Login / Signup

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Hold down Ctrl (Windows) / Command (Mac) for multiple selections (scroll list to see all options)

Commentary

Communicating God's Love

Guest column

Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

How do you get into... -- Revelation 7:9-17 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
How do you get into the party that ends all parties? Getting ready for a party, the husband
A friend tells of her... -- Revelation 7:9-17 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
A friend tells of her experience on a sheep farm. She had no farm knowledge, so she
In the fourth century when... -- Revelation 7:9-17 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
In the fourth century when the Roman Empire was crumbling and the foundation of all
I was talking to somebody... -- John 10:22-30 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
I was talking to somebody not long ago who said, "You know, I used to believe in God;
David was a confused young... -- John 10:22-30 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
David was a confused young boy. He was caught in a web of family violence which he
Ruth and her mother began... -- John 10:22-30 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Ruth and her mother began talking by phone when she was away at college. Mother and
Our neighbor's two-story house... -- John 10:22-30 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Our neighbor's two-story house featured wide eaves. Birds loved to build nests in their
An English officer by the... -- Acts 5:27-32 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
An English officer by the name of Payne Best, captured by the Nazis during World War
Martin Luther King Jr. was... -- Acts 5:27-32 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Martin Luther King Jr. was an example of a man who believed one must obey God rather
For over a year, Kate... -- Acts 5:27-32 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
For over a year, Kate heard stories of devastation following Hurricane Katrina. People
Few Christians seem to realize... -- Acts 5:27-32 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Few Christians seem to realize they have a constant companion. He arrives at our baptism
John begins, as was the... -- Revelation 1:4b-8, Revelation 1:4-8 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
John begins, as was the custom of ancient letter writing, by placing the return address in
The titles we give people... -- Revelation 1:4b-8, Revelation 1:4-8 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
The titles we give people are very important. They communicate power, authority,
During the Civil War, Sherman... -- Revelation 1:4b-8, Revelation 1:4-8 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
During the Civil War, Sherman was making progress in his march to Atlanta. General
Many things happen because of... -- Revelation 1:4b-8, Revelation 1:4-8 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Many things happen because of Easter. Lions lie down with lambs. Swords are turned
No doubt, the resurrection was... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
No doubt, the resurrection was a spectacular miracle. But who says all miracles have to
When Greg MacAleese, a police... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
When Greg MacAleese, a police officer in Albuquerque, came up with his idea of having
Roy and Andrea had just... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Roy and Andrea had just joined the church. They were new to the community and found
If you ask most believers... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
If you ask most believers about how they express their faith, they usually mention that
Once upon a time, the... -- Acts 11:1-18 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Once upon a time, the colors of the world started to quarrel. All claimed to be the best,
In many churches, holy communion... -- Acts 11:1-18 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
In many churches, holy communion is served from the "common cup" rather than or in
Neighborhood teenagers began hanging out... -- Acts 11:1-18 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Neighborhood teenagers began hanging out on the weekends on the steps of a city
Our world suffers color, ethnic... -- Acts 11:1-18 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Our world suffers color, ethnic, and racial divisions. The early church faced prejudice
We're used to infomercials with... -- Revelation 21:1-6 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
We're used to infomercials with their "But wait..." Before television, marketers printed
Have you ever gone shell... -- Revelation 21:1-6 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - C -- 2007
Have you ever gone shell hunting at an ocean beach? I well remember the beautiful shells

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

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."

CSSPlus

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

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL