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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Tired, stripped down, quiet, preoccupied... -- John 21:1-14 -- Third Sunday of Easter - C
Tired, stripped down, quiet, preoccupied fishermen doing their life work.
Some years ago a church... -- John 21:1-14 -- Third Sunday of Easter - C
Some years ago a church purchased a piece of land with an eye to future expansion.
Even their familiar old lives... -- John 21:1-14 -- Third Sunday of Easter - C
Even their familiar old lives were no longer satisfying nor successful without Jesus.
The political prisoner was slipped... -- Acts 13:15-16, 26-33 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
The political prisoner was slipped a loaf of bread.
Verse 27 is key in... -- Acts 13:15-16, 26-33 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
Verse 27 is key in understanding this passage -- due to a lack of recognition and misunderstanding t
The Sunday school teacher read... -- Acts 13:15-16, 26-33 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
The Sunday school teacher read from her Bible storybook the account of Jonah and the whale to her fi
Am I fulfilled? That question... -- Acts 13:15-16, 26-33 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
"Am I fulfilled?" That question has become a major preoccupation.
The historian, Arnold Toynbee shows... -- Acts 13:14, 43-52 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C
The historian, Arnold Toynbee shows how civilizations come to birth.
There was a volume written... -- Acts 5:12-16 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
There was a volume written some years ago about the establishment of the nation Israel entitled,
This passage deals with a... -- Acts 5:12-16 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
This passage deals with a special endowment of power upon the apostles which prompted fear, reverenc
Soren Kierkegaard wrote a parable... -- Acts 5:12-16 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
Søren Kierkegaard wrote a parable about a king who fell in love with a peasant girl he had seen in o
In Charles Dickens' A Tale... -- Revelation 1:4b-8, Revelation 1:4-8 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
In Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, he tells about two prisoners on route to the guillo
Reading this warm and positive... -- Revelation 1:4b-8, Revelation 1:4-8 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
Reading this warm and positive greeting is an uplifting experience of joy and affirmation of faith i
Edmund Schlink, a German theologian... -- Revelation 1:4b-8, Revelation 1:4-8 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
Edmund Schlink, a German theologian, who taught at the University of Heidelberg, wrote a book of ser
The journal entry of a... -- Revelation 1:4b-8, Revelation 1:4-8 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
The journal entry of a middle-aged pastor, written during a season of looking back:
The pastor was dedicating a... -- Revelation 1:4-18 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
The pastor was dedicating a painting during the worship hour.
What is the last book... -- Revelation 1:4-18 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
"What is the last book of the Bible?" the Sunday school teacher asked her fifth graders.
Every generation leaves behind a... -- Revelation 1:4-18 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
Every generation leaves behind a legacy of some sort.
There is a Providence, God... -- Revelation 1:4-18 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
There is a Providence, God, who means us well.
Dorothy L. Sayers, in her... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
Dorothy L.
It was her first year... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
It was her first year in college.
Dwight Moody used to tell... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
Dwight Moody used to tell the story about the lighthouse keeper out on a lonely island somewhere, wh
When Thomas wasn't with the... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
When Thomas wasn't with the other disciples on the occasion of Jesus' first resurrection appearance,
Love Canal, you will recall... -- Acts 9:1-20 -- Third Sunday of Easter - C
Love Canal, you will recall, is an area south of Buffalo, New York, discovered some years back to be
The well-sealed bottle bearing... -- Acts 9:1-20 -- Third Sunday of Easter - C
The well-sealed bottle bearing a precious message is known to be one of the world's most seaworthy v

Political Pulpit

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The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
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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.

Special Occasion

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