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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

King Edward VIII of England... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - B -- 2009
King Edward VIII of England had a choice -- love or throne.
The greatest saga ever written... -- Mark 14:1--15:47 -- Passion Sunday - B -- 2009
The greatest saga ever written: this weeklong journey from Palm Sunday to Easter morning.
Mel Gibson's The Passion of... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - B -- 2009
Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ presents many historical inaccuracies.
The centurion at the foot... -- Mark 14:1--15:47 -- Passion Sunday - B -- 2009
The centurion at the foot of the cross had the kind of faith Jesus had called for throughout his ear
This passage from Exodus comes... -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2009
This passage from Exodus comes from the biblical instructions for the Passover Seder meal: it is to
During Holy Week many churches... -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2009
During Holy Week many churches act out various scenes of the Passion.
It might seem silly now... -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2009
It might seem silly now, but at the time it seemed so important.
In medieval times, when Catholicism... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2009
In medieval times, when Catholicism blanketed Europe and society demanded attendance at church, comm
I can't smell lilacs without... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2009
I can't smell lilacs without thinking of myself as a schoolboy stepping from my parents' house and w
For the apostle Paul and... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2009
For the apostle Paul and for us today, holy communion is central to our worship service.
The basin of foot washing... -- John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2009
The basin of foot washing is not the only basin in the story of Jesus' Passion. There is another.
Melvin acknowledges that Holy Week... -- John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Maundy Thursday - B -- 2009
Melvin acknowledges that Holy Week is a somber and subdued time as Christians recall the last earthy
Ronald Dahl wrote a short... -- Isaiah 52:13--53:12 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
Ronald Dahl wrote a short story called "Lamb to the Slaughter," about a woman who killed her husband
Two movies have been made... -- Isaiah 52:13--53:12 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
Two movies have been made adapting Elleston Trevor's novel The Flight of the Phoenix. In a sa
The prophet Isaiah offers a... -- Isaiah 52:13--53:12 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
The prophet Isaiah offers a glimmer of hope, assuring the people of Israel that salvation and a new
Once there was a priest... -- Hebrews 10:16-25 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
Once there was a priest who struggled with forgiveness. He lived in the Philippines.
By Good Friday morning the... -- Hebrews 10:16-25 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
By Good Friday morning the disciples might very well have asked themselves, "How could everything go
She had a way about... -- Hebrews 10:16-25 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
She had a way about her, there was no doubting that.
Part of the reason this... -- John 18:1--19:42 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
Part of the reason this Good Friday gospel speaks to us is because of the way it is told.
When we were children, my... -- John 18:1--19:42 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
When we were children, my neighbor and I went hunting with our fathers.
Tonight we stand at the... -- John 18:1--19:42 -- Good Friday - B -- 2009
Tonight we stand at the foot of the cross.
Clarence Jordan wrote The Cotton... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
Clarence Jordan wrote The Cotton Patch Gospel, a version of the New Testament in the dialect
Linda and Lee bought a... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
Linda and Lee bought a forty-foot sailboat and lived aboard it sailing from Alaska to Mexico and bac
Fred and Anna lived next... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
Fred and Anna lived next to an Indian Reservation.
Victor Hugo's lengthy novel Les... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
Victor Hugo's lengthy novel Les Miserables begins with an act of grace.

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UPCOMING WEEKS
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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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