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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

In our litigious society, we... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - C
In our litigious society, we have some big trials.
Regularly we are far too... -- Colossians 3:1-4 -- Easter Day - C
Regularly we are far too mechanical about the Resurrection.
The model of how a... -- Colossians 3:1-4 -- Easter Day - C
The model of how a person becomes chief or ruler among the Bantu people of Africa provides an intere
A trainer of seeing eye... -- Colossians 3:1-4 -- Easter Day - C
A trainer of seeing eye dogs was being interviewed by a reporter to learn about his work.
They call it imaging. Whether... -- Colossians 3:1-4 -- Easter Day - C
They call it "imaging." Whether it is the golfer putting into his mind exactly what his swing will f
When people are in deep... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - C
When people are in deep grief, as was Mary in the garden on Easter morning, it is not unusual not to
The Holy Gospel for today... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - C
The Holy Gospel for today is the Johannine account of Easter morning.
Imagine for a moment a... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - C
Imagine for a moment a child who has just received one of life's most splendid gifts -- the gift of
Malcolm Muggeridge describes poetically his... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - C
Malcolm Muggeridge describes poetically his own death.
Why do you seek the... -- Luke 24:1-10 -- Easter Day - C
Why do you seek the living among the dead?
Amplius. Amplius -- draw it bigger... -- Luke 24:1-10 -- Easter Day - C
"Amplius. Amplius -- draw it bigger," Michelangelo said to one of his students.
Elspeth Huxley, in her story... -- Luke 24:1-10 -- Easter Day - C
Elspeth Huxley, in her story in The Mottled Lizard, describes her reaction to going out into
Alice got the news in... -- Luke 24:1-10 -- Easter Day - C
Alice got the news in mid-morning when she went to her post office box for the mail.
We, like Peter, are called... -- Acts 5:27-32 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
We, like Peter, are called to obey God rather than people.
At a weekly Bible study... -- Acts 5:27-32 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
At a weekly Bible study for pastors, one of the group shared his intention of being arrested the fol
Mid-winter in the year... -- Acts 5:27-32 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
Mid-winter in the year A.D.
On a recent episode of... -- Acts 5:27-32 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
On a recent episode of the new TV series Aaron's Way, the chief character of the series, Aaro
Dr. William Henry Welch, the... -- Acts 5:12-16 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C
Dr.
Martin Luther was a person... -- Hebrews 10:1-25 -- Good Friday - C
Martin Luther was a person of deep conscience and a faithful son of the church.
Preaching on Good Friday is... -- John 18:1-19:42 -- Good Friday - C
Preaching on Good Friday is an impossible task.
Sometimes when we read short... -- John 18:1-19:42 -- Good Friday - C
Sometimes when we read short portions of the scripture each week, we develop a skewed perspective of
In the Swiss Alps there... -- John 18:1-19:42 -- Good Friday - C
In the Swiss Alps there is a peak known as Mount Pilatus, named after Pontius Pilate, because tradit
Woman, behold thy son ... and... -- John 18:1-19:42 -- Good Friday - C
"Woman, behold thy son" ...
Mark Twain once said of... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - C
Mark Twain once said of another, "He could charm an audience an hour on a stretch without ever getti
In Peter's Joppa Sermon, the... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - C
In Peter's Joppa Sermon, the entire "Jesus story" is summarized. So also Rev. C. C.

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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
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29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Proper 8 | OT 13 | Pentecost 3
29 – Sermons
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27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
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Proper 9 | OT 14 | Pentecost 4
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32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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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.

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