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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Sermon Illustrations For Maundy Thursday (2023) -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bill Thomas, Ron Love, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates, M Adryael Tong -- Maundy Thursday - A -- 2023
Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14
Sermon Illustrations For Passion Sunday (2023) -- Isaiah 50:4-9a, Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 26:14--27:66, Psalm 31:9-16, Matthew 27:11-54 -- Bill Thomas, Mark Ellingsen, Bonnie Bates, Frank Ramirez -- Passion Sunday - A -- 2023
Isaiah 50:5-9a
Sermon Illustrations for Baptism of Our Lord (2023) -- Isaiah 42:1-9, Acts 10:34-43, Matthew 3:13-17 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bonnie Bates, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - A -- 2023
Isaiah 42:1-9
Sermon Illustrations For Epiphany 4 | OT 4 (2023) -- Micah 6:1-8, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Matthew 5:1-12 -- Bill Thomas, Mark Ellingsen, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - A -- 2023
Micah 6:1-8
Sermon Illustrations For Epiphany 3 (2023) -- Isaiah 9:1-4, 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, Matthew 4:12-23 -- Bonnie Bates, Bill Thomas, Mark Ellingsen, Frank Ramirez -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - A -- 2023
Isaiah 9:1-4
Sermon Illustrations For Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 (2023) -- Isaiah 49:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, John 1:29-42 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bonnie Bates, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - A -- 2023
Isaiah 49:1-7
Sermon Illustrations for Christmas 1 (2023) -- Isaiah 63:7-9, Hebrews 2:10-18, Matthew 2:13-23 -- Mark Ellingsen, Frank Ramirez, Bonnie Bates, Bill Thomas -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A -- 2023
Isaiah 63:7-9
Sermon Illustrations for Advent 2 (2023) -- Isaiah 40:1-11, 2 Peter 3:8-15a, Mark 1:1-8 -- Bonnie Bates, Bill Thomas, Mark Ellingsen, Frank Ramirez -- Second Sunday of Advent - B -- 2023
Isaiah 40:1-11
Sermon Illustrations For Epiphany 5 (2023) -- Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12), 1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16), Matthew 5:13-20 -- Bill Thomas, Mark Ellingsen, Bonnie Bates, Frank Ramirez -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - A -- 2023
Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)
Sermon Illustrations for Epiphany of Our Lord (2023) -- Isaiah 60:1-6, Ephesians 3:1-12, Matthew 2:1-12 -- Mark Ellingsen, Bonnie Bates, Bill Thomas, Frank Ramirez -- Epiphany of the Lord - A -- 2023
Isaiah 60:1-6

Commentary

Emphasis Preaching Journal

With God, You Can Always Get a Fresh Start -- John 11:1-45, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Romans 8:6-11 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 2023
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Sacrificial Service -- Isaiah 50:4-9a, Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 27:11-54 -- David Coffin -- Passion Sunday - A -- 2023
In most churches I have served this is the week of Palm Sunday.
Sharing the Table -- John 13:1-17, 31b-35, Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Maundy Thursday - A -- 2023
Fred Craddock once flew to Winnipeg, Manitoba, to speak at a church conference.
Lost and Found! -- Matthew 28:1-10, Colossians 3:1-4, Acts 10:34-43, Jeremiah 31:1-6 -- Frank Ramirez -- Easter Day - A -- 2023
The promise of the resurrection is not only for Jesus, but for all who are lost – we shall be found.
A Love Relationship, More or Less -- John 18:1--19:42, Hebrews 10:16-25, Isaiah 52:13--53:12 -- David Kalas -- Good Friday - A -- 2023
I have lived long enough to discover the truth of this principle time and again.
Christ and His Resurrection Have Their Way with Us -- John 20:19-31, Acts 2:14a, 22-32, 1 Peter 1:3-9 -- Mark Ellingsen -- Second Sunday of Easter - A -- 2023
The lessons and the theme of the Second Sunday of Easter testify to how Christ and his resurrection
Connecting the Dots -- Luke 24:13-35, Acts 2:14a, 36-41, 1 Peter 1:17-23 -- David Coffin -- Third Sunday of Easter - A -- 2023
On this third Sunday of Easter, where does one find the new life of the Easter season?
A People Belonging to God -- John 10:1-10, Acts 2:42-47, 1 Peter 2:19-25 -- Wayne Brouwer -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2023
You remember the story... Abraham was a great old man, probably 125 or so!
Living Toward a Destination -- John 14:1-14, Acts 7:55-60, 1 Peter 2:2-10 -- David Kalas -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2023
Every day, multiple times a day, we are on our way somewhere.
Where Is God Found? -- John 14:15-21, Acts 17:22-31, 1 Peter 3:13-22 -- Frank Ramirez -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2023
Where is God to be found? Not in shrines made by human hands. God is in our midst.

Political Pulpit

Communicating God's Love

The Political Pulpit

Guest column

Sermon

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
Mary Austin
Alyssa Spradlin
For November 1, 2026:
Christopher Keating
Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
Mary Austin
Alyssa Spradlin
For November 1, 2026:

CSSPlus

Wesley T. Runk
The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Good morning boys and girls. Does anyone here remember someone saying, “I am the greatest?” I remember hearing it many times by a prize fighter named Ali. Does anyone here remember Muhammed Ali? He used to say a lot of things and he was a very good boxer. He told everyone that he saw that he was “the greatest of all time.” Wow! Not many people say those kind of things about themselves.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Sandra Herrmann
What is a saint?

According to the Roman Catholic church, a saint is a holy person who has been elevated by God to heaven, there to pray for those of us who need their help. There is a three-step process: the request by those who knew the person in life, and who attest to their holiness; a witness by at least two people that they asked the candidate to pray for them and their prayer was granted in a miraculous way; and an investigation by the Vatican into all this evidence. The declaration is made by the pope.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the people how they could be blessed by God and experience God's kingdom. In our worship today let us explore the Sermon on the Mount.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I'm full of pride instead of being poor in spirit.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm overbearing and pushy, instead of being meek.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm not exactly pure in heart.
Lord, have mercy.

Reading:

StoryShare

John S. Smylie
Keith Hewitt
Bryan Meadows
Frank Ramirez
Contents
What's Up This Week
"The Fifth Gospel" by John Smylie
"The Burden" by Keith Hewitt
"Up Stream" by Bryan Meadows
"A Magical Little Poem" by Frank Ramirez


What's Up This Week
John S. Smylie
Keith Hewitt
Bryan Meadows
Frank Ramirez
Contents
What's Up This Week
"The Fifth Gospel" by John Smylie
"The Burden" by Keith Hewitt
"Up Stream" by Bryan Meadows
"A Magical Little Poem" by Frank Ramirez


What's Up This Week
Keith Hewitt
Larry Winebrenner
Peter Andrew Smith
Constance Berg
Sandra Herrmann
Contents
"New Leadership" by Sandra Herrmann
"Lost" by Keith Hewitt
"Three Paths for the End of October" by Larry Winebrenner
"Ahmad's Final Lesson" by Larry Winebrenner
"Freedom to Live" by Peter Andrew Smith
"The Fullness of Life" by Constance Berg


* * * * * * * *


New Leadership
by Sandra Herrmann
Joshua 3:7-17
Keith Hewitt
Larry Winebrenner
Peter Andrew Smith
Constance Berg
Sandra Herrmann
Contents
"New Leadership" by Sandra Herrmann
"Lost" by Keith Hewitt
"Three Paths for the End of October" by Larry Winebrenner
"Ahmad's Final Lesson" by Larry Winebrenner
"Freedom to Live" by Peter Andrew Smith
"The Fullness of Life" by Constance Berg


* * * * * * * *


New Leadership
by Sandra Herrmann
Joshua 3:7-17

SermonStudio

Mary S. Lautensleger
"Surprise! You're adopted!" If you were to hear those words from a trusted relative, surprise would be an understatement, I'm sure. Total shock would probably be more descriptive terminology for your emotional state as you examined the official court record and your original birth certificate. "Adopted" does describe each of us though, because we have been adopted by God into God's family. How do we know? The Bible tells us so.
James L. Killen, Jr.
When we put together the collection of things that we can believe, we need to ask a question about the person in the middle of the inquiry. What can we believe about ourselves? We don't often ask that question but it is a very important one. Some people are oppressed by low self-esteem. Others are led astray by exaggerated images of themselves. It is important to get a realistic understanding of who we are -- and of who we can be. The Bible has something to say on the subject that may surprise you. Are you ready? Hold on to your hat. The Bible says you were created and called to be saints.
Argile Smith
At an office meeting, Ben got the official news that he would become the manager of one of the most influential departments in the company. His colleagues admired him because of his tireless work, and they respected him as a dependable person in whom they could place their trust. They were glad when they found out that he had gotten the promotion. In order to celebrate the news with him, they bought him a gift. Well, it was actually more like a gag-gift, the kind that he would place on his shelf and chuckle over every time he saw it.
Joseph M. Freeman
Maybe both the best and the worst of us in humanity are far better preachers than we are doers and deliverers of what we preach and teach. And maybe maturity has everything to do with our genuine willingness to bring a greater congruity between our esteemed words and those actions compatible with, not contradictory of, those words. Jesus, fully divine and fully human, loved and valued not just the right deeds, but also the right motives and attitudes.
Mary Sue Dehmlow Dreier
Commotion At The Communion Rail

Tommy didn't budge.

When everyone else got up to leave the communion rail, he stayed kneeling. His folded hands were perched on the rail, and his little head was bowed so far down that his forehead was squinched against his thumb knuckles. His eyes were closed hopefully, as if he were waiting for a big present.
Charles L. Aaron, Jr.
As the movie Contact opens, the audience sees a precocious girl named Eleanor learning how to use a ham radio. Nicknamed "Sparks" by her father, she has reached a man in Florida, and is excited that her radio lets her speak with someone so far away. In a later scene she asks her father wistfully if she can call her deceased mother on the radio. He responds sadly that no antenna is big enough.
George L. Murphy
You know that old saying, "Be careful what you wish for, because it might come true"? We see examples of that again and again in life. During the war in Iraq, Hampton Sides, a journalist who had been slated to be "embedded" with one of our frontline Marine battalions, gave an interview on NRP (National Public Radio). At almost the last possible moment, Sides decided not to go with the Marines, but instead to report from Central Command in Qatar.
Richard C. Brand
It seems fair to say that the saints of the Lord have always shown us what it is to be worthy of God. It is why we remember them and rejoice for them. They have shown us what a life worthy of God might look like. To talk about the saints, we may talk about Kagawa in Japan, about Mother Teresa, about Bishop Tutu and Nelson Mandela, about D. T. Niles in India, and about Saint Patrick in Ireland. To know the stories of Dorothy Day in New York City and Oscar Romero in Latin America is to have examples of what it means to lead lives worthy of the God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
Amy C. Schifrin
Martha Shonkwiler
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