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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

The centurion at the foot... -- Mark 14:1--15:47 -- Passion Sunday - B -- 2009
The centurion at the foot of the cross had the kind of faith Jesus had called for throughout his ear
This passage from Exodus comes... -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2009
This passage from Exodus comes from the biblical instructions for the Passover Seder meal: it is to
During Holy Week many churches... -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2009
During Holy Week many churches act out various scenes of the Passion.
It might seem silly now... -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2009
It might seem silly now, but at the time it seemed so important.
In medieval times, when Catholicism... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2009
In medieval times, when Catholicism blanketed Europe and society demanded attendance at church, comm
I can't smell lilacs without... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2009
I can't smell lilacs without thinking of myself as a schoolboy stepping from my parents' house and w
For the apostle Paul and... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2009
For the apostle Paul and for us today, holy communion is central to our worship service.
The basin of foot washing... -- John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2009
The basin of foot washing is not the only basin in the story of Jesus' Passion. There is another.
Melvin acknowledges that Holy Week... -- John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2009
Melvin acknowledges that Holy Week is a somber and subdued time as Christians recall the last earthy
Ronald Dahl wrote a short... -- Isaiah 52:13--53:12 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
Ronald Dahl wrote a short story called "Lamb to the Slaughter," about a woman who killed her husband
Two movies have been made... -- Isaiah 52:13--53:12 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
Two movies have been made adapting Elleston Trevor's novel The Flight of the Phoenix. In a sa
The prophet Isaiah offers a... -- Isaiah 52:13--53:12 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
The prophet Isaiah offers a glimmer of hope, assuring the people of Israel that salvation and a new
Once there was a priest... -- Hebrews 10:16-25 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
Once there was a priest who struggled with forgiveness. He lived in the Philippines.
By Good Friday morning the... -- Hebrews 10:16-25 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
By Good Friday morning the disciples might very well have asked themselves, "How could everything go
She had a way about... -- Hebrews 10:16-25 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
She had a way about her, there was no doubting that.
Part of the reason this... -- John 18:1--19:42 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
Part of the reason this Good Friday gospel speaks to us is because of the way it is told.
When we were children, my... -- John 18:1--19:42 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
When we were children, my neighbor and I went hunting with our fathers.
Tonight we stand at the... -- John 18:1--19:42 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
Tonight we stand at the foot of the cross.
Clarence Jordan wrote The Cotton... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
Clarence Jordan wrote The Cotton Patch Gospel, a version of the New Testament in the dialect
Linda and Lee bought a... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
Linda and Lee bought a forty-foot sailboat and lived aboard it sailing from Alaska to Mexico and bac
Fred and Anna lived next... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
Fred and Anna lived next to an Indian Reservation.
Victor Hugo's lengthy novel Les... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
Victor Hugo's lengthy novel Les Miserables begins with an act of grace.
A friend of mine used... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
A friend of mine used to say, "I can always find 1 Corinthians 15, because it's where I spilled my c
For 2,000 years there have... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
For 2,000 years there have been inquiries concerning proof of the resurrection, and questions are st
Why do people visit cemeteries... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
Why do people visit cemeteries? What is it they expect to find?

Political Pulpit

Sermon

The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
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
and more...
Christ the King Sunday
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Thanksgiving
34 – Sermons
80+ – Illustrations / Stories
24 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
24 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
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, wildfires, 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 Sept. 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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