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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

In his novel A Bed... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 1995
In his novel A Bed By The Window, Scott Peck describes an encounter in a nursing home between Heathe
It is a crucial time... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 1995
It is a crucial time. The last days of the revolutionary war.
I Wonder ...Would you... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 1995
I Wonder ...Would you eat with me today, God?
Contemporary author Will Campbell has... -- Hebrews 10:15-39 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 1995
Contemporary author Will Campbell has written a novella, Cecelia's Sin: a short work about the Anaba
Helen has Alzheimer's Disease. Very... -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 1995
Helen has Alzheimer's Disease.
In the early part of... -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 1995
In the early part of the century, an elderly rabbi was traveling by horse to a small town outside Bo
As a child birthdays were... -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 1995
As a child birthdays were exciting days.
The word of the Lord... -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 1995
The word of the Lord to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, as that word is expressed in the first
Jeremiah was written during the... -- Jeremiah 31:31-34 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 1995
Jeremiah was written during the period of Babylonian exile at the close of the seventh century.
From childhood many of us... -- Jeremiah 31:31-34 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 1995
From childhood many of us have been told that we had to do this or that in order to please our paren
Of all the names for... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 1995
Of all the names for Jesus, Christy's favorite was "Emmanuel," for it expressed so well how she thou
In 1993 there was quite... -- Luke 23:1-49 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 1995
In 1993 there was quite a furor in the Netherlands when a nine-year-old girl drowned out on a lake.
In Children's Church School and... -- Luke 23:1-49 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 1995
In Children's Church School and Vacation Bible School we delight in teaching songs about God.
George Orwell, in his book... -- Luke 23:1-49 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 1995
George Orwell, in his book, 1984, tells of a world so manipulated by those who know how to use the m
Chaim Potok's novel The Gift... -- Luke 23:1-49 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 1995
Chaim Potok's novel The Gift of Asher Lev is one of the author's usual sensitive and stirring portra
Only in the Lord ...br... -- Isaiah 45:21-25 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 1995
Only in the Lord ... Words!Clear, precise, unchanging.
Last May on the front... -- Deuteronomy 32:36-39 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 1995
Last May on the front page of the New York Times there was the most wonderful picture of Gazan women
If confession is good for... -- Deuteronomy 32:36-39 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 1995
If confession is good for the souls of humans, then it must be good for God as well: "I kill, and I
O God,you have... -- Deuteronomy 32:36-39 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 1995
O God,you have made us for yourself,and our hearts are restless until
During a break at Wednesday... -- Deuteronomy 32:36-39 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 1995
During a break at Wednesday night choir practice, one woman said to another, "I really have problems
This passage contains one of... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 1995
This passage contains one of our oldest creeds:
It was Gandhi who said... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 1995
It was Gandhi who said that "freely accepted suffering is the greatest force the world has ever know
When all is said and... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 1995
When all is said and done, an indispensable ingredient of growing congregations is the attitude exem
One of the novelists who... -- Isaiah 50:4-9a -- Passion Sunday - C -- 1995
One of the novelists who quickly caught the attention of the literary world for his suspense-ridden
The natural world is filled... -- Isaiah 45:21-25 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 1995
The natural world is filled with flattering and sometimes effectively convincing mimicry.

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UPCOMING WEEKS
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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
1 Kings 19:1-4 (5-7) 8-15a
Life can be frightening sometimes. Thus it is both comforting but disconcerting to find a giant of faith like Elijah to fear the future. On that matter Martin Luther once claimed:
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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