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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

Guest column

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

The story is told of... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - A -- 1999
The story is told of a famous British journalist who became quite senile with advancing years, but w
Usually when you learn to... -- Matthew 26:14--27:66 -- Passion Sunday - A -- 1999
Usually when you learn to play chess from a basic instruction booklet it will first teach you all th
Have you ever noticed how... -- Matthew 26:14--27:66 -- Passion Sunday - A -- 1999
Have you ever noticed how quickly life can change?
Stories of remarkable rescues are... -- Matthew 26:14--27:66 -- Passion Sunday - A -- 1999
Stories of remarkable rescues are somewhat common.
In the book The... -- Matthew 26:14--27:66 -- Passion Sunday - A -- 1999
In the book The Inner Voice of Love, the late Catholic priest Henri J. M.
I grew up in Oklahoma... -- Ephesians 5:8-14 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
I grew up in Oklahoma and lots of Indian children went to my grade school.
What would things be like... -- John 9:1-41 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
What would things be like without light? We could not see. Plants could not grow.
Our church has a very... -- John 9:1-41 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
Our church has a very active Evangelism Committee which regularly sends teams of visitors to visit t
People throughout history have worshiped... -- John 9:1-41 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
People throughout history have worshiped the sun.
There is a story that... -- John 9:1-41 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
There is a story that still makes its rounds in my hometown.
Larry's parents were devout Christians... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
Larry's parents were devout Christians.
When Diana lay dying of... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
When Diana lay dying of cancer, her thoughts were of her adult Christian single friends with whom sh
A woman walked into a... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
A woman walked into a convenience store and startled an armed robber.
A missionary was shipwrecked on... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
A missionary was shipwrecked on a desert island, and spent many miserable days waiting for rescue.
During the 1992-1995 war in... -- John 11:1-45 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
During the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the city of Sarajevo came under siege by the Bos
A young pastor wept. He... -- John 11:1-45 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
A young pastor wept.
Dr. Jerome Groopman, of the... -- John 11:1-45 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
Dr.
We call it our faith... -- John 11:1-45 -- First Sunday in Lent - A -- 1999
We call it our "faith journey" and rightly so. Pastors deal with the term all the time.
It is said Mother Teresa's... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - A -- 1999
It is said Mother Teresa's brother, a soldier for the king, was furious when she declared that she w
In Oriental philosophy, emptiness is... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - A -- 1999
In Oriental philosophy, emptiness is understood not only in terms of humility, but also in terms of
I remember reading somewhere that... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - A -- 1999
I remember reading somewhere that when the news of the 1944 D-Day landing filtered into one prisoner
In the New Revised... -- John 10:1-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 1999
In the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Jesus says, "Anyone who does not enter the
A number of years ago... -- John 10:1-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 1999
A number of years ago I was a Girl Guide Captain.
Grizzly, a German shepherd belonging... -- John 10:1-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 1999
Grizzly, a German shepherd belonging to Lana Crawford Davis of Klamath Falls, Oregon, had an intuiti
Pastors struggle with being compassionate... -- John 10:1-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 1999
Pastors struggle with being compassionate and understanding in every situation.

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UPCOMING WEEKS
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Proper 7 | OT 12 | Pentecost 2
30 – Sermons
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Proper 9 | OT 14 | Pentecost 4
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New & Featured This Week

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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.

Special Occasion

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