Login / Signup

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Hold down Ctrl (Windows) / Command (Mac) for multiple selections (scroll list to see all options)

Commentary

Communicating God's Love

Guest column

Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Before the completion of a... -- Hebrews 10:5-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Before the completion of a new church, a cross had to be welded onto a steeple.
Day by day a parish... -- Hebrews 10:5-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Day by day a parish priest prepared his congregation and parish school for Christmas.
The Cherry Tree Carol is... -- Hebrews 10:5-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
The Cherry Tree Carol is a tale that imagines that when the Holy Family was enroute to Egypt in thei
For years, Marsha said, I... -- Hebrews 10:5-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
"For years," Marsha said, "I never bothered about church. My family and I were poor.
Our conviction as Christians is... -- Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Our conviction as Christians is that history is a footnote to the Magnificat: her son shall bring me
There are many themes in... -- Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
There are many themes in this Gospel: the blessedness of Mary, the pregnancy of Mary, the relationsh
In the play, Fences... -- Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
In the play, Fences, by August Wilson, there appears the story of a strong and powerfu
Caesars have proclaimed themselves to... -- Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B
Caesars have proclaimed themselves to be gods and they have fallen from their thrones.
Can you see it? Can... -- Isaiah 52:7-10 -- The Nativity of our Lord - B
Can you see it? Can you hear it?
I carried the baby in... -- Isaiah 52:7-10 -- The Nativity of our Lord - B
I carried the baby in my womb for nine months.
When Moss Hart, the late... -- Isaiah 52:7-10 -- The Nativity of our Lord - B
When Moss Hart, the late Broadway playwright, was a boy of ten, his father was out of work.
In the Olympic Mountains in... -- Isaiah 52:7-10 -- The Nativity of our Lord - B
In the Olympic Mountains in Washington State there is a mountain called Mount Zion.
Have you known of children... -- Hebrews 1:1-12 -- The Nativity of our Lord - B
Have you known of children who bear a striking resemblance to a parent?
In the following poetic excerpt... -- Hebrews 1:1-12 -- The Nativity of our Lord - B
In the following poetic excerpt, Robert Frost writes of a parent and child who bear the selfsame nat
A motorcycle rider was once... -- Hebrews 1:1-12 -- The Nativity of our Lord - B
A motorcycle rider was once traveling along the interstate near Erie, Pennsylvania when his vehicle
We know the images of... -- John 1:1-14 -- The Nativity of our Lord - B
We know the images of earth viewed from the space capsule, as it orbited the moon, and the "in the b
One music critic, reviewing a... -- John 1:1-14 -- The Nativity of our Lord - B
One music critic, reviewing a rendition of J. S.
On Christmas Day a small... -- John 1:1-14 -- The Nativity of our Lord - B
On Christmas Day a small manger scene sat on a table just inside the doorway to a neatly kept home.
George Parsons tells about a... -- John 1:1-14 -- The Nativity of our Lord - B
George Parsons tells about a man attending his twentieth class reunion.
Rooting for a baseball team... -- Isaiah 66:10-14 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - A
Rooting for a baseball team is an act of selfless devotion.
A character in Bernard Malamud's... -- Isaiah 66:10-14 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - A
A character in Bernard Malamud's novel God's Grace says: "A life --to be a life --must run it
In this passage of Scripture... -- Isaiah 66:10-14 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - A
In this passage of Scripture, the writer both mourns Jerusalem's present condition and brims over wi
The prophet Isaiah provides a... -- Isaiah 66:10-14 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - A
The prophet Isaiah provides a vision at the conclusion of his book, chapters sixty-five and sixty-si
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward... -- Baruch 5:1-9 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Edward Albee says the role of the theater is to hold a mirror up t
It is said of the... -- Baruch 5:1-9 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B
It is said of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, "He had written them for the pleasure and use of h

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

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A pig stuffed animal.

* * *

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

Wildcard SSL