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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

In preparation for graduation, the... -- Jeremiah 31:7-14 -- Second Sunday after Christmas - B -- 2008
In preparation for graduation, the pastor who would deliver the baccalaureate message requested a me
After the US-lead invasion... -- Jeremiah 31:7-14 -- Second Sunday after Christmas - B -- 2008
After the US-lead invasion of Iraq, thousands of doctors fled that country due to killings and kidna
In Stephen Harrigan's novel, The... -- Ephesians 1:3-14 -- Second Sunday after Christmas - B -- 2008
In Stephen Harrigan's novel, The Gates of the Alamo, the character Edmund remembers his mothe
Paul proclaims a time of... -- Ephesians 1:3-14 -- Second Sunday after Christmas - B -- 2008
Paul proclaims a time of thanksgiving for the gift of Jesus Christ.
Do not save me from... -- Ephesians 1:3-14 -- Second Sunday after Christmas - B -- 2008
"Do not save me from death; save me from life!" the character Lilia cries to Joshua in Cecil DeMille
We are who we are... -- Ephesians 1:3-14 -- Second Sunday after Christmas - B -- 2008
We are who we are, not because of our own doing, but by the grace of God.
What would a Christmas pageant... -- John 1:(1-9) 10-18 -- Second Sunday after Christmas - B -- 2008
What would a Christmas pageant based on the gospel of John look like?
There's a story about a... -- John 1:(1-9) 10-18 -- Second Sunday after Christmas - B -- 2008
There's a story about a kindergarten teacher who asked a boy what he was drawing.
An outdoor billboard, near a... -- John 1:(1-9) 10-18 -- Second Sunday after Christmas - B -- 2008
An outdoor billboard, near a busy interstate highway, has the message, "Jesus is Real" in large lett
Rachel worked hard to establish... -- John 1:(1-9) 10-18 -- Second Sunday after Christmas - B -- 2008
Rachel worked hard to establish a new support group.
In Hollywood, some movie premiers... -- Isaiah 60:1-6 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2008
In Hollywood, some movie premiers are accompanied by massive searchlights rotating across the sky.
Many years ago in England... -- Isaiah 60:1-6 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2008
Many years ago in England a circus elephant named Bozo was very popular with the public.
Ray Bradbury's short story, All... -- Isaiah 60:1-6 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2008
Ray Bradbury's short story, All Summer in a Day, deals with the fictional human colonization
I have always loved to... -- Isaiah 60:1-6 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2008
I have always loved to sing songs about stars.
It was one of the... -- Ephesians 3:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2008
It was one of the strangest and most marvelous things ever to happen in the city of New York: a city
A telemarketer called a home... -- Ephesians 3:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2008
A telemarketer called a home one day, and a small voice whispered, "Hello?"
For the last decade, Beth... -- Ephesians 3:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2008
For the last decade, Beth has invited her neighbors to her home the first week in January.
One of life's frustrating mysteries... -- Ephesians 3:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2008
One of life's frustrating mysteries: Why is it so hard to swat a fly?
Six seminarians had met weekly... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2008
Six seminarians had met weekly in their externship with Don, the denomination's executive in their c
The word is deceit. Herod... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2008
The word is "deceit." Herod had no intention to go to the birthplace of Jesus and pay homage.
A mother and daughter were... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2008
A mother and daughter were driving home from a trip to the city.
On Epiphany we celebrate the... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 2008
On Epiphany we celebrate the original gift-giving, the gifts of the magi, whose example is why we gi
The first chapter of Genesis... -- Genesis 1:1-5 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B -- 2008
The first chapter of Genesis was probably edited into its final form during the Babylonian exile.
In September 1915 a small... -- Genesis 1:1-5 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B -- 2008
In September 1915 a small steamboat carried a world-famous medical missionary slowly up Africa's Ogo
In the beginning it was... -- Genesis 1:1-5 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B -- 2008
In the beginning it was nine o'clock, so God had to go to work.

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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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