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

John the Baptizer preached a... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C
John the Baptizer preached a hard message. It was prophetic and confronting.
We owe Luke a great... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C
We owe Luke a great debt for his emphasis on the world-significance of the Gospel.
When two football teams are... -- Zephaniah 3:14-20 -- Third Sunday of Advent - C
When two football teams are battling for victory in a close contest, most fans get pulled into the m
It is different to get... -- Zephaniah 3:14-20 -- Third Sunday of Advent - C
It is different to get excited about celebrating a promise in a day when promises are cheap.
We are no different from... -- Zephaniah 3:14-20 -- Third Sunday of Advent - C
We are no different from the people of Israel: we prepare for the Lord's coming with a song in our h
Have no anxiety about anything... -- Philippians 4:4-13 -- Third Sunday of Advent - C
"Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let
One of my favorite Russian... -- Philippians 4:4-13 -- Third Sunday of Advent - C
One of my favorite Russian authors is Fyodor Dostoevski who spent years of exile in Siberia.
On an insurance house billboard... -- 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B
On an insurance house billboard appeared the sign, "Nothing exceeds like excess." The witticism is a
Saint Paul reminds us that... -- 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B
Saint Paul reminds us that the end time is drawing nearer day by day.
What is it like the... -- 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B
What is it like the day before you leave on vacation?
Not everybody enjoys fishing. Some... -- Mark 1:14-20 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B
Not everybody enjoys "fishing." Some people do not enjoy it because of the cruelty of pulling fish f
Being a stamp collector has... -- Mark 1:14-20 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B
Being a stamp collector has brought me personal reward, mostly in the form of new information gained
In California there is an... -- Mark 1:14-20 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B
In California there is an organization called "Bread and Roses." They are volunteer entertainers who
We seem, in our day... -- Mark 1:14-20 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B
We seem, in our day, to be obsessed with time.
As a pastor of a... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - C
As a pastor of a rural church in mid-America, I never expect to preach to a Christian congregation i
Most scholars concur in the... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - C
Most scholars concur in the opinion that our passage was completed after the fall of Jerusalem to th
As parents we have all... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - C
As parents we have all experienced our child/ren come running into the house yelling or crying that
Our church was broken into... -- Jeremiah 33:14-16 -- First Sunday of Advent - C
Our church was broken into recently.
William Barclay once said, The... -- First Sunday of Advent - C
William Barclay once said, "The only way to prepare to meet god is to live daily with god." Paul's h
There are those who preach... -- First Sunday of Advent - C
There are those who preach that at Christ's return only a few will be spared.
The key verse in... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:9-4:2 -- First Sunday of Advent - C
The key verse in this Advent Lesson is 13, in which St.
There have always been... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:9-4:2 -- First Sunday of Advent - C
There have always been spiritual leaders around who were willing to offer help.
In the opening verse of... -- 1 Thessalonians 3:9-4:2 -- First Sunday of Advent - C
In the opening verse of this reading the Apostle Paul writes, "May the Lord make your love for one a
What are the signs of... -- Luke 21:25-36 -- First Sunday of Advent - C
What are the signs of our time?
We must have confidence in... -- Luke 21:25-36 -- First Sunday of Advent - C
We must have confidence in Christ's promise to return to this earth even though we do not know when

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