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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Gambling, once restricted to Nevada... -- John 18:1--19:42 -- Good Friday - A -- 2008
Gambling, once restricted to Nevada, Jersey City, racetracks, and back-room gaming
Albert Einstein many times spoke... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - A -- 2008
Albert Einstein many times spoke of how a scientific hypothesis "works." He said that "A
What Peter told Captain Cornelius... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - A -- 2008
What Peter told Captain Cornelius and his family went far beyond the bounds of political
A Sunday school teacher was... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - A -- 2008
A Sunday school teacher was hoping to have her class involved in some creative
Love is not praising each... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - A -- 2008
Love is not praising each other nor criticizing each other. As the Zen Buddhists say so
My son came home one... -- Acts 10:34-43 -- Easter Day - A -- 2008
My son came home one day from football practice and said to me, "Dad, the team we are
Malcolm Ellis, an Episcopal priest... -- Colossians 3:1-4 -- Easter Day - A -- 2008
Malcolm Ellis, an Episcopal priest in St. Paul, Minnesota, tells a story of his daughter,
A good friend took me... -- Colossians 3:1-4 -- Easter Day - A -- 2008
A good friend took me aside a few years ago and said, "Look. You talk about Jesus. But
To demonstrate the new life... -- Colossians 3:1-4 -- Easter Day - A -- 2008
To demonstrate the new life we have in Christ, on Easter Sunday people at Willow Creek
Lying on our backs as... -- Colossians 3:1-4 -- Easter Day - A -- 2008
Lying on our backs as children, on a dark summer night, we were amazed at the many
Arthur Ashe died February 6... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - A -- 2008
Arthur Ashe died February 6, 1993. He hadn't played tennis for years because of his heart
Many theorize that Jesus didn't... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - A -- 2008
Many theorize that Jesus didn't want Mary to hold onto him because following his
The year was 1815. Napoleon... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - A -- 2008
The year was 1815. Napoleon, who had been defeated, escaped imprisonment, and led
In the early '90s, I... -- Acts 2:14a, 22-32 -- Second Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
In the early '90s, I lived in Santa Barbara, California, and attended a dynamic, renewing,
A Jewish woman who knew... -- Acts 2:14a, 22-32 -- Second Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
A Jewish woman who knew nothing about Jesus and absolutely nothing about
Leroy was in his early... -- Acts 2:14a, 22-32 -- Second Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Leroy was in his early seventies when he took an in-depth Bible study class at his church.
King David's tomb is located... -- Acts 2:14a, 22-32 -- Second Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
King David's tomb is located on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. The cenotaph is draped in red
Thomas S. Kuhn's The Structure... -- 1 Peter 1:3-9 -- Second Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Thomas S. Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions deals with how our
People live and die with... -- 1 Peter 1:3-9 -- Second Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
People live and die with many kinds of hopes. My dad always hoped that "his ship would
It is fitting to remember... -- 1 Peter 1:3-9 -- Second Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
It is fitting to remember, this first Sunday after Easter, the appearances Jesus made to his
Before he was the nationally... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Before he was the nationally famous chaplain at Yale University, before he was the
Abraham Lincoln never claimed to... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Abraham Lincoln never claimed to be a Christian. His closest friends were in agreement
Brittney says she did not... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Brittney says she did not go to church with her family much while growing up. In
Sandra and Elena came bounding... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Sandra and Elena came bounding out of the school. "Mr. Winter has given us the period
In my senior year of... -- Acts 2:14a, 36-41 -- Third Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
In my senior year of high school, I asked my friend, Kathy, to go to the prom with me;

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John Jamison
Object: A pig stuffed animal.

* * *

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
Bonnie Bates

1 Kings 19:1-4 (5-7) 8-15a and Psalm 42-43
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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