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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

An experienced deep-sea diver... -- Romans 10:8b-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C -- 2006
An experienced deep-sea diver explained, once, how he keeps his bearings in the ocean
The Equal Status Acts 2000... -- Romans 10:8b-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C -- 2006
The Equal Status Acts 2000 and 2004 of Ireland, were enacted to ensure equality for all
Midway through the semester, a... -- Romans 10:8b-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C -- 2006
Midway through the semester, a group of college students decided that they wanted to go
We bought a bug in... -- Romans 10:8b-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C -- 2006
We bought a bug in 1960 -- a used Volkswagen beetle. A friend painted it for us. Its
Jeremy, at sixteen, had his... -- Luke 4:1-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C -- 2006
Jeremy, at sixteen, had his first job: scooping ice cream and making iced drinks. He'd
Temptations are always before me... -- Luke 4:1-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C -- 2006
Temptations are always before me. My driving habits have caused more than one angel to
An old story reminds us... -- Luke 4:1-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C -- 2006
An old story reminds us of the dangerous tricks the devil tries. At one time, goodness on
If the Lenten season is... -- Luke 4:1-13 -- First Sunday in Lent - C -- 2006
If the Lenten season is a time of remembering the stories of our faith, surely Luke's story
It had been a hard... -- 1 Kings 17:8-16 (17-24) -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - C -- 2006
It had been a hard winter in the Appalachian backcountry. Blizzards had deposited snow
Jonah 3:1-5, 10br... -- Mark 1:14-20, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, Jonah 3:1-5, 10 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B -- 2006
Jonah 3:1-5, 10
During Hitler's occupation of... -- Revelation 1:4b-8 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 2003
During Hitler's occupation of France, a brave priest, Andre Trocme in the village of Le Chambo
For $4,995 you can... -- Revelation 1:4b-8 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 2003
For $4,995 you can purchase a Forecast Pro software program from Business Forecast Systems of
Many things in life... -- Revelation 1:4b-8 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 2003
Many things in life come in threes.
In a stained-glass... -- Revelation 1:4b-8 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 2003
In a stained-glass window that is high above our church's altar, there are the Greek letters A
Jesus' kingdom is not... -- John 18:33-37 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 2003
Jesus' kingdom is not an earthly one, but his power is absolute.
The word king conjures... -- John 18:33-37 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 2003
The word "king" conjures up many images in our minds: royalty, strength, grandeur, servants, a
Every minister knows that... -- John 18:33-37 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 2003
Every minister knows that when you come back to your office after Sunday worship and see notes
There is a fascinating... -- John 18:33-37 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 2003
There is a fascinating way that time reveals the things that are really true.
Righteousness and justice are... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Righteousness and justice are not realities that the late Supreme Court Justice Haim Cohn obse
In a Peanuts... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
In a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy is yelling at Linus.
In his book I... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
In his book Theology of Hope, Jurgen Moltmann comments on the relationship of promise t
In one of the... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
In one of the most favorite and annually repeated episodes in the cartoon Peanuts, Lucy
Jerusalem is anything but... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Jerusalem is anything but safe these days.
Just as Paul was... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Just as Paul was so thankful for the joy he felt because of the Thessalonian Christian witness
Daniel Young, in a... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 -- First Sunday of Advent - C -- 2003
Daniel Young, in a speech at Hillsdale College, related how ermine -- small animals widely val

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UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Ascension of the Lord
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Easter 7
20 – Sermons
170+ – Illustrations / Stories
26 – Children's Sermons / Resources
24 – Worship Resources
20 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Pentecost
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160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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John Jamison
Object: A pig stuffie.

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Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent! Let’s get started!

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
George Reed
For June 22, 2025:

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian,  for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.  As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (vv. 25-28)

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Mark Ellingsen
1 Kings 19:1-4 (5-7) 8-15a
Life can be frightening sometimes. Thus it is both comforting but disconcerting to find a giant of faith like Elijah to fear the future. On that matter Martin Luther once claimed:
David Kalas
We’re not far from the 4th of July. And while for so many Americans, it seems that the holiday has become more about long weekends, cookouts, and fireworks shows, the theme of freedom is still there at least in the background. We might take advantage of that, therefore, and give some thought to the theme of freedom as it is revealed in our assigned texts for this week.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

The madman cried out to Jesus, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" In our worship today let us explore what Jesus has to do with us and invite him to heal our brokenness.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, we often find ourselves thinking, saying and doing things that we quickly regret.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

Constance Berg
When Jill was five, she began to have headaches. The headaches were so severe she would throw up. Sometimes she would pass out. They usually came once a month. Jill could be playing, resting, or watching television when the headaches would come. Her only warning was a sudden pain in her head, then a blinding light would appear, and she would be rocked with pain. In her teenage years, they became debilitating, causing Jill to be in bed for three days at a time.
Stan Purdum
I'm not sure when the term "burn out" ceased being only a description of what happened to a campfire when you ran out of firewood to a term describing the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest, usually coming immediately after an extended period of overwork, but the expression seems to fit that later situation, doesn't it? Exhaustion, deep weariness, all used up, nothing more to give, wiped out, burned out -- call it what we will, its symptoms are all too familiar to many of us.
April Yamasaki
In the classic movie, Mary Poppins, Julie Andrews plays a no-nonsense, yet delightful, nanny to two young children. As a nanny to a wealthy family, she is part teacher, part parent, and part disciplinarian. She gets the children up in the morning, puts them to bed at night, supervises their many adventures, and guides them in many ways. While they are in her care, she is responsible for their overall safety and well-being.

Julia Ross Strope
Zoos are no longer in people's good graces.
Religion faces the same problem.
Certain illusions about freedom plague them both.
-- Yann Martel, Life of Pi

Call To Worship
Leader: I'm so glad you're here! There are seats for everyone; there's slight air movement; the windows engender tranquility and imagination and words will stimulate fresh thoughts.

People: It's good to be here, in sanctuary. We're glad for opportunities to gather and to express our gratitude to God and our appreciation for one another.

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