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

Polls indicate that more than... -- 1 Timothy 6:6-19 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C
Polls indicate that more than 50 percent of the work force do not enjoy their work.
Former Methodist Bishop Gerald Kennedy... -- 1 Timothy 6:6-19 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C
Former Methodist Bishop Gerald Kennedy mentions moving to a new location as a pastor in his early da
Andrew Carnegie, who amassed a... -- Luke 16:19-31 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C
Andrew Carnegie, who amassed a $400 million fortune then gave 99.5 percent away, said, "The man who
As children many of us... -- Luke 16:19-31 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C
As children many of us inflicted a lot of physical and/or mental pain on our brothers, sisters and f
Our youth group goes monthly... -- Luke 16:19-31 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C
Our youth group goes monthly to serve at the soup kitchen in the nearby inner city.
Authorities now report that the... -- Luke 16:19-31 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C
* Authorities now report that the largest group of people living in poverty in America are children.
In the east there was... -- Amos 5:6-7, 10-15 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - C
In the east there was a people sorely afflicted.
An older preacher seemed to... -- Amos 5:6-7, 10-15 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - C
An older preacher seemed to have an uncanny ability to speak a wise or insightful word at just the r
October 4, Feast of St... -- Amos 5:6-7, 10-15 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - C
October 4, Feast of St.
Seek good, not evil, that... -- Amos 5:6-7, 10-15 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - C
"Seek good, not evil, that you may live.
Every observant and compassionate person... -- Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - C
Every observant and compassionate person grapples with questions like these:
An assistant manager of a... -- Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - C
An assistant manager of a department store saw a boy standing at the bottom of the escalator.
God never forgets anything? Even... -- Amos 8:4-7 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - C
God never forgets anything?
What does it mean to... -- Amos 8:4-7 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - C
What does it mean to break the Sabbath law?
In one of the most... -- Amos 8:4-7 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - C
In one of the most trenchant insights into the nature of prophetic protest, Walter Brueggemann chara
Abraham Lincoln told this story... -- 1 Timothy 2:1-7 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - C
Abraham Lincoln told this story about a king who wanted to go hunting.
While prayer seems often to... -- 1 Timothy 2:1-7 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - C
While prayer seems often to be a difficult task, one easily forgotten or ignored, Luther offers thes
Since the time of Cyrus... -- 1 Timothy 2:1-7 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - C
Since the time of Cyrus, the Persian king who freed the Hebrew exiles, the Jewish community had pray
It had begun to snow... -- Luke 16:1-13 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - C
It had begun to snow early in the morning, and the pastor wondered if anyone would come to the midwe
People need to realize that... -- Luke 16:1-13 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - C
People need to realize that every blessing a person enjoys whether it is material or spiritual, such
An Ethiopian artist, Alemayehu Bizuneh... -- Luke 16:1-13 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - C
An Ethiopian artist, Alemayehu Bizuneh, was losing his sight and was sent to a specialist in America
During the decade of the... -- Luke 16:1-13 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - C
During the decade of the 1930s Winston Churchill was one of the few people in England who saw the gr
How many times have we... -- Joel 2:23-30 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C
How many times have we read this passage without really comprehending that not only sons but also da
Grandpa was probably not going... -- Joel 2:23-30 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C
Grandpa was probably not going to live through the night.
Accepting abundance can be hard... -- Joel 2:23-30 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - C
Accepting abundance can be hard for us.

Political Pulpit

Sermon

The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 23 | OT 28 | Pentecost 18
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 24 | OT 29 | Pentecost 19
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 25 | OT 30 | Pentecost 20
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

The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Christopher Keating
Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
For November 16, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Coffin
Another natural disaster has flattened a number of coastal communities. Despite the weather and major television station warnings, and government disaster preparations, the dystopian destruction nightmare of Luke 21 has decimated another community. Also, it is reasonable to believe that this is not the last year for hurricanes, Tsunami’s, wild fires, mudslides and tornados. They will occur again. However as weary citizens are interviewed in one group of people with the background of homes in rubble and streets still draining flood waters, they will not leave. This is their home.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Isaiah 65:17-25 and Isaiah 12

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
“The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD. (v. 25)

A week after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, country singer Toby Keith — who died Feb. 5, 2024 — wrote a patriotic ballad titled “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” It was filled with populist fighting rhetoric that matched the mood of a nation shaken by the shocking death and destruction of that day.

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A blood pressure monitor. It is actually called a sphygmomanometer, and is pronounced “sfig·mow·muh·naa’·muh·tr”.

* * *

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:

The Church of Christ

Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

The local community

Those who suffer

The communion of saints


These responses may be used:


Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

SermonStudio

Stephen P. McCutchan
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
-- Isaiah 12:3

John W. Clarke
No reading of Luke is complete without coming to realize that Luke is concerned that the world understands that Jesus is the hope of the world and that any teaching that leads away from that fact is a false teaching. No matter what, no matter when, Jesus will be there to give us life.

Scott Suskovic
Whoever does not work should not eat!
-- 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NLT)

Wow! Kind of takes your breath away, doesn't it? Not a lot of ambiguity in that rule. "You don't work, you don't eat." For a religion based on grace, it seems a bit unyielding.

Mark Ellingson
Freedom is such a lovely word, a compelling image. What is freedom? How would you define it? What does it mean to you? Webster's New World Dictionary defines freedom as being exempt from control or from arbitrary restrictions. Freedom is said to be the ability to choose or determine one's own actions.

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL