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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Cindy was in a traffic... -- Hebrews 5:5-10 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - B
Cindy was in a traffic accident that would leave her disabled.
Tim O'Brien, Vietnam veteran, writes... -- Hebrews 5:5-10 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - B
Tim O'Brien, Vietnam veteran, writes about the "burden of being alive" in his collection of short st
Church councilman Bill would always... -- John 12:20-33 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - B
Church councilman Bill would always exclaim, "Everybody wants to get to heaven, but nobody wants to
Sally was scared to death... -- John 12:20-33 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - B
Sally was scared to death.
Driving down the highway in... -- John 12:20-33 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - B
Driving down the highway in northern Saskatchewan toward the town of Nai-cam, one can see a cross, o
Down through the ages, thoughtful... -- John 12:20-33 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - B
Down through the ages, thoughtful men and women -- Christians and non-Christians -- have been drawn
There is an old legend... -- Isaiah 50:4-9a -- Passion Sunday - B
There is an old legend told about Saint Martin of Tours.
Jon was awakened by an... -- Isaiah 50:4-9a -- Passion Sunday - B
Jon was awakened by an early phone call one bone-chilling morning.
Rosa Parks, who died last... -- Isaiah 50:4-9a -- Passion Sunday - B
Rosa Parks, who died last fall at the age of 92, modeled Christlikeness throughout her long life.
George and Ruth knew that... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - B
George and Ruth knew that their granddaughter, Shelly, desperately wanted to go to a very expensive,
Samuel went into the Air... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - B
Samuel went into the Air Force right out of high school.
In the Middle Ages, it... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - B
In the Middle Ages, it was unlikely that you would ever be called before a king or queen, but if you
When Queen Victoria lived in... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - B
When Queen Victoria lived in Balmoral Castle in Scotland, she sometimes liked to walk through the su
There was a time, not... -- Mark 15:1-39 (40-47) -- Passion Sunday - B
There was a time, not so long ago, when the communist governments of Eastern Europe thought they had
One summer, some kids from... -- Mark 15:1-39 (40-47) -- Passion Sunday - B
One summer, some kids from vacation Bible school were running up and down the church sanctuary aisle
On the surface, it appeared... -- Mark 15:1-39 (40-47) -- Passion Sunday - B
On the surface, it appeared that everything went wrong all at once.
Brad was still pouting and... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - B
Brad was still pouting and crying in his beer at the local bar one year later, after he lost his job
Rosa Parks died last year... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - B
Rosa Parks died last year (2005) and the United States lost a great person who helped change the lan
Buddha once said, He who... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - B
Buddha once said, "He who experiences the unity of life sees his own self in all beings, and all bei
Verse 4 of John of... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - B
Verse 4 of John of Damascus' ancient and beloved Easter hymn, "The Day of Resurrection," proclaims:
There's not much that's new... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - B
There's not much that's "new" about New College, Oxford; it was founded in 1379.
In his book, The Resurrection... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - B
In his book, The Resurrection of the Son of God (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2003), on pa
A pastor tells of going... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - B
A pastor tells of going to the local mall to replace a watchband.
The risen Lord showed himself... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - B
The risen Lord showed himself to a variety of people in a variety of times and places.
Mark's Gospel leaves the church... -- Mark 16:1-8 -- Easter Day - B
Mark's Gospel leaves the church community fleeing from the tomb, "for they were afraid" (Mark 16:8b)

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New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Quantisha Mason-Doll
Thomas Willadsen
Dean Feldmeyer
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Elena Delhagen
Christopher Keating
George Reed
For May 26, 2024:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
In preaching about a certain passage once, I freely made reference to the Trinity. A church member, who rather prided himself on being contrarian, said to me afterward, “You know that the Trinity did not exist until the fourth century.”
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Bill Thomas
Isaiah 6:1-8

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
Indeed, God did not send the son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him. (v. 17)

Who or what determines who goes to heaven and who goes the other direction?

C.S. Lewis, in his book, The Great Divorce, suggests that it is really up to us.

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: An empty trash bag. I use a large, black plastic bag that everyone can easily see. You will also want three photographs to use. I used 8x11-sized copies of photos of three unknown people.

* * *

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
In this story, Mary Louise's dolls come to life on Mid-Summer's Eve, because Mary Louise herself gives them a kiss. She discovers something of herself in each of her dolls, but only one doll acts in exactly the way Mary Louise would have wished. The allegories to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are hopefully obvious!

Mary Louise was a little bit lonely. Not completely lonely, but just a little bit. With no brothers or sisters, Mary Louise spent quite a lot of time playing by herself. Although not completely by herself, for

SermonStudio

Stan Purdum
(Occurs in all three cycles of the lectionary for The Baptism Of Our Lord/Epiphany 1/Ordinary Time 1; see The Baptism Of Our Lord/Epiphany 1/Ordinary Time 1 Cycles A and B for alternative approaches.)

Carlos Wilton
Theme For The Day
God's holiness awes, cleanses, inspires, and sends forth.

Old Testament Lesson
Isaiah 6:1-8
The Call Of Isaiah

William J. Carl, III
Think of all the faces we show the world every day. We scrub up every morning and put our game face on. We never show our real face except to those who know us best, the ones who see through the game face to the real you and me. But with everyone else we change our faces.

Richard L. Sheffield
In the "Science & Technology," section of a recent issue of Business Week magazine, there was an article about the latest on A - I - D - S, the complicated disease we've come to know simply as AIDS. It says the scientists are learning a lot. One of the things they're learning is how the disease kills. And like just about everything that matters, it isn't simple. Says Business Week, "... HIV doesn't mysteriously lie dormant in the body only to emerge years later, as once thought.

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