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

If you have ever flown... -- Luke 1:39-45 (46-55) -- 1997
If you have ever flown on a plane, then you are familiar with the emergency instructions that the fl
There was a man who... -- Luke 3:1-6 -- Second Sunday of Advent - C -- 1997
There was a man who called up the highway department to complain about the condition of the road in
Shortly after President Clinton came... -- Luke 3:7-18 -- Third Sunday of Advent - C -- 1997
Shortly after President Clinton came into office in 1993 a poll was taken.
Little Sarah had become badly... -- James 5:13-20 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - B -- 1997
Little Sarah had become badly dehydrated in her bout with a severe influenza.
Martin Luther, the great sixteenth... -- James 3:13--4:3, 7-8a -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 1997
Martin Luther, the great sixteenth century reformer, in his book The Bondage of the Will, des
George and Doris were in... -- James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1997
George and Doris were in theatre all their lives; like many theatre people they were characters, tha
In a democratic system an... -- Hebrews 7:23-28 -- Reformation Sunday - B -- 1997
In a democratic system an elected official must be above any conflict of personal interest.
Henri Nouwen relates a hospital... -- Hebrews 5:1-10 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 1997
Henri Nouwen relates a hospital incident in which a chaplain in making his rounds came upon a 48-yea
An athletic coach with full... -- Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - B -- 1997
An athletic coach with full responsibility for the team's performance sometimes needs to make some t
In the ancient world, when... -- Hebrews 4:12-16 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 1997
In the ancient world, when an animal was to be sacrificed in worship, the throat would be exposed to
It is all in your... -- Matthew 6:25-33 -- Thanksgiving Day - B -- 1997
It is all in your attitude. I've heard that one so often that I do not hear it anymore.
Saint John immediately describes Jesus... -- Revelation 1:4b-8 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 1997
Saint John immediately describes Jesus as the one "who is and who was and who is to come" in the ope
After Cleveland Indians' pitcher Dennis... -- Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 1997
After Cleveland Indians' pitcher Dennis Martinez pitched poorly in a game early in the 1996 season,
This Hebrews passage reminds us... -- Hebrews 9:24-28 -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - B -- 1997
This Hebrews passage reminds us that Christ has offered himself as the ultimate sacrifice.
If you ever thought of... -- Revelation 21:1-6a -- All Saints Day - B -- 1997
If you ever thought of heaven as a place to escape from the busyness of life, look out.
In 1991 members of Atlanta's... -- John 3:1-17 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B -- 1997
In 1991 members of Atlanta's prestigious Wieuca Road Baptist Church were shocked when their longtime
Dave Thomas, a Columbus, Ohio... -- John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 -- 1997
Dave Thomas, a Columbus, Ohio, businessman, had a great idea of making old-fashioned hamburgers that
A young boy went to... -- Luke 24:44-53 -- Ascension of the Lord - B -- 1997
A young boy went to his first symphony orchestra concert.
In the movie While You... -- John 17:6-19 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - B -- 1997
In the movie While You Were Sleeping, Lucy is a Chicago EL token taker who falls in love with a lawy
Private detectives in fiction are... -- 1 Corinthians 3:16-23 -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - B -- 1997
Private detectives in fiction are often hard-drinking, chain-smoking people with unstable diets and
Martin Luther King, Jr., once... -- Mark 4:35-41 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - B -- 1997
Martin Luther King, Jr., once told of an elderly African-
I have no idea how... -- Mark 4:26-34 -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - B -- 1997
"I have no idea how it works." I have said that phrase more often than I care to admit.
Return with us now to... -- Mark 2:23--3:6 -- 1997
Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesterday, when out of the past come those golden, qu
Carved on the great Russian... -- John 12:20-33 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - B -- 1997
Carved on the great Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky's tombstone are the following words: "Verily
Many scholars agree that Jesus... -- John 2:13-22 -- 1997
Many scholars agree that Jesus' cleansing of the Jerusalem Temple was the incident which led directl

Political Pulpit

Sermon

The Political Pulpit

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
and more...
Proper 9 | OT 14 | Pentecost 4
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

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A pig stuffed animal.

* * *

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

Wildcard SSL