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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

Guest column

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

In his book, Night, Elie... -- Isaiah 50:4-9a -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 1994
In his book, Night, Elie Wiesel tells the following story about an incident that took place in a Ge
Thurber Cornell and his son... -- Deuteronomy 6:2-6 -- Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 - B -- 1994
Thurber Cornell and his son-in-law Tom Sharp once took me deer hunting.
We love to celebrate. At... -- Jeremiah 31:7-9 -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - B -- 1994
We love to celebrate.
I pass on these comments... -- Isaiah 53:4-12 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 1994
I pass on these comments without identifying the source or the seminary.
In one of the episodes... -- Genesis 2:18-24 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - B -- 1994
In one of the episodes of the television series The Twilight Zone a man wanders alone through a dese
It was in my own... -- Joel 2:21-27 -- Thanksgiving Day - B -- 1994
It was in my own home church; the chief qualification of Sunday school teachers was their willingn
Night vision goggles were used... -- Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 1994
Night vision goggles were used extensively in the recent Desert Storm effort.
Jennie raised three daughters as... -- 1 Kings 17:8-16 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 1994
Jennie raised three daughters as a single parent during the Great Depression years.
LONGEST LOVE LETTER The... -- Solomon 3:1-9 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1994
LONGEST LOVE LETTER
I listened to the widely... -- Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B -- 1994
I listened to the widely-known Henri Nouwen as the speaker in a major conference at Kanuga this past
Driving through the dairy country... -- Romans 8:22-27 -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 1994
Driving through the dairy country of northern Vermont in spring, summer, or fall one cannot help but
We are to tell the... -- John 17:6-19 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - B -- 1994
We are to tell the world about the tree, the tomb, and the trumpet, proclaiming the good news wherev
There is a Hindu story... -- Ephesians 1:15-23 -- Ascension of the Lord - B -- 1994
There is a Hindu story about four Brahmins who were friends.
Today was her birthday. There... -- Acts 10:44-48 -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - B -- 1994
Today was her birthday. There had been so many; today she was 93. At least, her body was.
Known as one who had... -- Acts 9:26-31 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 1994
Known as one who had persecuted the church previously, Paul could not be accepted by the disciples i
During the summer of 1988... -- Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24 -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - B -- 1994
During the summer of 1988, Americans watched news coverage of the raging forest fires in Yellowstone
When Vince Lombardi took over... -- Job 38:1, 8-11 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - B -- 1994
When Vince Lombardi took over as head coach of the Green Bay Packers, he inherited a team that had a
It is the manager's task... -- Ezekiel 17:22-24 -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - B -- 1994
It is the manager's task to take the 25 players of a professional baseball team and make them functi
The film and book Chariots... -- Deuteronomy 5:12-15 -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - B -- 1994
The film and book Chariots of Fire, recreates the story of Olympic runners Harold Abrahams and Eric
Baltimore police put a homeless... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 1994
Baltimore police put a homeless man named Martin Henn in jail on suspicion of setting a car on fire.
My son just turned 16... -- Zechariah 9:9-10 -- Passion Sunday - B -- 1994
My son just turned 16.
Jenkin Lloyd Jones once said... -- 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
Jenkin Lloyd Jones once said, "We are drowning our youngsters in violence, cynicism and sadism, pipe
A priest is appointed on... -- Hebrews 5:5-10 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
A priest is appointed on a person's behalf to deal with the things concerning God. A.J.
At a youth retreat, the... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 -- Third Sunday in Lent - B -- 1994
At a youth retreat, the young people were gathered around a large cross that stood on a hill at a ch
The doctor's words rang out... -- 1 John 3:16-24 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - B -- 1994
The doctor's words rang out like a fire alarm bell: "He needs a kidney ... soon.

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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