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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

It is extremely difficult for... -- Ephesians 3:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 1994
It is extremely difficult for us to understand today the utter revulsion engendered in the Jews of P
Little do we know how... -- 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - B -- 1994
Little do we know how our words will affect someone who hears them.
The shortening of the days... -- 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B -- 1994
The shortening of the days is referred to in Mark 13:20.
A child protective service social... -- 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - B -- 1994
A child protective service social worker was sighing over the worst aspects of his job.
From the edge of the... -- Isaiah 42:1-7 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B -- 1994
From the edge of the mesa she looked across the valley floor, watching for movement, wondering if th
Shepherds of biblical times are... -- Jeremiah 31:7-14 -- 1994
Shepherds of biblical times are often misrepresented and thereby misunderstood.
Here are some quotes from... -- Romans 4:13-25 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
Here are some quotes from Arthur C. Clarke's book, Profiles of the Future.
The rite of baptism is... -- 1 Peter 3:18-22 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
The rite of baptism is a beautiful declaration of our salvation, not because it is a cleansing of ou
In our little Free Methodist... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 1994
In our little Free Methodist Church, long ago, Brother Parker was always the last to speak during t
Tony Conigliaro was a rising... -- Job 7:1-17 -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - B -- 1994
Tony Conigliaro was a rising star with the Boston Red Sox in the mid 60s.
This is an interesting passage... -- Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 1994
This is an interesting passage, and one would normally think that it makes a lot of sense to keep le
Why won't you join us... -- Titus 2:11-14 -- 1994
"Why won't you join us, man?""No!"
By your will, O God... -- Hebrews 10:5-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - C -- 1994
By your will, O God, by your will.Your will be done, as it is in heaven --
Have no anxiety about anything... -- Philippians 4:4-7 -- Third Sunday of Advent - C -- 1994
Have no anxiety about anything?!
New clothes! What excitement, what... -- Baruch 5:1-9 -- 1994
New clothes! What excitement, what joy! A new shirt, blouse, sweater, dress, coat, jacket!
In Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book, The... -- Exodus 24:3-11 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - B -- 1994
In Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book, The Cost of Discipleship, we read the following:
Feeding hungry people with apparently... -- 2 Kings 4:42-44 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - B -- 1994
Feeding hungry people with apparently limited resources is not just a challenge for ancient prophets
Record crowds turned out at... -- Jeremiah 23:1-6 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 1994
Record crowds turned out at movie theaters to see Home Alone and Home Alone 2.
Where does greatness come from... -- Amos 7:12-15 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 1994
Where does greatness come from?
Miss Hawkins taught the sixth... -- Joshua 24:1-2, 15-18 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 1994
Miss Hawkins taught the sixth grade class in our public school system and she tried to break down ra
Roy Johnson was ahead of... -- Proverbs 9:1-6<br> -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1994
Roy Johnson was ahead of me in school by two years and he was considered one of the sharpest minds e
Do you say that there... -- 1 Kings 19:4-8 -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - B -- 1994
Do you say that there are no such things as Angels?
From Bishop Fulton J. Sheen... -- Romans 3:19-28 -- Reformation Sunday - B -- 1994
From Bishop Fulton J.
On a dry spring morning... -- Jeremiah 11:18-20 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - B -- 1994
On a dry spring morning, a group of men and women gathered near a grassy field outside of Chicago.
Perfect wisdom has four parts... -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 1994
"Perfect wisdom has four parts; wisdom, the principle of doing things aright; justice, the principle

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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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