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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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.
A friend of mine used... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
A friend of mine used to say, "I can always find 1 Corinthians 15, because it's where I spilled my c
For 2,000 years there have... -- 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
For 2,000 years there have been inquiries concerning proof of the resurrection, and questions are st
Why do people visit cemeteries... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
Why do people visit cemeteries? What is it they expect to find?
Last November, evangelist Billy Graham... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
Last November, evangelist Billy Graham celebrated his ninetieth birthday. Dr.
The pastor regularly takes his... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - B -- 2009
The pastor regularly takes his confirmation class to the funeral home for a tour.
Today's reading in Acts sounds... -- Acts 4:32-35 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
Today's reading in Acts sounds like a wonderful dream, and at the same time it sounds like what was
The senior high youth group... -- Acts 4:32-35 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2009
The senior high youth group was at its beach retreat.

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New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
Tom Willadsen
Nazish Naseem
George Reed
Christopher Keating
For October 26, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
I am a scoreboard watcher. I follow a lot more games than I actually watch, but since technology makes it easy to check scores on a moment’s whim, I watch a lot of scoreboards of teams and games that I am at least mildly interested in. And as I check those scores, I find myself having immediate reactions: “Great!” “Oh, that's too bad.” “Excellent!” “Nuts.” And in the midst of that sports-fan roller coaster, I must continually remind myself that not all scores are final.
Bill Thomas
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Joel 2:22-32
Martin Luther sings the praises of God’s love revealed in this lesson. He wrote:

The love of God which lives in man loves sinners, evil persons, fools and weaklings in order to make them righteous, good, wise, and strong. Rather than seeking its own good, the love of God flows forth and bestows good. (Luther’s Works, Vol. 31, p.57)

John Wesley nicely summarizes the Spirit’s role in fighting the lure of our old sinful habits:

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: This message is a role-play story. You will need two children to play the roles of the Pharisee and the tax collector. I usually ask two children if they will help me as they are all coming forward for the message, but you may select them however you choose.

* * *

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, but your commandments are my delight.
Your statutes are always righteous; give me understanding that I may live.
(vv. 143-144)

When I was an associate pastor in Janesville, Wisconsin one of my responsibilities was to give a lecture on spirituality once a month at a drug treatment facility. The students who attended were persons who had been convicted of drunk driving and were required to attend the class as a condition of their sentence. Attendance was always good.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

We all dislike people who blow their own trumpets, although sometimes we may be in awe of them. Jesus too deplored such behaviour and was never in awe of those who practised it. In our worship today let us open ourselves to Jesus, allowing him to see what is in our hearts.



Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes we allow other people's behaviour to intimidate us.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes we refuse to reach our own fullest potential because we are afraid.

SermonStudio

Schuyler Rhodes
Every morning when sleep leaves and waking comes there is cause for praising God. Caught up, as we are, in the currents and eddies of our lives, this is easy to forget. This wonderful psalm is a reminder. God's bounty and abundance spill into our lives like waters over a causeway. God's delight in creation explodes in a million different colors. In every moment there is reason to give God praise.
Robert R. Kopp
When I was a little boy growing up in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania's First Presbyterian Church, one of those Christian chalk artists with black light, neon colors, and black felt canvas who made pictures of Jesus look like those Elvis portraits for sale on the side of the road at the beach showed up as entertainment for a Sunday evening potluck dinner.
John E. Berger
Today's sermon begins with this little one-person drama.
Mark Ellingson
Have you ever felt that you were absolutely at the end of your rope, left without hope? Sometime during the years of 539 B.C. to 331 B.C. that is the way the people of Judah felt. It seems that their land had been ravaged by a plague of locusts which had had catastrophic consequences.

Once a harvest has been destroyed, you cannot repair it. If a building has burned to the ground, you cannot repair it. In those instances you need to start from scratch with a fresh start.

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