Login / Signup

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Pentecost Sale - Save $131!
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

The greatest concentration of knowledge... -- Hosea 6:1-6 -- Good Friday - C
The greatest concentration of knowledge in the world is found in the Library of Congress.
You have only to watch... -- Hosea 6:1-6 -- Good Friday - C
You have only to watch the weather report each night to discover that some things, no matter how muc
George Nicholson writes in his... -- Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 -- Good Friday - C
George Nicholson writes in his Faith at Work about Gladys Aylward, a British woman missionary
It is indeed a triumphant... -- Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 -- Good Friday - C
It is indeed a triumphant and glorious image here: Jesus has become a great high priest, after the o
When a French army officer... -- Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 -- Good Friday - C
When a French army officer had been successfully forced into a scapegoat role by a reactionary milit
The Only Helpbr... -- Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 -- Good Friday - C
The Only HelpIt is not the many spoken words
This scripture directly challenges the... -- Hebrews 10:1-25 -- Good Friday - C
This scripture directly challenges the privatistic religion of our day.
Since we have a great... -- Hebrews 10:1-25 -- Good Friday - C
"Since we have a great high priest ... let us draw near ..." (Hebrews 10:21-22)
God's election and protection are... -- Hebrews 10:1-25 -- Good Friday - C
God's election and protection are not always seen as a blessing.
We are an extended footnote... -- Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - C
We are an extended footnote to the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery.
The story is told of... -- Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - C
The story is told of a mason who was working high up in the tower of a large country church.
Pat Conroy, in the story... -- Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - C
Pat Conroy, in the story of The Prince of Tides, describes Tom running down the beach.
It was common knowledge during... -- Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - C
It was common knowledge during the Depression of the 1930s that wanderers known variously as "bums"
This text about everyone's access... -- Hebrews 10:16-25 -- Maundy Thursday - C
This text about everyone's access to the Holy of Holies in the Temple because of Jesus relates to ou
Often I hear some discussion... -- Hebrews 10:16-25 -- Maundy Thursday - C
Often I hear some discussion on the way we are to act when we receive the Eucharist.
There is a colorful Celtic... -- Hebrews 10:17-18 -- Maundy Thursday - C
There is a colorful Celtic allegory which tells of an angel who was sent to a certain saint to tell
There is a very amusing... -- Hebrews 10:16-25 -- Maundy Thursday - C
There is a very amusing episode of the television program Mash, in which Klinger, along with
An academic discussion of the... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - C
An academic discussion of the Lord's Supper seems pitiful, or even deplorable, given the pressing ne
The section quoted below is... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - C
The section quoted below is by Owen Dodson from Three Choruses From A Verse Drama: Divine Comedy
The Lord's Supper and prayer... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - C
The Lord's Supper and prayer have at least one thing in common -- they are both forms of communion.
There was a professor at... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - C
There was a professor at a seminary who was like a walking encyclopedia.
Saint Francis of Assisi asked... -- Luke 22:7-20 -- Maundy Thursday - C
Saint Francis of Assisi asked a stone mason, "What are you doing, my friend?" He replied, "Well, I'm
Be gentle when you touch... -- Luke 22:7-20 -- Maundy Thursday - C
Be gentle when you touch bread.Let it not lie uncared for -- unwanted.
M. Scott Peck, the... -- Luke 22:7-20 -- Maundy Thursday - C
M. Scott Peck, the psychiatrist, makes a plea for new approaches to community in The Diffe
Even as children we learn... -- Luke 22:7-20 -- Maundy Thursday - C
Even as children we learn to pick the right time.

Political Pulpit

Sermon

The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 10 | OT 15 | Pentecost 5
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 11 | OT 16 | Pentecost 6
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 12 | OT 17 | Pentecost 7
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

Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
George Reed
For July 27, 2025:

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A card with Luke’s short version of the Lord’s Prayer to give to each child. Make your own card or use the one I have attached to this message.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Great! Let’s hear the story. But I want to begin by asking you a question.

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
Luke frowned at the email he was writing. He moved a couple of words around and then hit the save button. He ran the email though the grammar checker and spell checker again. He took a deep breath and then started reading through it one more time. After he finished, he noticed the time. He had to send it soon or it would be too late for there to be a response before the deadline. He sighed and sat back in his chair. He wished he wasn’t so nervous.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Hosea 1:2-10 and Psalm 85
I came across an interesting fact about how the state of Ohio deals with sealing and expunging a court record. The process for filing a court file and expunging a criminal record are combined into the same thing. If granted, the request seals the record forever, and officials are not allowed to discuss the person’s past criminal record.
David Coffin
Another mass shooting appears on the television “Breaking News!” Many people have lost count of the number of school or concert shootings in the recent years in the USA. Usually prominent are comments such as, “We hold these families up in prayer,” and “more mental health is needed.” People who work both in spiritual care and mental health have heard this all before.

The Village Shepherd

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

The Church of Christ

Creation

The communion of saints


These responses may be used:


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


God, the centre of my being,

When I think of you, praise spills from my lips. I wish I always acted as though you were my centre, for then perhaps your kingdom would be known here.

SermonStudio

James Evans
(See Advent 2, Cycle B, for an alternative approach to vv. 1-2 and 8-13.)

In 1988, Southern Baptists held their annual convention in San Antonio, Texas. It was a contentious meeting, as factions within the denomination vied for control of the various agencies and boards. Throughout the week, angry words were spoken across the aisle as various resolutions and officer elections revealed the deep schism growing within the group.

Michael D. Wuchter
He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial."
-- Luke 11:1-4

One of the disciples said to Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray."

Lee Ann Dunlap
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall; Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't
put Humpty Dumpty together again.


This is a nursery rhyme we learned as children, and somewhere along the line in history class we were taught that its composer, "Mother Goose," was, in fact, a political satirist. If we look between the lines of these playful rhymes we will find some kind of hidden message poking fun at royalty. (I guess you had to be there to get the joke.)
Kirk R. Webster
Do you have somebody in your world who seems to live his/her life daily on a treadmill of self-imposed rules, almost as Tarzan swings from one vine to another? These people swoop from one regulation to another rule, to another regulation, in an attempt to maintain control and safety in their lives. They travel by self-imposed boundaries that probably aren't necessary to a fulfilling life. Consider our 45-year-old suburbanite named Jim.
Julia Ross Strope
A single song is being inflected through all the colorations of the human choir.
The way to become human is to recognize the lineaments of God in all the wonderful modulations of the face [of humankind].
-- Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces

Call To Worship (Leader)
We are in sanctuary -- together, removed from the world, secluded for a while.
We have brought with us our burdens and anxieties.
We've come here with our hopes and thanksgivings.

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL