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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Cool Hand Luke is a... -- 2 Kings 2:1-12 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 1994
Cool Hand Luke is a Paul Newman movie that really is a paradigm of the life of Jesus.
When I went to third... -- Isaiah 40:21-31 -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - B -- 1994
When I went to third grade it was in the Third Ward Public School.
God's Top Ten Unlikeliesbr... -- Micah 5:2-5a -- 1994
God's Top Ten Unlikelies 10. Little David takes on Goliath.
Any birth is special, but... -- Isaiah 9:2-7 -- The Nativity of our Lord - C -- 1994
Any birth is special, but the arrival of a first child is doubly so.
It was two weeks to... -- Zephaniah 3:14-20 -- Third Sunday of Advent - C -- 1994
It was two weeks to the end of the school year when three seniors decided to tempt fate and skip sch
Marja Sklodowska was born in... -- Malachi 3:1-4 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 1994
Marja Sklodowska was born in Poland in 1867.
In All I Really Needed... -- 2 Samuel 11:26--12:13a -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - B -- 1994
In All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Robert Fulghum mentions that someone had g
On a Sunday morning after... -- 2 Samuel 7:1-14a -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 1994
On a Sunday morning after worship, a woman became immersed in conversation with a friend, and left t
A reporter was interviewing a... -- 2 Samuel 11:1-15 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - B -- 1994
A reporter was interviewing a man with a rags-to-riches story.
The bridegroom said to his... -- 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 1994
The bridegroom said to his new wife at the wedding reception, "I am so happy that I feel like dancin
The voice of my beloved... -- Song of Solomon 2:8-13 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - B -- 1994
"The voice of my beloved!"
Everywhere that Gregory went, he... -- 1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11) 22-30, 41-43 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 1994
Everywhere that Gregory went, he would often hear about how much he looked like his father.
People came to her frequently... -- 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1994
People came to her frequently for advice, sometimes commenting on her reputation for wisdom.
A man had a son... -- 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33 -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - B -- 1994
A man had a son who from birth had been strong-willed and rebellious.
Alexander White was one of... -- Jeremiah 31:31-34 -- Reformation Sunday - B -- 1994
Alexander White was one of Scotland's greatest preachers.
In the Kevin Costner movie... -- Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - B -- 1994
In the Kevin Costner movie, The Untouchables, G-man Elliot Ness tries to catch and convict gangster
A city feller was visiting... -- Proverbs 31:10-31 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 1994
A city feller was visiting in the hills of Kentucky.
Around the year 1000, the... -- Proverbs 1:20-33 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 1994
Around the year 1000, the same number of years after Jesus as Solomon's father David lived before Je
Large was his bounty, and... -- Ruth 1:1-18 -- Proper 26 | Ordinary Time 31 - B -- 1994
"Large was his bounty, and his soul sincere,Heaven did a recompense as largely send:
The adult Sunday school class... -- Job 42:1-6, 10-17 -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - B -- 1994
The adult Sunday school class was discussing the book of Job.
In basic training one of... -- Job 23:1-9, 16-17 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 1994
In basic training one of the obstacles on the obstacle course is a smoke-filled building.
When I was young my... -- Job 38:1-7 (34-41) -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 1994
When I was young my mother would often say to me, "You are getting too big for your pants." She woul
I remember visiting in the... -- Job 1:1; 2:1-10 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - B -- 1994
I remember visiting in the hospital a woman in her 40s, a member of my parish, who had cancer.
The question on the television... -- 2 Samuel 23:1-7 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 1994
The question on the television quiz show dealt with "Famous Last Words." For example, "Who said, 'Et
talking with one of the... -- 1 Samuel 1:4-20 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 1994
talking with one of the saints of the church.

Political Pulpit

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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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