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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Have you ever known anyone... -- John 20:19-23 -- Day of Pentecost - B
Have you ever known anyone with agoraphobia? This is an irrational fear or dread of open places.
Peace be with you. (vv... -- John 20:19-23 -- Day of Pentecost - B
"Peace be with you." (vv. 19, 21)
Jesus had an intimate and... -- John 20:19-23 -- Day of Pentecost - B
Jesus had an intimate and special relationship with the disciples.
What happens when we fail... -- Isaiah 6:1-8 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B
What happens when we fail in the work of the Lord -- when there is a mega-effort and a mini-return?
On December 14, 1986, two... -- Isaiah 6:1-8 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B
On December 14, 1986, two courageous flyers, Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan, boarded their now-famous a
Isaiah was moved by the... -- Isaiah 6:1-8 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B
Isaiah was moved by the power of a vision, a dream. It stood him on his feet and got him going.
It was a cold, rainy... -- Isaiah 6:1-8 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B
It was a cold, rainy, January day.
Around the thirteenth century B.C... -- Deuteronomy 6:4-9 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B
Around the thirteenth century B.C., a group of Semitic tribesmen, descendants of the Patriarch Abrah
Less than two years after... -- Deuteronomy 6:4-9 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B
Less than two years after the takeover by Fidel Castro, a Cuban pastor wrote to a friend in the Stat
How much do you know... -- Deuteronomy 6:4-9 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B
How much do you know about the culture in which you live?
Luther, in commenting on this... -- Deuteronomy 6:4-9 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B
Luther, in commenting on this text, states that "No one can have one God unless he clings to Him alo
My confirmation class sits before... -- Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B
My confirmation class sits before me: restless, inquisitive, likable seventh graders.
My Hindu friend and I... -- Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B
My Hindu friend and I had wiled away the afternoon, drinking coffee and discussing our respective cu
One theologian used to sum... -- Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B
One theologian used to sum up his Christian faith in these words: "There is a Father in heaven who l
This Old Testament Lesson has... -- Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B
This Old Testament Lesson has obviously been chosen to fit a Trinitarian theme.
Moses must have felt that... -- Exodus 3:1-6 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B
Moses must have felt that the adventures of his life were over.
Have you ever stood in... -- Exodus 3:1-6 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B
Have you ever stood in a holy place?
Some quotes to quicken our... -- Exodus 3:1-6 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B
Some quotes to quicken our minds about "the burning-bush" experience of Moses:
Estrangements come easily. And quickly... -- John 17:11b-19 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - B
Estrangements come easily. And quickly.
An elderly lady, who had... -- John 17:11b-19 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - B
An elderly lady, who had suffered long from the dreaded disease of cancer, but who had received love
Parenting isn't something we learn... -- John 17:11b-19 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - B
Parenting isn't something we learn: it's a beautiful inbred instinct in us coming from the heart of
If we asked the average... -- John 17:11b-19 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - B
If we asked the average person whether they knew Jesus had prayed for them, they'd probably say "No.
New seminary graduates, full of... -- Ezekiel 37:1-14 -- Day of Pentecost - B
New seminary graduates, full of hopes and dreams, we came to be pastors of small rural churches.
In England there appeared on... -- Ezekiel 37:1-14 -- Day of Pentecost - B
In England there appeared on many television screens the call letters of KLEE-TV.
Ezekiel was that almost psychedelic... -- Ezekiel 37:1-14 -- Day of Pentecost - B
Ezekiel was that almost psychedelic priest of the exile who had the vision about the wheel within a

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Proper 7 | OT 12 | Pentecost 2
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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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