Login / Signup

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Hold down Ctrl (Windows) / Command (Mac) for multiple selections (scroll list to see all options)

Commentary

Communicating God's Love

Guest column

Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

On January 21, 2000, I... -- Matthew 25:31-46 -- New Year's Day - A, New Year's Day - B, New Year's Day - C -- 2001
On January 21, 2000, U.S.
If the essence of all... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - C -- 2001
If the essence of all prayer, as Friedrich Heiler in his book Prayer contends, is a genuine f
Athletes prepare for the contest... -- Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a) -- Transfiguration Sunday - C -- 2001
Athletes prepare for the contest ahead with a mental process called imagery.
The play No Exit... -- Luke 6:27-38 -- Epiphany 7 | Ordinary Time 7 - C -- 2001
The play No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre depicts a caricature of hell.
Paul Harvey tells about an... -- Luke 6:17-26 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - C -- 2001
Paul Harvey tells about an old man who wanted a school that upheld democracy and treasured education
It seems miraculous that John... -- Luke 5:1-11 -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - C -- 2001
It seems miraculous that John P.
It can be difficult, looking... -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- 2001
It can be difficult, looking at undifferentiated material -- like a genealogical list, seeing God's
You have my word that... -- John 1:1-14 -- 2001
"You have my word that I will love you forever!" the young man whispered to his sweetheart as he pla
An old four-panel comic... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- 2001
An old four-panel comic strip from cartoonist Tim Downs shows a man on Christmas Eve asking a little
A woman worshiper, rising to... -- Matthew 1:18-25 -- 2001
A woman worshiper, rising to sing the hymn before the sermon, saw a woman weeping in the row across
Someone in a religious cult... -- Matthew 24:36-44 -- 2001
Someone in a religious cult once warned Ralph Waldo Emerson that the world was going to end in 10 da
John the Baptist waved his... -- Matthew 3:1-12 -- 2001
John the Baptist waved his arms, shook his finger and shouted, "Repent!" When the preacher in the pu
Will the real Jesus please... -- Matthew 11:2-11 -- 2001
"Will the real Jesus please stand up?"
RCA used the image of... -- Luke 4:21-30 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 2001
RCA used the image of a dog sitting attentively next to a record player and the caption was, "His ma
A popular movie a couple... -- Luke 4:14-21 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - C -- 2001
A popular movie a couple of years ago was The Prince of Egypt.
As a child I was... -- Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- 2001
As a child I was taught to ask the following questions: who, what, where, when, why, and how.
One Sunday morning a little... -- John 2:1-11 -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - C -- 2001
One Sunday morning a little boy commented, "I like it when we have bread and medicine at church." Af
You've probably seen them. I... -- Matthew 25:31-46 -- New Year's Day - A, New Year's Day - B, New Year's Day - C -- 2001
You've probably seen them.
During election campaigns, candidates sometimes... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 2001
During election campaigns, candidates sometimes use the slogan "All politics is local." What that me
John Calvin, the founder of... -- Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a) -- Transfiguration Sunday - C -- 2001
John Calvin, the founder of the Presbyterian movement in the 1500s, once said: "To walk rightly in t
In real life, most of... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - C -- 2001
In real life, most of us do just about anything to keep others from discovering who we really are.
The Pope, Billy Graham, and... -- Luke 6:27-38 -- Epiphany 7 | Ordinary Time 7 - C -- 2001
The Pope, Billy Graham, and Oral Roberts were in a plane crash over the Atlantic Ocean.
Soren Kierkegaard wrote a parable... -- Luke 6:17-26 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - C -- 2001
Søren Kierkegaard wrote a parable in which he invited Christians to think of life as one huge play.
Some children were playing hide... -- Luke 5:1-11 -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - C -- 2001
Some children were playing hide and seek one day.
A parishioner came to his... -- John 1:1-14 -- 2001
A parishioner came to his pastor and asked her to pray for him in some specific matter.

Political Pulpit

Sermon

The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 7 | OT 12 | Pentecost 2
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 8 | OT 13 | Pentecost 3
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 9 | OT 14 | Pentecost 4
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A pig stuffed animal.

* * *

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
Bonnie Bates

1 Kings 19:1-4 (5-7) 8-15a and Psalm 42-43
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.

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL