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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Joseph Heller authored... -- 1 Timothy 6:6-19 -- Mark J. Molldrem -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C -- 2013
Joseph Heller authored the popular novel Catch 22.
Be content with what... -- 1 Timothy 6:6-19 -- Bob Ove -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C -- 2013
Be content with what you have! How many times have you heard that -- even as children growing up!
A week after his public... -- Luke 16:19-31 -- Ron Love -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C -- 2013
A week after his public confession to Oprah Winfrey acknowledging his use of performance enhancing d
Who counts? Who... -- Luke 16:19-31 -- Scott A. Bryte -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C -- 2013
Who counts? Who is really a person?
We don't need any more... -- Luke 16:19-31 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C -- 2013
We don't need any more miracles today; we already have all the ones we will ever need.
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 22 | OT 27 (2013) -- Lamentations 1:1-6, 2 Timothy 1:1-14, Luke 17:5-10 -- Mark J. Molldrem, Bob Ove, Mark Ellingsen, Ron Love, Scott A. Bryte -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - C -- 2013
Lamentations 1:1-6
Jeremiah lost Zion... -- Lamentations 1:1-6 -- Mark J. Molldrem -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - C -- 2013
Jeremiah lost Zion to Babylon and weeps bitterly over her.
How sad a passage... -- Lamentations 1:1-6 -- Bob Ove -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - C -- 2013
How sad a passage! It looks like there is no hope for God's people. Can we ever relate to that?
There is only a photograph... -- 2 Timothy 1:1-14 -- Ron Love -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - C -- 2013
There is only a photograph of one person standing atop Mount Everest, and that is of Tenzing Norgay,
You can have your father's... -- 2 Timothy 1:1-14 -- Scott A. Bryte -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - C -- 2013
You can have your father's eyes. You can move just like your mom.

Commentary

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Death's destruction -- Isaiah 25:6-9, Revelation 21:1-6a, John 11:32-44 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1997
In most churches, All Saints' Day is the annual occasion for remembering the dead.
Set free through Christ -- 2 Samuel 23:1-7, Revelation 1:4b-8, John 18:33-37 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 1997
In the Gospels, Jesus talks more about the Kingdom of God than he does about anything else.
Growing in wisdom -- 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26, Colossians 3:12-17, Luke 2:41-52 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - C -- 1997
In the second century, some Christians produced popular literature that told stories of Jesus as a y
Who are God's people? -- Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22, James 5:13-20, Mark 9:38-50 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - B -- 1997
Is the world bad or good?
Are you listening? -- 2 Kings 2:1-12, 2 Corinthians 4:3-6, Mark 9:2-9 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 1997
It is not surprising that this text should be read on Transfiguration Sunday.
A house without walls -- 2 Samuel 7:1-14a, Ephesians 2:11-22, Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 1997
It's a shame and a judgment on us that we have to limit our worship services in such a way that we o
Grounded in hope -- Jeremiah 33:14-16, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, Luke 21:25-36 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 1997
Many people think it strange to begin the church year with a Gospel Lesson that focuses on the secon
To believe is to trust and obey -- Genesis 17:1-7, 15-1, Romans 4:13-25, Mark 8:31-38 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 1997
Most biblical ideas show progression in their development.
God's myterious ways -- Proverbs 1:20-33, James 3:1-12, Mark 8:27-38 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 1997
"My ways are not your ways," God declared through the prophet Isaiah.
Watch out that you do not fall -- 1 Kings 8:(1, 6, 10-11) 22-30, 41-43, Ephesians 6:10-20, John 6:56-69 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 1997
Now the transition from desert people to settled nation is complete.

Political Pulpit

Communicating God's Love

The Political Pulpit

Guest column

Sermon

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
Mary Austin
Alyssa Spradlin
For November 1, 2026:
Christopher Keating
Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
Mary Austin
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For November 1, 2026:

CSSPlus

Wesley T. Runk
The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Good morning boys and girls. Does anyone here remember someone saying, “I am the greatest?” I remember hearing it many times by a prize fighter named Ali. Does anyone here remember Muhammed Ali? He used to say a lot of things and he was a very good boxer. He told everyone that he saw that he was “the greatest of all time.” Wow! Not many people say those kind of things about themselves.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Sandra Herrmann
What is a saint?

According to the Roman Catholic church, a saint is a holy person who has been elevated by God to heaven, there to pray for those of us who need their help. There is a three-step process: the request by those who knew the person in life, and who attest to their holiness; a witness by at least two people that they asked the candidate to pray for them and their prayer was granted in a miraculous way; and an investigation by the Vatican into all this evidence. The declaration is made by the pope.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the people how they could be blessed by God and experience God's kingdom. In our worship today let us explore the Sermon on the Mount.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I'm full of pride instead of being poor in spirit.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm overbearing and pushy, instead of being meek.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm not exactly pure in heart.
Lord, have mercy.

Reading:

StoryShare

John S. Smylie
Keith Hewitt
Bryan Meadows
Frank Ramirez
Contents
What's Up This Week
"The Fifth Gospel" by John Smylie
"The Burden" by Keith Hewitt
"Up Stream" by Bryan Meadows
"A Magical Little Poem" by Frank Ramirez


What's Up This Week
John S. Smylie
Keith Hewitt
Bryan Meadows
Frank Ramirez
Contents
What's Up This Week
"The Fifth Gospel" by John Smylie
"The Burden" by Keith Hewitt
"Up Stream" by Bryan Meadows
"A Magical Little Poem" by Frank Ramirez


What's Up This Week
Keith Hewitt
Larry Winebrenner
Peter Andrew Smith
Constance Berg
Sandra Herrmann
Contents
"New Leadership" by Sandra Herrmann
"Lost" by Keith Hewitt
"Three Paths for the End of October" by Larry Winebrenner
"Ahmad's Final Lesson" by Larry Winebrenner
"Freedom to Live" by Peter Andrew Smith
"The Fullness of Life" by Constance Berg


* * * * * * * *


New Leadership
by Sandra Herrmann
Joshua 3:7-17
Keith Hewitt
Larry Winebrenner
Peter Andrew Smith
Constance Berg
Sandra Herrmann
Contents
"New Leadership" by Sandra Herrmann
"Lost" by Keith Hewitt
"Three Paths for the End of October" by Larry Winebrenner
"Ahmad's Final Lesson" by Larry Winebrenner
"Freedom to Live" by Peter Andrew Smith
"The Fullness of Life" by Constance Berg


* * * * * * * *


New Leadership
by Sandra Herrmann
Joshua 3:7-17

SermonStudio

Mary S. Lautensleger
"Surprise! You're adopted!" If you were to hear those words from a trusted relative, surprise would be an understatement, I'm sure. Total shock would probably be more descriptive terminology for your emotional state as you examined the official court record and your original birth certificate. "Adopted" does describe each of us though, because we have been adopted by God into God's family. How do we know? The Bible tells us so.
James L. Killen, Jr.
When we put together the collection of things that we can believe, we need to ask a question about the person in the middle of the inquiry. What can we believe about ourselves? We don't often ask that question but it is a very important one. Some people are oppressed by low self-esteem. Others are led astray by exaggerated images of themselves. It is important to get a realistic understanding of who we are -- and of who we can be. The Bible has something to say on the subject that may surprise you. Are you ready? Hold on to your hat. The Bible says you were created and called to be saints.
Argile Smith
At an office meeting, Ben got the official news that he would become the manager of one of the most influential departments in the company. His colleagues admired him because of his tireless work, and they respected him as a dependable person in whom they could place their trust. They were glad when they found out that he had gotten the promotion. In order to celebrate the news with him, they bought him a gift. Well, it was actually more like a gag-gift, the kind that he would place on his shelf and chuckle over every time he saw it.
Joseph M. Freeman
Maybe both the best and the worst of us in humanity are far better preachers than we are doers and deliverers of what we preach and teach. And maybe maturity has everything to do with our genuine willingness to bring a greater congruity between our esteemed words and those actions compatible with, not contradictory of, those words. Jesus, fully divine and fully human, loved and valued not just the right deeds, but also the right motives and attitudes.
Mary Sue Dehmlow Dreier
Commotion At The Communion Rail

Tommy didn't budge.

When everyone else got up to leave the communion rail, he stayed kneeling. His folded hands were perched on the rail, and his little head was bowed so far down that his forehead was squinched against his thumb knuckles. His eyes were closed hopefully, as if he were waiting for a big present.
Charles L. Aaron, Jr.
As the movie Contact opens, the audience sees a precocious girl named Eleanor learning how to use a ham radio. Nicknamed "Sparks" by her father, she has reached a man in Florida, and is excited that her radio lets her speak with someone so far away. In a later scene she asks her father wistfully if she can call her deceased mother on the radio. He responds sadly that no antenna is big enough.
George L. Murphy
You know that old saying, "Be careful what you wish for, because it might come true"? We see examples of that again and again in life. During the war in Iraq, Hampton Sides, a journalist who had been slated to be "embedded" with one of our frontline Marine battalions, gave an interview on NRP (National Public Radio). At almost the last possible moment, Sides decided not to go with the Marines, but instead to report from Central Command in Qatar.
Richard C. Brand
It seems fair to say that the saints of the Lord have always shown us what it is to be worthy of God. It is why we remember them and rejoice for them. They have shown us what a life worthy of God might look like. To talk about the saints, we may talk about Kagawa in Japan, about Mother Teresa, about Bishop Tutu and Nelson Mandela, about D. T. Niles in India, and about Saint Patrick in Ireland. To know the stories of Dorothy Day in New York City and Oscar Romero in Latin America is to have examples of what it means to lead lives worthy of the God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
Amy C. Schifrin
Martha Shonkwiler
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