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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Twain once offered this... -- James 5:13-20 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - B -- 1997
Mark Twain once offered this advice.
We watch the pool balls... -- James 3:13--4:3, 7-8a -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 1997
We watch the pool balls rolling around the table.
The words came out of... -- James 3:1-12 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 1997
The words came out of his mouth faster than he could think what he was doing. He was mad.
Back in Texas in 1917... -- James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1997
Back in Texas in 1917 the state's governor, James Ferguson, refused to sign a bill that would have p
In the South American country... -- Hebrews 7:23-28 -- Reformation Sunday - B -- 1997
In the South American country of Colombia, there is a Roman Catholic church where people take their
At the wedding reception the... -- Hebrews 5:1-10 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 1997
At the wedding reception the people clamored for a word from the groom, but he always refused.
It is not usual for... -- Hebrews 4:12-16 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 1997
It is not usual for soldiers to assess their commanding officers, but they nevertheless do so in the
When I was in high... -- Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - B -- 1997
When I was in high school, in physics class we were taught that at the center of each atom was a nuc
Keep at it, we hear... -- Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 1997
Keep at it, we hear. Hang in there. And we wonder about our faith at times. Why do we bother?
In his book Christ... -- 1 Timothy 2:1-7 -- Thanksgiving Day - B -- 1997
In his book Christ and Culture, H.
Your work is coming along... -- Revelation 21:1-6a -- All Saints Day - B -- 1997
Your work is coming along nicely. I'm sure that it will be grand when it is finished.
John was adopted. He was... -- Romans 8:12-17 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B -- 1997
John was adopted.
GET A LIFE! I do... -- 1 John 5:9-13 -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - B -- 1997
"GET A LIFE!" I do not know the origin of this expression, but it seems to be an "in" thing to say i
Along with the birth of... -- Romans 8:22-27 -- 1997
Along with the birth of anything there is normally pain, tumult, and distress.
We tend to like power... -- Ephesians 1:15-23 -- Ascension of the Lord - B -- 1997
We tend to like power when it works on our behalf, but rather fear it when it works against us.
William Cowper suffered from a... -- 1 Corinthians 3:16-23 -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - B -- 1997
William Cowper suffered from a terrible inferiority complex.
To accept the grace of... -- 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - B -- 1997
To accept the grace of God in a life-changing way is to be confronted decisively with the passionate
Columnist Leonard Pitt claims to... -- Mark 4:26-34 -- Proper 6 | Ordinary Time 11 - B -- 1997
Columnist Leonard Pitt claims to be a history buff despite what he learned in school.
Rose Marie L. Burks, professor... -- Mark 3:20-35 -- Proper 5 | Ordinary Time 10 - B -- 1997
Rose Marie L.
The heart and the lungs... -- 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 -- 1997
The heart and the lungs are the most vital of organs. They are the body's treasure.
Do you believe in luck... -- John 12:20-33 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - B -- 1997
"Do you believe in luck?" someone once asked Jean Cocteau, the twentieth century French writer.
Hearing Paul's words in 1... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 -- 1997
Hearing Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 reminds me of how Greek I am.
When Oliver Cromwell came to... -- John 15:1-8 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 1997
When Oliver Cromwell came to power in England, overthrowing for a generation the rule of kings, he f
The run-of-the-mill... -- John 10:11-18 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - B -- 1997
The run-of-the-mill shepherd may or may not guarantee safekeeping for all the flock.
Many people today do not... -- 1 John 1:2-2:2 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 1997
Many people today do not believe in sin.

Political Pulpit

Sermon

The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 28 | OT 33 | Pentecost 23
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Christ the King Sunday
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Thanksgiving
34 – Sermons
80+ – Illustrations / Stories
24 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
24 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Christopher Keating
Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
For November 16, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Coffin
Another natural disaster has flattened a number of coastal communities. Despite the weather and major television station warnings, and government disaster preparations, the dystopian destruction nightmare of Luke 21 has decimated another community. Also, it is reasonable to believe that this is not the last year for hurricanes, Tsunami’s, wildfires, mudslides and tornados. They will occur again. However, as weary citizens are interviewed in one group of people with the background of homes in rubble and streets still draining flood waters, they will not leave. This is their home.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez

Isaiah 65:17-25 and Isaiah 12

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
“The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD. (v. 25)

A week after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, country singer Toby Keith — who died Feb. 5, 2024 — wrote a patriotic ballad titled “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” It was filled with populist fighting rhetoric that matched the mood of a nation shaken by the shocking death and destruction of that day.

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A blood pressure monitor. It is actually called a sphygmomanometer, and is pronounced “sfig·mow·muh·naa’·muh·tr”.

* * *

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:

The Church of Christ

Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

The local community

Those who suffer

The communion of saints


These responses may be used:


Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

SermonStudio

Stephen P. McCutchan
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
-- Isaiah 12:3

John W. Clarke
No reading of Luke is complete without coming to realize that Luke is concerned that the world understands that Jesus is the hope of the world and that any teaching that leads away from that fact is a false teaching. No matter what, no matter when, Jesus will be there to give us life.

Scott Suskovic
Whoever does not work should not eat!
-- 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NLT)

Wow! Kind of takes your breath away, doesn't it? Not a lot of ambiguity in that rule. "You don't work, you don't eat." For a religion based on grace, it seems a bit unyielding.

Mark Ellingson
Freedom is such a lovely word, a compelling image. What is freedom? How would you define it? What does it mean to you? Webster's New World Dictionary defines freedom as being exempt from control or from arbitrary restrictions. Freedom is said to be the ability to choose or determine one's own actions.

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