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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Young children learn only rather... -- Matthew 20:17-28 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Young children learn only rather simple things in school.
A Bostonian visited San Antonio... -- Matthew 20:17-28 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
A Bostonian visited San Antonio, Texas.
Jimmy Carter was not reelected... -- Matthew 20:17-28 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Jimmy Carter was not reelected to a second term as president of the U.S.A.
One novelist tells the story... -- Matthew 20:17-28 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
One novelist tells the story of a young girl who was ashamed of her mother's appearance, particularl
Chester Quimby, in his commentary... -- Romans 8:6-11 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Chester Quimby, in his commentary on Romans, illustrates how the Spirit helps us to take hold of wha
I have a way of... -- Romans 5:1-11 -- Third Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
I have a way of turning up unexpectedly in unusual places.
Suffering, endurance, character, and hope... -- Romans 5:1-11 -- Third Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Suffering, endurance, character, and hope.
Carved over one of the... -- Romans 5:1-11 -- Third Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Carved over one of the side doors in the west facade of the cathedral at Milan, Italy, are some thor
In no way... -- Ephesians 5:8-14 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
In no way could I deal creatively with physical blindness,
Ruth was a very practical... -- Ephesians 5:8-14 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Ruth was a very practical person.
A little girl walked around... -- Ephesians 5:8-14 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
A little girl walked around her house singing a song which she had learned in Vacation Bible School:
She was 65 in 1975... -- John 3:1-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
She was 65 in 1975 and a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The young chemist was at... -- John 3:1-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
The young chemist was at a critical point in her research.
Each year on the island... -- John 3:1-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Each year on the island of Corsica, during the Holy Week period, a grotesque lump of a man struggles
When the Kellys' car dropped... -- John 4:5-42 -- Third Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
When the Kellys' car dropped 900 feet from a highway in the San Bernardino Mountains, Mr.
Following the early service, the... -- John 4:5-42 -- Third Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Following the early service, the choir descended on the fellowship hall like a horde of hungry locus
People often were perplexed by... -- John 4:5-42 -- Third Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
People often were perplexed by the people that Jesus associated with.
Before Christ came to earth... -- John 4:5-42 -- Third Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Before Christ came to earth there was a great deal of belief in spiritual gods.
The first day at his... -- Romans 5:1-11 -- Third Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
The first day at his new job did not go well for Dennis Wadsworth.
A member of the congregation... -- John 10:1-10 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - A -- 1996
A member of the congregation called the house to tell me about her daughter, who was in the hospital
One pastor (unknown to me... -- Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
One pastor (unknown to me) tells of Teresa, before she became Mother Teresa, who looked around the c
Martha heard the girls coming... -- Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
Martha heard the girls coming up the front walk chanting a familiar singsong rhyme: "Step on a crack
A minister was greatly discouraged... -- Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
A minister was greatly discouraged and depressed and he was considering leaving the ministry.
We are not saved by... -- Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
We are not saved by our good deeds; they are performed out of gratitude to God for having already sa
All children have a favorite... -- John 3:1-17 -- Second Sunday in Lent - A -- 1996
All children have a favorite book.

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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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