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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

Guest column

Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Fans of the Doonesbury comic... -- Revelation 5:11-14 -- Third Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Fans of the Doonesbury comic strip know that the Little Church of Walden is
Kevin was a conservative white... -- Revelation 5:11-14 -- Third Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Kevin was a conservative white student from small town America. In college, his first
The adult Sunday school classes... -- Revelation 5:11-14 -- Third Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
The adult Sunday school classes spent a month discussing worship. There were many
His devotees make repeated pilgrimages... -- Revelation 5:11-14 -- Third Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
His devotees make repeated pilgrimages. Graceland is more popular than the holy places
D'Arcy McNickle, in his novel... -- John 21:1-19 -- Third Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
D'Arcy McNickle, in his novel, The Surrounded, described a person for whom
Peter was running away. He... -- John 21:1-19 -- Third Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Peter was running away. He figured after his failure to support Jesus he would return to
The poem, Abou Ben Adhem... -- John 21:1-19 -- Third Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
The poem, Abou Ben Adhem, by Leigh Hunt tells of a man awakening and
John's last chapter leaves us... -- John 21:1-19 -- Third Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
John's last chapter leaves us with a beautiful scene. The disciples, led by Simon Peter,
When there's a death in... -- Acts 9:36-43 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
When there's a death in the family, it's a common thing for survivors to assemble a
When Peter raised Dorcas from... -- Acts 9:36-43 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
When Peter raised Dorcas from the dead, he presented her to saints and widows, people
Many years ago, a group... -- Acts 9:36-43 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Many years ago, a group of women began sewing small bags and then collecting personal
The scene repeats itself thousands... -- Acts 9:36-43 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
The scene repeats itself thousands of times a day all over the world. Loved ones grieve
The story is told of... -- Revelation 7:9-17 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
The story is told of a despairing philosopher in London in the late nineteenth century.
How do you get into... -- Revelation 7:9-17 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
How do you get into the party that ends all parties? Getting ready for a party, the husband
A friend tells of her... -- Revelation 7:9-17 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
A friend tells of her experience on a sheep farm. She had no farm knowledge, so she
In the fourth century when... -- Revelation 7:9-17 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
In the fourth century when the Roman Empire was crumbling and the foundation of all
I was talking to somebody... -- John 10:22-30 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
I was talking to somebody not long ago who said, "You know, I used to believe in God;
David was a confused young... -- John 10:22-30 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
David was a confused young boy. He was caught in a web of family violence which he
Ruth and her mother began... -- John 10:22-30 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Ruth and her mother began talking by phone when she was away at college. Mother and
Our neighbor's two-story house... -- John 10:22-30 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Our neighbor's two-story house featured wide eaves. Birds loved to build nests in their
An English officer by the... -- Acts 5:27-32 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
An English officer by the name of Payne Best, captured by the Nazis during World War
Martin Luther King Jr. was... -- Acts 5:27-32 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Martin Luther King Jr. was an example of a man who believed one must obey God rather
For over a year, Kate... -- Acts 5:27-32 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
For over a year, Kate heard stories of devastation following Hurricane Katrina. People
Few Christians seem to realize... -- Acts 5:27-32 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Few Christians seem to realize they have a constant companion. He arrives at our baptism
John begins, as was the... -- Revelation 1:4b-8, Revelation 1:4-8 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
John begins, as was the custom of ancient letter writing, by placing the return address in

Political Pulpit

Sermon

The Political Pulpit

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New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
George Reed
For July 27, 2025:

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A card with Luke’s short version of the Lord’s Prayer to give to each child. Make your own card or use the one I have attached to this message.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Great! Let’s hear the story. But I want to begin by asking you a question.

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
Luke frowned at the email he was writing. He moved a couple of words around and then hit the save button. He ran the email though the grammar checker and spell checker again. He took a deep breath and then started reading through it one more time. After he finished, he noticed the time. He had to send it soon or it would be too late for there to be a response before the deadline. He sighed and sat back in his chair. He wished he wasn’t so nervous.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Hosea 1:2-10 and Psalm 85
I came across an interesting fact about how the state of Ohio deals with sealing and expunging a court record. The process for filing a court file and expunging a criminal record are combined into the same thing. If granted, the request seals the record forever, and officials are not allowed to discuss the person’s past criminal record.
David Coffin
Another mass shooting appears on the television “Breaking News!” Many people have lost count of the number of school or concert shootings in the recent years in the USA. Usually prominent are comments such as, “We hold these families up in prayer,” and “more mental health is needed.” People who work both in spiritual care and mental health have heard this all before.

The Village Shepherd

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

The Church of Christ

Creation

The communion of saints


These responses may be used:


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


God, the centre of my being,

When I think of you, praise spills from my lips. I wish I always acted as though you were my centre, for then perhaps your kingdom would be known here.

SermonStudio

James Evans
(See Advent 2, Cycle B, for an alternative approach to vv. 1-2 and 8-13.)

In 1988, Southern Baptists held their annual convention in San Antonio, Texas. It was a contentious meeting, as factions within the denomination vied for control of the various agencies and boards. Throughout the week, angry words were spoken across the aisle as various resolutions and officer elections revealed the deep schism growing within the group.

Michael D. Wuchter
He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial."
-- Luke 11:1-4

One of the disciples said to Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray."

Lee Ann Dunlap
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall; Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't
put Humpty Dumpty together again.


This is a nursery rhyme we learned as children, and somewhere along the line in history class we were taught that its composer, "Mother Goose," was, in fact, a political satirist. If we look between the lines of these playful rhymes we will find some kind of hidden message poking fun at royalty. (I guess you had to be there to get the joke.)
Kirk R. Webster
Do you have somebody in your world who seems to live his/her life daily on a treadmill of self-imposed rules, almost as Tarzan swings from one vine to another? These people swoop from one regulation to another rule, to another regulation, in an attempt to maintain control and safety in their lives. They travel by self-imposed boundaries that probably aren't necessary to a fulfilling life. Consider our 45-year-old suburbanite named Jim.
Julia Ross Strope
A single song is being inflected through all the colorations of the human choir.
The way to become human is to recognize the lineaments of God in all the wonderful modulations of the face [of humankind].
-- Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces

Call To Worship (Leader)
We are in sanctuary -- together, removed from the world, secluded for a while.
We have brought with us our burdens and anxieties.
We've come here with our hopes and thanksgivings.

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