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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

NULL -- Isaiah 5:1-7 -- Timothy Smith -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 2010
A retired pastor tells of an experience when he was just starting out in ministry.
NULL -- Hebrews 11:29--12:2 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 2010
During the Underground Railroad, people would hide runaway slaves in their homes.
NULL -- Hebrews 11:29--12:2 -- Derl G. Keefer -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 2010
I visited Israel as a tourist several years ago.
NULL -- Luke 12:49-56 -- Timothy Smith -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 2010
A friend from work asked Denny if he would like to go on a mission trip with him and other members o
NULL -- Luke 12:49-56 -- Craig Kelly -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 2010
This may seem to be an unusual statement coming from Jesus: He came to set "father against son and s
NULL -- Luke 12:49-56 -- Ron Love -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 2010
In the comic strip Beetle Bailey the chaplain is standing in the pulpit.
NULL -- Isaiah 5:1-7, Hebrews 11:29--12:2, Luke 12:49-56 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - C -- 2010
IllustrationsIsaiah 5:1-7
NULL -- Jeremiah 1:4-10 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - C -- 2010
There is an old, Dutch story about a little boy named Peter who saved all of Holland.
NULL -- Jeremiah 1:4-10 -- Derl G. Keefer -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - C -- 2010
As a youngster my parents did not attend church and were not Christians. A godly aunt asked them if
NULL -- Hebrews 12:18-29 -- Craig Kelly -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - C -- 2010
One of the constants throughout history is that empires and dominions have risen and fallen.
NULL -- Hebrews 12:18-29 -- Ron Love -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - C -- 2010
Labor Day 2000 marked the fortieth anniversary of Betty Haughin's column, "Chit Chat." The column is
NULL -- Hebrews 12:18-29 -- Timothy Smith -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - C -- 2010
Helena was excited about her vacation near historic Savannah, Georgia.
NULL -- Luke 13:10-17 -- Derl G. Keefer -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - C -- 2010
H.G.B.
NULL -- Luke 13:10-17 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - C -- 2010
Freedom.
NULL -- Jeremiah 1:4-10, Hebrews 12:18-29, Luke 13:10-17 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - C -- 2010
IllustrationsJeremiah 1:4-10
NULL -- Jeremiah 2:4-13 -- Craig Kelly -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - C -- 2010
Relief organizations like World Vision or Compassion International often show us pictures of women a
NULL -- Jeremiah 2:4-13 -- Ron Love -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - C -- 2010
Stacy Finley knew people would go to any lengths and pay exorbitant sums of money for the promise of
NULL -- Jeremiah 2:4-13 -- Timothy Smith -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - C -- 2010
Mike grew up in the church and like many people began drifting away after graduating from high schoo
NULL -- Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 -- Derl G. Keefer -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - C -- 2010
Our world is experiencing one tragedy after another ...
NULL -- Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - C -- 2010
When you are a child, your parents are invincible.
NULL -- Luke 14:1, 7-14 -- Timothy Smith -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - C -- 2010
One Sunday morning Greg was struck by something his pastor said in his message.
NULL -- Luke 14:1, 7-14 -- Craig Kelly -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - C -- 2010
A number of years back, I worked at a wholesale retail chain, and one day our manager invited Orland
NULL -- Luke 14:1, 7-14 -- Ron Love -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - C -- 2010
William Booth had just stepped into the pulpit when members of his Methodist congregation started th
NULL -- Jeremiah 2:4-13, Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16, Luke 14:1, 7-14 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - C -- 2010
IllustrationsJeremiah 2:4-13
Free Sermon Illustrations for May 23, 2010 from Emphasis Preaching Journal -- John 14:8-17 (25-27), Romans 8:14-17, Acts 2:1-21, Psalm 104:24-34, 35b -- Day of Pentecost - C -- 2010
The Christians in Acts 2 aren't the priesthood's hierarchy or the temple's choir.

Political Pulpit

Sermon

The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
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Proper 28 | OT 33 | Pentecost 23
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Thanksgiving
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80+ – Illustrations / Stories
24 – Children's Sermons / Resources
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Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Christopher Keating
Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
For November 16, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Coffin
Another natural disaster has flattened a number of coastal communities. Despite the weather and major television station warnings, and government disaster preparations, the dystopian destruction nightmare of Luke 21 has decimated another community. Also, it is reasonable to believe that this is not the last year for hurricanes, Tsunami’s, wild fires, mudslides and tornados. They will occur again. However as weary citizens are interviewed in one group of people with the background of homes in rubble and streets still draining flood waters, they will not leave. This is their home.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Isaiah 65:17-25 and Isaiah 12

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
“The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD. (v. 25)

A week after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, country singer Toby Keith — who died Feb. 5, 2024 — wrote a patriotic ballad titled “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” It was filled with populist fighting rhetoric that matched the mood of a nation shaken by the shocking death and destruction of that day.

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A blood pressure monitor. It is actually called a sphygmomanometer, and is pronounced “sfig·mow·muh·naa’·muh·tr”.

* * *

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.

SermonStudio

Stephen P. McCutchan
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
-- Isaiah 12:3

John W. Clarke
No reading of Luke is complete without coming to realize that Luke is concerned that the world understands that Jesus is the hope of the world and that any teaching that leads away from that fact is a false teaching. No matter what, no matter when, Jesus will be there to give us life.

Scott Suskovic
Whoever does not work should not eat!
-- 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NLT)

Wow! Kind of takes your breath away, doesn't it? Not a lot of ambiguity in that rule. "You don't work, you don't eat." For a religion based on grace, it seems a bit unyielding.

Mark Ellingson
Freedom is such a lovely word, a compelling image. What is freedom? How would you define it? What does it mean to you? Webster's New World Dictionary defines freedom as being exempt from control or from arbitrary restrictions. Freedom is said to be the ability to choose or determine one's own actions.

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