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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Jesus speaks of the hundredfold... -- Mark 10:17-31 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 1997
Jesus speaks of the hundredfold reward the faithful disciple will receive in return for forsaking al
A six-year-old girl... -- Mark 10:2-16 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - B -- 1997
A six-year-old girl who had become seriously ill needed a blood transfusion.
Had Charles V, ruler of... -- Matthew 6:25-33 -- Thanksgiving Day - B -- 1997
Had Charles V, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, heeded Jesus' words about which kingdom to seek, he
When the great Dutch artist... -- Revelation 1:4b-8 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 1997
When the great Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh was hospitalized in 1889, he created a striking paintin
There are certain events in... -- Hebrews 9:24-28 -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - B -- 1997
There are certain events in history that can be considered turning points.
Every national holiday we are... -- Mark 13:1-8 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 1997
Every national holiday we are urged to be watchful of our hard-won freedoms.
Thornton Wilder, in the play... -- John 11:32-44 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1997
Thornton Wilder, in the play Our Town, asks deeper questions about the quality of one's life.
An advocate with authority is... -- John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 -- 1997
An advocate with authority is what we need most desperately.
Jesus' prayer for his followers... -- John 17:6-19 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - B -- 1997
Jesus' prayer for his followers linked their living in the Truth (in Christ) with protection from th
Charles Townsend Copeland, beloved Harvard... -- Luke 24:44-53 -- Ascension of the Lord - B -- 1997
Charles Townsend Copeland, beloved Harvard University professor of English, was well known for his e
Jesus regularly used natural emergencies... -- Mark 4:35-41 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - B -- 1997
Jesus regularly used natural emergencies to bring the faithful closer to God.
To touch or be touched... -- Mark 5:21-43 -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - B -- 1997
To touch or be touched by Jesus is to be given new life.
When the Lord's Day, or... -- Mark 2:23--3:6 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - B -- 1997
When the Lord's Day, or any other gift from God, becomes an occasion for idolatry, we succeed in mis
Following Jesus is a challenge... -- John 2:13-22 -- 1997
Following Jesus is a challenge.
The subject is courage. John... -- Mark 6:14-29 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 1997
The subject is courage. John the Baptist was a prophet with the courage of his convictions.
Jesus was very wise in... -- John 6:56-69 -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 1997
Jesus was very wise in his use of metaphors with which to explain himself.
Dependency in relationships in recent... -- John 6:35, 41-51 -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - B -- 1997
Dependency in relationships in recent years has become a sign of weakness to be avoided at all cost
If you were to take... -- John 6:24-35 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - B -- 1997
"If you were to take the sum total of all the authoritative articles ever written by the most quali
We always want new people... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 1997
We always want new people in our midst.
All he had worked for... -- Mark 1:14-20 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B -- 1997
All he had worked for was going to pieces now that John was going to prison.
What team are you on... -- Matthew 25:31-46 -- New Year's Day - B -- 1997
What team are you on? Or what team do you root for? Whose side are you on?
He said to me, Here... -- Mark 1:9-15 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 1997
He said to me, "Here is a map for the journey ahead.
Elisabeth Elliot, in her book... -- 1 Peter 4:12-19 -- 1997
Elisabeth Elliot, in her book The Savage, My Kinsman, relates the massacre of her husband and
Some seminary students are required... -- John 1:1-14 -- 1997
Some seminary students are required to take a New Testament Greek reading course in which class memb
The birth of a child... -- Luke 2:1-20 -- 1997
The birth of a child can be an awesome event in the life of any person. It was 12:05 a.m.

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Proper 7 | OT 12 | Pentecost 2
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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.

Special Occasion

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