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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

It was not a vision... -- 2 Samuel 7:1-16 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
It was not a vision of glory that inspired George Frederick Handel to compose his masterpiece, Me
What do we have that... -- 2 Samuel 7:1-16 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
"What do we have that hasn't been given to us?" I like to ask Sunday School classes that question.
Mi Casa, Su Casa, went... -- 2 Samuel 7:1-16 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
"Mi Casa, Su Casa," went the first line of a fifties pop song: "My house is your house." Many of us,
Vitamins strengthen you.br... -- Romans 16:25-27 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Vitamins strengthen you. And so does God.
I am told that the... -- Romans 16:25-27 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
I am told that the church of the nativity in Bethlehem uses a special type of incense for its worshi
The drama of military conflict... -- Romans 16:25-27 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
The drama of military conflict, with secret strategies, commanders, and motivation, make Paul the fi
A group picture taken after... -- Romans 16:25-27 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
A group picture taken after the wedding vows had been exchanged included a young boy.
Mary did not feel merry... -- Luke 1:26-38 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Mary did not feel merrywhen the angel camejust fearand awe
Two parts of this scripture... -- Luke 1:26-38 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Two parts of this scripture, when put together, provide a fresh sermonic approach: (1) "...
Two Chicagoans, Kenan Heise and... -- Isaiah 61:10--62:3 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - B
Two Chicagoans, Kenan Heise and Arthur Allen, published a book entitled The Death of Christmas: I
Mary, age 5, had eagerly... -- Isaiah 61:10--62:3 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - B
Mary, age 5, had eagerly anticipated Christmas.
The lady is extremely attractive... -- Isaiah 61:10--62:3 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - B
The lady is extremely attractive. The gentleman is handsome. The house is big and expensive.
An ancient king of Persia... -- Isaiah 45:22-25 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - B
An ancient king of Persia, Shah Abbas, once disguised himself as a peasant so that he could move fre
Theological students were arguing about... -- Isaiah 45:22-25 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - B
Theological students were arguing about what one must believe about Jesus Christ in order to be save
It was nearly three years... -- Isaiah 40:1-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
It was nearly three years ago when my father died suddenly from a heart attack.
Every teenager knows the words... -- Isaiah 40:1-11 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Every teenager knows the words, "You're grounded." Parents utter these words when the teenager recei
I watched a TV program... -- 2 Peter 3:8-15a -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
I watched a TV program last week entitled "That's Incredible." It was about fox hunting in England.
Dr. Wallace Kirby writes of... -- 2 Peter 3:8-15a -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Dr.
Did you know that Chicken... -- 2 Peter 3:8-15a -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Did you know that Chicken Little had a big brother -- Chicken Big?
Anyone who travels the superhighways... -- 2 Peter 3:8-15a -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Anyone who travels the superhighways of our country is familiar with an engineering accommodation re
What's all this talk about... -- Mark 1:1-8 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
What's all this talk about baptism? In the Greek "baptism" means "to be dipped."
John the Baptist was the... -- Mark 1:1-8 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
John the Baptist was the most unlikely character to herald the coming of Christ.
Highway engineers who plan the... -- Mark 1:1-8 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Highway engineers who plan the roads that wind through mountains have to take many factors into cons
Jonathan Edwards, arguably the greatest... -- Mark 1:1-8 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Jonathan Edwards, arguably the greatest systematic theologian ever born on this side of the Atlantic
It's truly amazing what surgeons... -- Isaiah 61:1-3, 8-11 -- Third Sunday of Advent - B
It's truly amazing what surgeons are doing for the human body.

Political Pulpit

Sermon

The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Easter 2
20 – Sermons
170+ – Illustrations / Stories
26 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
20 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 3
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 4
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
33 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

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John Jamison
Object: An old, worn-out shoe and an old banana.

* * *

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
For May 18, 2025:
  • Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Chris Keating based on Acts 11:1-18 and John 13:31-35. As Peter, popes, pastors, and even pew-sitters learn, change often becomes the smokescreen that conceals deeper conflicts that keep us from loving as Jesus commanded.
  • Second Thoughts: Giving and Accepting Love by Tom Willadsen based on John 13:31-35.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Acts 11:1-18
Who do we exclude? In the days of the early church, everything was about purity, about the acts that made one a member of the Jewish community first and then a part of “the way” of Jesus. Imagine the horror among the crowds of the faithful when Peter traveled to the Gentiles, to those who did not believe in the one true God before Jesus came into the world. Yet, Peter is clear. He has had a vision and, in that vision, was declared, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” God ordains who is included, not people.
David Kalas
The old idiom claims of certain people, “To know them is to love them.” A variation on the saying might be appropriate when talking about the Lord.  Specifically, we might say that to know him is not merely to love him, but to know that he is love.

This may seem like an unspectacular statement to church folks.  I fear that we are perhaps so accustomed to the affirmation that God is love that we no longer recognize the profundity of it. Or the scandal of it.

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them and be their God;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’
(vv. 3-4)

SermonStudio

Bonnie Bates
We continue this Easter season with the epistolary readings from Revelation. In this reading, we see the final vision of the world to come: the new heaven and the new earth, the new Jerusalem. This is also an apocalyptic vision, the vision the seer shared with us of the end of the world as we know it. This is a writing about a prophetic promise of what is to come at the end of time as we know it. John’s vision is almost complete and we may be comforted by this vision of what is to come.
James Evans
(See Christmas 1, Cycle A; Christmas 1, Cycle B; and Christmas 1, Cycle C for alternative approaches.)

The theme of this psalm is the glory of God. The praise is extravagant and unrestrained. The psalmist makes good use of repetitive themes to drive home the central message of the psalm, namely that God is worthy of praise. The psalmist, with great deliberation, leads worshipers through a litany of causes and effects that demonstrate the praiseworthiness of God.

David Kalas
Professional sports has no statistic for measuring talking. Yet talking can be an important part of the game.

We can measure how fast a player pitches or serves. We keep statistics on batting averages, shooting percentages, and quarterback ratings. We track yards-after-catch, on-base percentages, and shots on goal. We record height and weight, wins-and-losses, and times in the 40-yard dash. But we have no way of measuring a player's talking.
John M. Braaten
It is often difficult for Christians to get past the idea that those who have given themselves to the Lord should be treated a little better than the average woman or man who does not possess a living faith. In other words, there ought to be some kind of return for what you have done for God, for what you have given in time, energy and money. That doesn't sound outrageous, does it? In this "you get what you deserve" world, you really ought to be rewarded. Harmless as that sounds, it is the first step toward a theology of glory.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:

The Church of Christ

Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

The local community

Those who suffer

The communion of saints


These responses may be used:


Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

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