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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

At the time of this... -- Luke 24:13-35 -- Third Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
At the time of this writing, some devastating forest fires are burning in California. About
Human beings have a natural... -- Luke 24:13-35 -- Third Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Human beings have a natural hunger and need for companionship. Loneliness, feeling
When my son was six... -- Luke 24:13-35 -- Third Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
When my son was six or seven, he asked me to explain Jesus' death and resurrection. In
When we moved into the... -- Luke 24:13-35 -- Third Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
When we moved into the retirement center where we now live, we passed on the family
A farmer named Bert traveled... -- Acts 2:42-47 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
A farmer named Bert traveled from his home in rural Maine to faraway Boston. There he
A faith community that could... -- Acts 2:42-47 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
A faith community that could no longer afford its building decided to make the jump, sell
At a church meeting, someone... -- Acts 2:42-47 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
At a church meeting, someone asked why the church no longer held social events. The
Vitamins are essential for our... -- Acts 2:42-47 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Vitamins are essential for our health. Vitamin A is important for good eyesight, for
Benjamin Weir was a missionary... -- 1 Peter 2:19-25 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Benjamin Weir was a missionary in Lebanon for 31 years. On May 8, 1984, he was
Do you walk in Jesus... -- 1 Peter 2:19-25 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Do you walk in Jesus' path? We encourage one another to love as Jesus loved and forgive
Sheep can be very stubborn... -- 1 Peter 2:19-25 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Sheep can be very stubborn, disobedient, and self-willed. I remember one time when I
For God's sake! Won't someone... -- John 10:1-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
"For God's sake! Won't someone help me?" the voice cries. "I'm dying!"
A New Zealander explains what... -- John 10:1-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
A New Zealander explains what happens to sheep without a shepherd: They will find
When Crystal began attending church... -- John 10:1-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
When Crystal began attending church people thought she was a wonderful Christian.
Home burglaries happen every day... -- John 10:1-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Home burglaries happen every day. And although it is true that if a thief wants in your
The 22-year-old daughter... -- Acts 7:55-60 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
The 22-year-old daughter of Bob and Goldie Bristol was raped and killed. Such things
Nearly every time I play... -- Acts 7:55-60 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Nearly every time I play racquetball, one of my opponents catches me on the backside
In the checkout line, a... -- Acts 7:55-60 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
In the checkout line, a young girl reaches for a candy bar. Her mother grabs her, and
Lord, do not hold this... -- Acts 7:55-60 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
"Lord, do not hold this sin against them." Stephen dies with this prayer on his lips,
The defeated Napoleon, one of... -- 1 Peter 2:2-10 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
The defeated Napoleon, one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever seen, lived out
In Ireland and the northeastern... -- 1 Peter 2:2-10 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
In Ireland and the northeastern United States, it is common to see traditional fences made
Drew is not what one... -- 1 Peter 2:2-10 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Drew is not what one would think of a college student. He does not attend wild, late-night
When the new church was... -- 1 Peter 2:2-10 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
When the new church was built upon the ruins of the old church, a cornerstone was set in
In the original Greek, the... -- John 14:1-14 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
In the original Greek, the gospel of John doesn't use the nouns "faith" or "belief," only the
Do not let your hearts... -- John 14:1-14 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
"Do not let your hearts be troubled." According to John's gospel, Jesus said this in the

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The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
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New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
George Reed
For October 19, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Jeremiah 31:27-34
John Calvin makes very clear why a new covenant is needed according to this text. He observes:

… the fault was not to be sought in the law that there was need of a new covenant, for the law was abundantly sufficient, but that fault was in the levity and the unfaithfulness of the people. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.X/2, p.130)
David Coffin
What happens when one’s past life narrative or goals in life have drastically shifted or collapsed? How do they rebuild hope? For Israel, they lost their land, monarchy, and national identity. In the days of the New Testament,they could easily be identified as living in the “fourth world” country. That is, existing in substandard conditions in one’s own native land?

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
Rose sat back in her chair and opened her magazine. She heard the thump of the stairs and caught a glimpse of her daughter and son in the corner of her eye. She turned her head as they put water bottles in their backpacks.

“What are you two doing?” she looked over at the clock. “Don’t you have homework?”

“All done,” Paul and Linda announced at the same time.

Rose ignored Linda but locked eyes with Paul. He met her gaze for a few moments and then sighed.

“Okay, I’m almost done but still have some math questions,” he admitted.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus told us that we should always pray and not lose heart, for God is on our side. In our worship today let us pray to the Lord for the needs of others and for all our own needs.


Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes you don't seem to be there when I pray and I feel like I'm talking to myself.

Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes my prayers seem so dry and boring that I give up.

Christ, have mercy.

SermonStudio

James Evans
Psalm 119 is well-known as the longest chapter in the Bible. The poem is actually an extended, and extensive, meditation on the meaning of the law. Given the sterile connotations often associated with "law" and "legalism," it's hard sometimes to appreciate the lyrical beauty of these reflections. One thing is for certain, the writer of this psalm does not view the law as either sterile or void of vitality.

Schuyler Rhodes
There is perhaps no better feeling than knowing that someone "has your back." Having someone's back is a term that arose from urban street fighting where a partner or ally would stay with you and protect your back in the thick of the fray. When someone has your back, you don't worry about being hit from behind. When someone has your back you can concentrate on the struggle in front of you without worrying about dangers you cannot see. When someone has your back you feel protected, secure, safe.
David Kalas
I wonder how many of us here are named after someone.

Chances are that a good many of us carry family names. We are named for a parent, a grandparent, an uncle, or an aunt somewhere on the family tree. Others of us had parents who named us after a character in the Bible, or perhaps some other significant character from history.

All told, I expect a pretty fair number of us are named after someone else.

John W. Clarke
Our reading today from the prophet Jeremiah is one in which the Hebrew people, not knowing what else to do in terms of addressing their predicament, decide to blame it all on God. They believed their problems to be the result of their sins and the sins of their fathers. Of course, one person's sin does indeed affect other people, but all people are still held personally accountable for the sin in their own lives (Deuteronomy 24:16; Ezekiel 18:2).
Donna E. Schaper
As usual, the epistle is a little more graphic than we can quite grasp. Itchy ears: what a concept just in physical terms. Experience it for a minute. You itch, you scratch, you sort of know you shouldn't scratch because it will only make the itch worse. But still you scratch, while wondering how the itch ever got started in the first place. What a concept: itchy ears as a vehicle for spiritual truth.

John E. Berger
Did Jesus ever do comedy? Indeed he did, and the Parable of the Unjust Judge is partly comic monologue. The routine began with a probate judge so ridiculously dishonest that he announced, "... I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone...." (There must have been a gasp of disbelief from Jesus' audience.)

The Unjust Judge was nagged by a widow, however, who had every right to nag, because she had been cheated by somebody in the community. A good judge would have helped the widow, but remember, this judge "neither feared God nor had respect for people."

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And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? (v. 7)

Good morning, boys and girls. Yesterday, I was riding in my car and I kept hearing this noise. I call it a squeak. Do you know what a squeak sounds like? (let them answer) Squeaks are very annoying. It is hard to find a squeak in your car, so it is still squeaking.

I also have a chair that has a squeak and I brought it in with me today because it is

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