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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Typology is a very ancient... -- Isaiah 28:14-22 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Typology is a very ancient form of interpretation in which one takes the images that are used in the
A backpacker had been informed... -- Isaiah 28:14-22 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
A backpacker had been informed by a local "expert" hiker, a short, thin, and gaunt old man who had h
Stevens Danish, chairman of the... -- Hebrews 13:1-8 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Stevens Danish, chairman of the psychology department at Virginia Commonwealth University says, "By
In traveling about the city... -- Hebrews 13:1-8 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
In traveling about the city or countryside most of us rely, often more than we realize, upon "landma
Lisa Alther's novel Original Sins... -- Hebrews 13:1-8 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Lisa Alther's novel Original Sins is a tiresome recital of lurid descriptions of violence and
A Christian counselor was helping... -- Hebrews 13:1-8 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
A Christian counselor was helping a group of parents deal with the weighty matter of moral instructi
Fear is an expectation of... -- Luke 14:1, 7-14 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Fear is an expectation of evil.
Every Thanksgiving, Royce and Mary... -- Luke 14:1, 7-14 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
Every Thanksgiving, Royce and Mary made it a point to have a needy person or a couple to dinner.
It is easy for us... -- Luke 14:1, 7-14 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
It is easy for us to look at this parable of Jesus and say that we would never sit in the seat of ho
A young man was involved... -- Luke 14:1, 7-14 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - A
A young man was involved in a serious car accident. He suffered a brain injury.
... if human suffering were... -- Ezekiel 18:1-9, 25-29 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
...
Learn to ride a horse... -- Jeremiah 20:7-13 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A
Learn to ride a horse that throws you.
Who was Jeremiah? the Sunday... -- Jeremiah 20:7-13 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A
"Who was Jeremiah?" the Sunday School teacher asked his seventh grade class.
He felt no fear of... -- Jeremiah 20:7-13 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A
"He felt no fear of death, but a terror of life, of going on soiling himself and repenting and soili
It is hard to stand... -- Jeremiah 20:7-13 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A
It is hard to stand against a crowd, calling on it to act responsibly.
These are prayers for unity... -- Isaiah 66:18-23 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A
These are prayers for unity from many countries as they were used in worship at the Sixth Assembly o
I will gather all nations... -- Isaiah 66:18-23 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A
I will gather all nations and tongues ...
Dr. Charlie Shedd tells the... -- Isaiah 66:18-21 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A
Dr.
New heavens and a new... -- Isaiah 66:18-23 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A
New heavens and a new earth, God says through the prophet.
In one way or another... -- Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A
In one way or another we often move to isolate people who are saying things we do not want to hear.
It was a deep, dark... -- Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A
It was a deep, dark hole into which they had lowered Jeremiah, and one senses that he must have felt
Jodi had been given detailed... -- Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A
Jodi had been given detailed instructions about how to act at the dinner table while company was pre
Enter by the narrow door... -- Luke 13:22-30 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A
Enter by the narrow door in this age of accessibility!
E. L. Doctorow has given... -- Luke 13:22-30 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A
E. L. Doctorow has given us a strikingly new kind of American novel in Ragtime.
In one of Flannery O'Connor's... -- Luke 13:22-30 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - A
In one of Flannery O'Connor's finest stories, "Revelation," the central character is Mrs.

Political Pulpit

Sermon

The Political Pulpit

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...

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
1 Kings 19:1-4 (5-7) 8-15a
Life can be frightening sometimes. Thus it is both comforting but disconcerting to find a giant of faith like Elijah to fear the future. On that matter Martin Luther once claimed:
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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