold down Ctrl (Windows) / Command (Mac) for multiple selections (scroll list to see all options)

Commentary

Communicating God's Love

Guest column

Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

My good friend Jim told... -- Deuteronomy 15:7-11 -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - B -- 1994
My good friend Jim told me this about himself.
Paul reminded the Corinthians that... -- 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - B -- 1994
Paul reminded the Corinthians that he had loved them and served them with everything that he had to
Some of us can remember... -- Ezekiel 31:1-6, 10-14 -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - B -- 1994
Some of us can remember the craze of the Beatle invasion, when that great rock music group came to
Have you ever heard the... -- Genesis 3:(1-7) 8-21 -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - B -- 1994
Have you ever heard the phrase, "Shaq attack?" This is a phrase in reference to the powerful dunk sh
Did you remember your anniversary... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 1994
Did you remember your anniversary? Do you remember your 21st birthday?
People worry a lot about... -- John 12:20-33 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
People worry a lot about stress nowadays. How can we escape the stress and pressures of life?
Several years ago I attended... -- Isaiah 45:21-25 -- Passion Sunday - B -- 1994
Several years ago I attended a week-long workshop for administrators of Episcopal schools.
I had a dream that... -- Ephesians 2:1-10 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
I had a dream that some friends and I were all getting into heaven together.
Surely we can empathize with... -- Romans 7:13-25 -- Third Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
Surely we can empathize with Paul in his letter to the Hebrews!
Out of my files comes... -- John 10:11-18 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - B -- 1994
Out of my files comes this glimpse of an Irish shepherd reported to me by a former parishioner upon
A television station in Pittsburgh... -- 1 John 2:1-5 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 1994
A television station in Pittsburgh has a consumer advocate.
In her book, The Long... -- 1 John 1:1--2:2 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 1994
In her book, The Long Winter, Laura Ingalls Wilder tells the story of how difficult life could be on
True to its intent the... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - B -- 1994
True to its intent the NRSV renders verse six as "brothers and sisters." The sisters were not even m
Life is hard a woman... -- Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9 -- Good Friday - B -- 1994
"Life is hard" a woman said to her pastor. The pastor was aware of her situation.
It is interesting how God... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 1994
It is interesting how God uses the most unlikely circumstances to get us to the place that we shou
A man bought a second... -- 1 Corinthians 7:29-32 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B -- 1994
A man bought a second-hand cello, which had only one string.
You have all heard the... -- 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - B -- 1994
You have all heard the expression, "One man's junk is another man's treasure." If you don't believe
Nathanael's exclamation, Nazareth! Can anything... -- John 1:43-51 -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - B -- 1994
Nathanael's exclamation, "Nazareth!
He was all of seven... -- Acts 19:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B -- 1994
He was all of seven years old and was called "Jimmy" though his full name was Jameston Wardlow Smit
In his autobiography titled, Beyond... -- Jeremiah 31:7-14 -- 1994
In his autobiography titled, Beyond Survival, Retired Naval Captain Gerald Coffee details the seve
The word for righteousness in... -- Romans 4:13-25 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
The word for righteousness in Hebrew is zadaka, which means, literally, doing good to others.
The laundry was endless! How... -- 1 Peter 3:18-22 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
The laundry was endless!
Let me share with you... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 1994
Let me share with you a phone call a pastor received from a young lady who wanted to get married.
What do prophets, Christians, men... -- 1 Kings 19:9-18 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 1994
What do prophets, Christians, men, Jews, women, children, clergy, and the population at large hold i
A young seminary student from... -- 2 Kings 4:18-21, 32-37 -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - B -- 1994
A young seminary student from India who had been under the ministry of the great missionary E.

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...

New & Featured This Week

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A pig stuffed animal.

* * *

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.

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL