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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

We want to show off... -- 2 Kings 5:1-14 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2008
We want to show off.
Naaman and his army had... -- 2 Kings 5:1-14 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2008
Naaman and his army had recently conquered Israel, bringing home a girl to be his wife's servant.
Failure, they say, is the... -- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2008
"Failure," they say, "is the path of least persistence." That truth was demonstrated in the movie,
The job of a football... -- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2008
The job of a football coach is to make men do what they don't want to do, in order to achieve what t
Lanny Bassham, Olympic gold-medalist... -- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2008
Lanny Bassham, Olympic gold-medalist in small-bore rifle competition, tells what concentration does
Taylor recalls his high school... -- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2008
Taylor recalls his high school wrestling coach whose goal was to make his students both tougher and
Everyone knows that to be... -- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2008
Everyone knows that to be a top level athlete takes talent mixed with lots of hard work.
The RSV maintains a more... -- Mark 1:40-45 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2008
The RSV maintains a more literal translation of the leper's words, "If you will, you can make
Booker T. Washington describes meeting... -- Mark 1:40-45 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2008
Booker T.
During World War II, Winston... -- Mark 1:40-45 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2008
During World War II, Winston Churchill was forced to make a painful choice.
Pastor Stephey Bilynskyj, starts each... -- Mark 1:40-45 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2008
Pastor Stephey Bilynskyj, starts each confirmation class with a jar full of beans.
Haley is the smart one... -- Mark 1:40-45 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2008
Haley is the "smart one" at school.
Joanne was a wife, mother... -- Mark 1:40-45 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2008
Joanne was a wife, mother, and foster mother.
Don't step on the crack... -- 2 Kings 2:1-12 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 2008
"Don't step on the crack, or you'll break your mother's back!" No wonder children are afraid to step
In order to be a... -- 2 Kings 2:1-12 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 2008
In order to be a leader a man must have followers.
Peter Drucker offers insightful guidance... -- 2 Kings 2:1-12 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 2008
Peter Drucker offers insightful guidance to the church when he calls leadership a peak performance b
Living away from home for... -- 2 Kings 2:1-12 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 2008
Living away from home for the first time is an experience that everyone looks forward to.
The story of Elisha's determination... -- 2 Kings 2:1-12 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 2008
The story of Elisha's determination to stay with Elijah until he was taken reminds one of the determ
June felt that her fifth... -- 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 2008
June felt that her fifth-grade Sunday school class was slighted because it was given the only classr
Making decisions in the dark... -- 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 2008
Making decisions in the dark can lead to some regrettable consequences.
In his book, An Anthropologist... -- 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 2008
In his book, An Anthropologist on Mars, neurologist Oliver Sacks tells about Virgil, a man wh
Imagine a game of blind... -- 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 2008
Imagine a game of blind-man's bluff at the edge of a pool.
Imagine the glory of God... -- 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 2008
Imagine the glory of God filling your heart, driving away all negative or painful thoughts and feeli
Nothing is more surprising than... -- Mark 9:2-9 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 2008
Nothing is more surprising than the rise of the new within ourselves.
Pliny the Elder was a... -- Mark 9:2-9 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 2008
Pliny the Elder was a Roman writer who lived during the same time period as Jesus.

Political Pulpit

Sermon

The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 28 | OT 33 | Pentecost 23
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Christ the King Sunday
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Thanksgiving
34 – Sermons
80+ – Illustrations / Stories
24 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
24 – 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, wildfires, 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 Sept. 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.

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