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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

John Bennett explained his New... -- John 2:13-22 -- 1997
John Bennett explained his New Era organization as follows: "We consider ourselves ...
A new magazine was being... -- John 15:1-8 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 1997
A new magazine was being launched. The descriptive mailer was designed to catch your imagination.
Is the symbol of the... -- John 10:11-18 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - B -- 1997
Is the symbol of the Good Shepherd relevant to the modern condominium dweller?
John Maxwell, west coast pastor... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 1997
John Maxwell, west coast pastor, has a sermon titled, "Feed Your Faith, Starve Your Doubts!" Doubtin
There seems to be no... -- Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - B -- 1997
There seems to be no end to the work.
It's too much! Wow! Five... -- John 6:1-21 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - B -- 1997
It's too much! Wow! Five thousand people fed and we do not understand how! Walking on the water?
Mother Hubbard went to the... -- Mark 6:1-13 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - B -- 1997
Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to get her poor dog a bone. It was a reasonable thing to do.
Jim McClendon tells the story... -- Mark 6:14-29 -- Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - B -- 1997
Jim McClendon tells the story about two brothers -- Clarence and Robert Jordan.
A scene from a classroom... -- Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - B -- 1997
A scene from a classroom: "What efforts were made to get our country out of the Depression in 1929 a
Charles Olsen in his perceptive... -- 1 Corinthians 12:27-31a -- Proper 16 | Ordinary Time 21 - B -- 1997
Charles Olsen in his perceptive book, Transforming Church Boards, helps congregations appreciate th
Intimate is a word that... -- John 6:51-58 -- Proper 15 | Ordinary Time 20 - B -- 1997
Intimate is a word that we use for sexual relations today.
Eugene Peterson tells of leaving... -- John 6:35, 41-51 -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - B -- 1997
Eugene Peterson tells of leaving his pastoral duties one day and driving into Baltimore to hear the
A July, 1994, issue of... -- John 6:24-35 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - B -- 1997
A July, 1994, issue of the Canton, Ohio, Repository newspaper headlined one of its articles with th
Religion/Ethics columnist Mike McManus... -- Mark 1:14-20 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B -- 1997
Religion/Ethics columnist Mike McManus suggests that the Episcopalian way to evangelize is "dignif
You are driving down the... -- Mark 1:4-11 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B -- 1997
You are driving down the highway. Ahead you see flashing lights.
How often sickness, financial reverses... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - B -- 1997
How often sickness, financial reverses, even approaching death have motivated some of our greatest
When Jim Wallis was a... -- Matthew 25:31-46 -- New Year's Day - B -- 1997
When Jim Wallis was a theological student at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illi
It is quite evident from... -- Mark 8:31-38 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 1997
It is quite evident from the way Jesus speaks about the cost of discipleship that his Way requires a
Tony Campolo tells the story... -- Mark 1:9-15 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 1997
Tony Campolo tells the story of college president Robertson McQuilken, who felt a powerful call to f
William Jennings Bryan was not... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 1997
William Jennings Bryan was not exactly the religious bigot that he was pictured to be in accounts o
In the movie Yentl, Barbra... -- Mark 9:2-9 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 1997
In the movie Yentl, Barbra Streisand not only was the star, she also was the producer and director.
You can spot them by... -- Mark 1:21-28 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - B -- 1997
You can spot them by the way they talk. They know something about everybody.
A recent poll found that... -- 1 Peter 4:12-19 -- 1997
A recent poll found that 86 percent of all Americans say that they are Christians.
That first Christmas was not... -- Luke 2:1-20 -- 1997
That first Christmas was not really that different from Christmas today.
Over the years I have... -- John 1:1-14 -- 1997
Over the years I have performed several funerals for men who were veterans.

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UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 7 | OT 12 | Pentecost 2
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 8 | OT 13 | Pentecost 3
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Proper 9 | OT 14 | Pentecost 4
34 – Sermons
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32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
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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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