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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

For most people, rainbows symbolize... -- Genesis 9:8-17 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
For most people, rainbows symbolize hope.
Sometimes the Old Testament may... -- 1 Peter 3:18-22 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
Sometimes the Old Testament may seem like a waste of good paper.
Many kinds of organisms called... -- 1 Peter 3:18-22 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
Many kinds of organisms called flukes can infect humans.
Peter compares the church with... -- 1 Peter 3:18-22 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
Peter compares the church with Noah's ark, which was saved by water.
I once heard it said... -- 1 Peter 3:18-22 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
I once heard it said that we have lost sight of the "once for all" dimensions of life.
The young lady is totally... -- 1 Peter 3:18-22 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
The young lady is totally frustrated: Her favorite tennis outfit is dirty and she is sure that it wi
Roy recalls that early in... -- Mark 1:9-15 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
Roy recalls that early in his Christian journey he was encouraged to read the Bible.
In his novel, Shoeless Joe... -- Mark 1:9-15 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
In his novel, Shoeless Joe, Ray Kinsella hears a voice but it isn't a voice from heaven.
Brenda spoke to the administrative... -- Mark 1:9-15 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
Brenda spoke to the administrative board with a quavering voice, filled with emotion.
Tradition has it that George... -- Mark 1:9-15 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
Tradition has it that George Friderick Handel was so overwhelmed and awed by his reading of the book
Names are a big deal... -- Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
Names are a big deal in Christianity.
I remember when the boxer... -- Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
I remember when the boxer, Cassius Clay, converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali.
Covenant is not a word... -- Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
Covenant is not a word we hear in our everyday conversation.
Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary-General of... -- Romans 4:13-25 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary-General of the United Nations, died tragically, in 1962, in an airplane
When Maureen's children were infants... -- Romans 4:13-25 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
When Maureen's children were infants she would rock them to sleep, praying for them.
On May 22, 1787, twelve... -- Romans 4:13-25 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
On May 22, 1787, twelve men gathered in a printer's shop at 2 George Yard in London.
Aren't we all a little... -- Mark 8:31-38 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
Aren't we all a little like Peter? Yes, Jesus, tell them the truth, but be a little more subtle.
In Mark Helprin's best-selling... -- Mark 8:31-38 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
In Mark Helprin's best-selling novel, A Soldier of the Great War, the character, Alessandro G
Books are continually being published... -- Mark 8:31-38 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
Books are continually being published and seminars taught on techniques for being a successful, inno
Unfold a road map of... -- Exodus 20:1-17 -- Third Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
Unfold a road map of Scotland and look at the west country, over by Loch Lomond, and you'll find a s
Emily knew she was disappointing... -- Exodus 20:1-17 -- Third Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
Emily knew she was disappointing her parents.
A recent television ad for... -- Exodus 20:1-17 -- Third Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
A recent television ad for a football video game equated football to church.
Charlie, Alan, and Lorelei wound... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 -- Third Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
Charlie, Alan, and Lorelei wound up lost on a trip. They stopped to ask for directions.
I was in a dither... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 -- Third Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
I was in a dither of details, preparing for a funeral, which seemed to necessitate moving everything
Imagine entering a room full... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 -- Third Sunday in Lent - B -- 2009
Imagine entering a room full of strangers whose central focus is a guillotine, a hangman's noose, or

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UPCOMING WEEKS
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Proper 7 | OT 12 | Pentecost 2
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34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Proper 9 | OT 14 | Pentecost 4
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John Jamison
Object: A pig stuffed animal.

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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.

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