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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Perennials versus annuals. The debate... -- Hebrews 7:23-28 -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - B -- 2000
Perennials versus annuals. The debate goes on.
In the mid-60s the... -- Hebrews 4:12-16 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 2000
In the mid-60s the "God is Dead" movement caused quite a stir among the faithful.
My senior citizen neighbor, who... -- James 5:13-20 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - B -- 2000
My senior citizen neighbor, who had become a very good friend, once confided in me that she was an a
When did God begin? When... -- Revelation 1:4b-8 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 2000
When did God begin? When will God end?
How difficult it is for... -- 1 Timothy 2:1-7 -- Thanksgiving Day - B -- 2000
How difficult it is for us in our daily prayers to praise God, to adore him, and to thank him.
Chain of Command is a... -- Hebrews 9:24-28 -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - B -- 2000
"Chain of Command" is a key concept within the military system.
The performance of an athletic... -- Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 2000
The performance of an athletic team depends a lot on morale and confidence, perhaps even more than s
The vision of God wiping... -- Revelation 21:1-6a -- All Saints Day - B -- 2000
The vision of God wiping away every human tear is lovely, but do we consider the role of God in thos
For many folk, religion consists... -- 1 John 5:1-6 -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2000
For many folk, religion consists of what a person believes.
The most often memorized statement... -- 1 John 4:7-21 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2000
The most often memorized statement in 1 John is from 4:16, "God is love." It is more than a theologi
John's words in this passage... -- 1 John 3:1-7 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2000
John's words in this passage, "no one who abides in him sins" (v.
When I served as chair... -- 1 John 3:16-24 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2000
When I served as chair of a church growth committee relating to three denominations, I discovered th
She knew the French language... -- 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - B -- 2000
She knew the French language and spoke it well enough, but she was undeniably an anglophone.
Spinach saves the day! That's... -- Romans 8:22-27 -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 2000
Spinach saves the day!
Knowing God as Father, Son... -- Romans 8:12-17 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B -- 2000
Knowing God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is to know a lot about God.
In the early days of... -- Ephesians 1:15-23 -- Ascension of the Lord - B -- 2000
In the early days of "black and white" television there was a series in which people were suddenly m
If I had been there... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 -- Third Sunday in Lent - B -- 2000
If I had been there, if I had heard Jesus teach, if I had seen his miracles, if I had watched him di
It was the birthday of... -- Romans 4:13-25 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 2000
It was the birthday of a 95-year-old woman.
Linking the rescue of Noah... -- 1 Peter 3:18-22 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 2000
Linking the rescue of Noah with the sacrament of baptism might seem inappropriate.
It is almost a crime... -- 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2000
It is almost a crime against Christ, the tendency to narrow the meaning of the biblical word "salvat
I asked members of a... -- 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 2000
I asked members of a Bible study group to imagine that they were witnessing the dying of Jesus on a
This passage about confessing our... -- 1 John 1:1-2:2 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2000
This passage about confessing our sins often evokes criticisms such as, "What good does it do to con
Over a century ago, a... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - B -- 2000
Over a century ago, a rationalist named David Straus re-
Sometimes Bible translations convey unintended... -- Hebrews 10:16-25 -- Good Friday - B -- 2000
Sometimes Bible translations convey unintended humor.
Paul's chastisement of the Corinthian... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2000
Paul's chastisement of the Corinthian Christians for the "divisions" (v. 18) and "factions" (v.

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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...

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John Jamison
Object: A pig stuffed animal.

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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
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.

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