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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

We'd lived in Miles City... -- Acts 1:1-11 -- Ascension of the Lord - A -- 2008
We'd lived in Miles City, Montana, a few months when a man in Billings (two hours
The apostles asked Jesus the... -- Acts 1:1-11 -- Ascension of the Lord - A -- 2008
The apostles asked Jesus the question: "Is this the time when you will restore the
Many have scoffed at the... -- Acts 1:1-11 -- Ascension of the Lord - A -- 2008
Many have scoffed at the idea of the ascension of the Lord Jesus as told about in Acts
In the spring of 2005... -- Ephesians 1:15-23 -- Ascension of the Lord - A -- 2008
In the spring of 2005, students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology organized the
It was a great and... -- Ephesians 1:15-23 -- Ascension of the Lord - A -- 2008
It was a great and marvelous thing that Jesus did when he came to our earth and showed
Like many in her generation... -- Ephesians 1:15-23 -- Ascension of the Lord - A -- 2008
Like many in her generation, Holly stopped attending church when she was seventeen
Martin and Olga emigrated to... -- Ephesians 1:15-23 -- Ascension of the Lord - A -- 2008
Martin and Olga emigrated to the United States after World War II. Strangers to a new
By the age of eight... -- Luke 24:44-53 -- Ascension of the Lord - A -- 2008
By the age of eight years, Phil had figured out that memorizing and quoting the Bible was
Some people never doubt the... -- Luke 24:44-53 -- Ascension of the Lord - A -- 2008
Some people never doubt the Bible's veracity. I have. In different stages of my life, I've
A man living on a... -- Luke 24:44-53 -- Ascension of the Lord - A -- 2008
A man living on a small, run-down farm died penniless, or so they thought. When a road
Ben Campbell Johnson used to... -- Acts 1:6-14 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Ben Campbell Johnson used to be a professor of evangelism at Columbia Theological
The disciples didn't get it... -- Acts 1:6-14 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
The disciples didn't get it.
Gail and Patty have been... -- Acts 1:6-14 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Gail and Patty have been friends for many years, dating back to their days in high school.
Jack tells the story of... -- Acts 1:6-14 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Jack tells the story of his limp in this way: I suppose if we knew the outcome of our
Many Christians in Germany suffered... -- 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Many Christians in Germany suffered for resisting the idolatry of Nazism. Theologian
Unconventional! Crazy! Unworkable! That's probably... -- 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
"Unconventional! Crazy! Unworkable!" That's probably what Peter thought the first time
I believe the writer here... -- 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
I believe the writer here is pointing out that persecution is inevitable. It is not easy to be a
Anthony de Mello tells this... -- John 17:1-11 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Anthony de Mello tells this story.
Everyone knows John 3:16: For... -- John 17:1-11 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Everyone knows John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so
Fred began attending Sunday school... -- John 17:1-11 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
Fred began attending Sunday school when he was just a baby. "My family lived a mile
What greater joy for any... -- John 17:1-11 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - A -- 2008
What greater joy for any church than to have a faithful Sunday school staff. These
These Christians in Acts 2... -- Acts 2:1-21 -- Day of Pentecost - A -- 2008
These Christians in Acts 2 aren't the priesthood's hierarchy or the temple's choir. They
One lesson of Pentecost is... -- Acts 2:1-21 -- Day of Pentecost - A -- 2008
One lesson of Pentecost is a call and reminder to "take time to be holy."
Bruce Springsteen sings of an... -- 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 -- Day of Pentecost - A -- 2008
Bruce Springsteen sings of an old friend who is stuck back in the "glory days" of his high
Violet Little was troubled, there... -- 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 -- Day of Pentecost - A -- 2008
Violet Little was troubled, there in the city of Philadelphia, when she saw a homeless

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UPCOMING WEEKS
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Proper 7 | OT 12 | Pentecost 2
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4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Proper 9 | OT 14 | Pentecost 4
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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
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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