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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

When David was made king... -- 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - B -- 2009
When David was made king of Judah, the nation of Israel became divided.
There was a time in... -- 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - B -- 2009
There was a time in the Battle of Britain when things looked dark indeed for the British people.
Two years after Dr. King’s... -- 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - B -- 2009
Two years after Dr.
In high school, Doug was... -- 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - B -- 2009
In high school, Doug was the one most often picked on by the macho-type boys.
In Mark Twain’s Life on... -- Mark 6:1-13 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - B -- 2009
In Mark Twain’s Life on the Mississippi, his chapter “A Cub-Pilot’s Experience” portrays a young man
Stephen came from a small... -- Mark 6:1-13 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - B -- 2009
Stephen came from a small, rural town, but through hard work and ambition, he became a successful CE
The people in Jesus’ hometown... -- Mark 6:1-13 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - B -- 2009
The people in Jesus’ hometown had failed to respond to his messiahship, but he still intensified eff
There’s a Hasidic tale about... -- 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 2009
There’s a Hasidic tale about a famous rabbi who accepted an invitation from a small village to come
One Sunday a liturgical dance... -- 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 2009
One Sunday a liturgical dance troupe from a nearby Christian college worshiped at church.
When liturgical dance was first... -- 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 2009
When liturgical dance was first introduced at the youth Easter Sunrise service, it was met with enth
Our new house was built... -- Ephesians 1:3-14 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 2009
Our new house was built on a new, small cul-de-sac.
Ellen Rankin’s novel, The Westing... -- Ephesians 1:3-14 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 2009
Ellen Rankin’s novel, The Westing Game, tells the story of sixteen people brought together in a biza
Once a young man received... -- Ephesians 1:3-14 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 2009
Once a young man received a Bible from his grandmother.
There is a story that... -- Mark 6:14-29 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 2009
There is a story that comes from an American visitor who went to Uganda.
Where’s Greg?” Anne asked the... -- Mark 6:14-29 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 2009
“Where’s Greg?” Anne asked the pastor minutes before worship, “I haven’t seen him in church for seve
Every time Jose Lima purchased... -- Mark 6:14-29 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 2009
Every time Jose Lima purchased a 6/49 lotto ticket (a Canadian lotto), he said, “If I win 6/49, big
We kidded our pastor friend... -- 2 Samuel 7:1-14a -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 2009
We kidded our pastor friend, Elwin, when his son received his doctorate in theology.
There is something about a... -- 2 Samuel 7:1-14a -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 2009
There is something about a house, and it runs deeper than the stitches on a “Home Sweet Home” sample
When God promises to bless... -- 2 Samuel 7:1-14a -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 2009
When God promises to bless the house of David, his immediate response is to go sit in God’s presence
There’s a story about a... -- Ephesians 2:11-22 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 2009
There’s a story about a Jesuit missionary who brought the Christian faith to a certain tribe of the
Clarence Day wrote the delightful... -- Ephesians 2:11-22 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 2009
Clarence Day wrote the delightful book, Life with Father.
Clergy see it all too... -- Ephesians 2:11-22 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 2009
Clergy see it all too often — families on one side of a marriage refusing to accept the choice their
One day Nicole was paging... -- Ephesians 2:11-22 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 2009
One day Nicole was paging through a photo album of vacation pictures.
On one of his first... -- Ephesians 2:11-22 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 2009
On one of his first hospital visits in his first parish, Paul visited an old trapper named Jack.
Jan Baalsrud fled Norway when... -- Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 2009
Jan Baalsrud fled Norway when Germany invaded in 1940.

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

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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