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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Forty-year-old Pastor Larry... -- James 3:3-18 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 1991
Forty-year-old Pastor Larry still has problems with one of his seminary professors.
If anyone would come after... -- Mark 8:27-38 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 1991
"...
This true story illustrates the... -- James 2:1-5 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1991
This true story illustrates the lesson found in the first few verses of James 2.
At the close of one... -- John 6:55-69 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 1991
At the close of one of his books the Norwegian Arctic explorer, Fridtjof Nansen, made this remark: "
We know by the examples... -- Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 -- 1991
We know by the examples of history that the Pharisees are not the only hypocrites who have worn the
Anger is not the sinful... -- Ephesians 4:25--5:2 -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - B -- 1991
Anger is not the sinful emotion we sometimes think it to be.
In the ancient East, the... -- John 6:24-35 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - B -- 1991
In the ancient East, the householder had to open his doors to any traveler who desired food and shel
David H. C. Read, until... -- Ephesians 3:14-21 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - B -- 1991
David H. C.
Here is a clipping from... -- Mark 6:7-13 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 1991
Here is a clipping from a newspaper: Asked to recall favorite moments in the television series Cheer
The beautiful well-read language... -- Ephesians 2:11-22 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 1991
The beautiful well-read language of Scripture often hides by our familiarity with it the actual situ
After the service, the minister... -- Mark 6:1-6 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - B -- 1991
After the service, the minister met in his study with a young woman who had requested to see him.
The image of Jesus as... -- John 15:1-8 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 1991
The image of Jesus as the true vine of the vineyard is especially powerful for those who visit the w
The individual's relationship with God... -- Colossians 3:1-4 -- Easter Day - B -- 1991
The individual's relationship with God is often a very visible one.
The story is told of... -- Hebrews 10:1-25 -- Good Friday - B -- 1991
The story is told of a young soldier who fought with great passion for Emperor Napoleon.
In the comedy play, A... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - B -- 1991
In the comedy play, "A Funny Thing Happened To Me On The Way To The Forum," the slave, Hysterium, de
Such words. We can put... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 1991
Such words. We can put hands of doubt hard upon them but those words are irrepressible.
Dare we preach on it... -- John 3:14-21 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - B -- 1991
Dare we preach on it again? Or have we ever really preached on it?
Conquerors and even more than... -- Romans 8:31-39 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 1991
Conquerors and even more than that.
At the age of 15... -- Romans 5:1-11 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 1991
At the age of 15 Robert Garth cornmitted an awful crime.
Here he's called the god... -- 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 1991
Here he's called "the god of this world" but he has a lot of designations.
Authority is the issue here... -- Mark 1:21-28 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - B -- 1991
Authority is the issue here. It always is when dealing with the demonic. Who's the boss?
The church has many titles... -- 1 Corinthians 7:17-23 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B -- 1991
The church has many titles for its leaders: "Your Holiness," "Your Eminence," "Your Grace," "The Rev
Jesus addresses Philip directly and... -- John 1:43-51 -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - B -- 1991
Jesus addresses Philip directly and says, "Follow me." And Philip follows.
The media mogul, Ted Turner... -- Acts 10:34-38 -- 1991
The media mogul, Ted Turner, has called Christianity, "A religion for losers." We might be insulted
An old American story has... -- Mark 10:35-45 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 1991
An old American story has been told and re-told about an incident in the Revolutionary War when a co

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Sermon

The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Ascension of the Lord
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 7
20 – Sermons
170+ – Illustrations / Stories
26 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
20 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Pentecost
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

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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