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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

My brother got a degree... -- Mark 13:24-32 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 1994
My brother got a degree in electrical engineering from Texas A & M.
In the comic strip Calvin... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1994
In the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes" by Bill Watterson, the boy Calvin and his stuffed tiger are
What is clean or unclean... -- Mark 1:40-45 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 1994
What is clean or unclean? It's largely in how you look at it. Alcohol can be good.
Speeches come and go. When... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1994
Speeches come and go.
In Herman Wouk's book, The... -- Mark 13:24-32 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 1994
In Herman Wouk's book, The Winds of War, the main character, Victor Henry, has these thoughts cross
Then Jesus ordered them to... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1994
"Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they procl
Much is made of secrets... -- Mark 1:40-45 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 1994
Much is made of secrets.
One of my favorite saints... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1994
One of my favorite saints who was my spiritual mentor shared this story with me from his ministry .
The dissolution of the Soviet... -- Mark 13:24-32 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 1994
The dissolution of the Soviet Union presented new problems for that reorganized nation.
My father's been gone from... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1994
My father's been gone from this world for a quarter century now and I suppose it's all right to hono
They lived in a cave... -- Mark 13:14-23 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 1994
They lived in a cave, high on the side of a sandstone bluff.
Street dogs were not allowed... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1994
Street dogs were not allowed into Palestinian homes. The dog was not a favorite animal.
In his book, World Aflame... -- Mark 13:14-23 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 1994
In his book, World Aflame, Billy Graham tells the story of an occasion when Dwight Eisenhower was v
There is always a fresh... -- John 20:19-23 -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 1994
There is always a fresh, clean smell after a heavy summer rainstorm.
Death had visited their home... -- John 11:32-44 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1994
Death had visited their home.
The Christmas carol, Good King... -- Mark 12:41-44 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 1994
The Christmas carol, "Good King Wenceslas" is dedicated to King Wenceslas of Czechoslovakia.
Henry could take government surplus... -- James 2:1-5 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1994
Henry could take government surplus food supplies and make them taste almost like Grandma's homestyl
In the book Conceptual Blockbusting... -- Mark 9:2-9 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 1994
In the book Conceptual Blockbusting, A Guide to Better Ideas, author James L.
The Rev. Dr. Laurence (Sic... -- John 11:32-44 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1994
The Rev. Dr.
A DOLLAR SPEAKS by Ray... -- Mark 12:41-44 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 1994
A DOLLAR SPEAKS by Ray Jones Money talks, we have been told since childhood.
One day word came to... -- James 2:1-5 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1994
One day word came to a bishop that one of the churches in his care was ignoring the poor and the hom
No date or place is... -- Mark 1:40-45 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 1994
No date or place is given for this healing, Mark inserts it here as an example of Jesus' activity on
I spend most weekends at... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - B -- 1994
I spend most weekends at a retreat house, where I am responsible for housekeeping and cooking, and m
In talking to an acquaintance... -- Mark 13:24-32 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 1994
In talking to an acquaintance one day about growing roses, I said casually, "They are supposed to b
An elderly woman was walking... -- James 2:1-5 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 1994
An elderly woman was walking carefully down the sidewalk in her affluent neighborhood on a bright wi

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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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