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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

How thankful we should be... -- Matthew 9:9-13 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A
How thankful we should be that Jesus accepted Matthew and his motley crew, ate and drank with them,
We don't talk much about... -- Matthew 9:9-13 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A
We don't talk much about sin and sinners anymore (perhaps we should).
The name Matthew means Gift... -- Matthew 9:9-13 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A
The name Matthew means Gift of Yahweh. What a beautiful name to carry -- gift of Go
A magazine article from Japan... -- Matthew 9:9-13 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A
A magazine article from Japan shows the emphasis the Japanese place upon a long and arduous training
Abraham Lincoln once said, I... -- Joel 2:23-30 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - A
Abraham Lincoln once said, "I recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and prove
Joel prophesies the restoration of... -- Joel 2:23-30 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - A
Joel prophesies the restoration of the nation after the exile and beyond that, the Great Day when Go
My wife and I were... -- Luke 15:1-10 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - A
My wife and I were leisurely strolling somewhere between the reptile house and the exotic bird displ
I am struck by the... -- John 12:20-33 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - A
I am struck by the paradox expressed in our text and repeatedly expressed throughout the Gospel.
Sir, we wish to see... -- John 12:20-33 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - A
"Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Those who really see Jesus see him on the cross.
There are many kinds of... -- John 12:20-33 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - A
There are many kinds of crosses in our world. All crosses hurt, many kill.
Some years ago I planted... -- John 12:20-33 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - A
Some years ago I planted a row of tulip bulbs, expecting them to produce beautiful blooms in the ear
I haven't heard a production... -- Hosea 11:1-11 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A
I haven't heard a production of Marc Conneley's play, The Green Pastures, for a number
Reverend Hilbert J. Berger tells... -- Hosea 11:1-11 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A
Reverend Hilbert J.
Many of us admire the... -- Ezekiel 2:8-3:11 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A
Many of us admire the brave nation of Israel for its remarkable resourcefulness and technological ac
A Prayer For Dieters... -- Ezekiel 2:8-3:11 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A
A Prayer For DietersLord, give me strength that I may not fall
Ministry is a whole lot... -- Ezekiel 2:8-3:11 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A
Ministry is a whole lot more than marriage feasts, covered-dish dinners, and church school picnics.
Amos speaks of the corruption... -- Amos 8:4-7 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A
Amos speaks of the corruption in the business world of his day, and the ways in which the poor and t
Many different cultures bid the... -- Amos 8:4-7 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - A
Many different cultures bid the buyer to be aware of merchandisers eager to cheat them of their well
In this reading Moses proves... -- Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - A
In this reading Moses proves to be the good theologian when he appeals to God not about his people's
By the time Moses came... -- Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - A
By the time Moses came down from the top of Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments, they had already
In the first letter to... -- 1 Timothy 1:12-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
In the first letter to his young protege, Timothy, Paul focuses on the unique quality of mercy expre
As a boy, he wanted... -- 1 Timothy 1:12-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
As a boy, he wanted to be a priest but, later, laziness and indifference kept him out of the seminar
St. Francis of Assisi was... -- 1 Timothy 1:12-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - A
St. Francis of Assisi was once asked why and how he could accomplish so much.
One of the greatest mysteries... -- 1 Timothy 1:12-17 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - A
One of the greatest mysteries of the Christian faith is the call of God upon a human being's life.
A tractor-trailer rig was... -- 1 Corinthians 1:18-24 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - A
A tractor-trailer rig was stuck under an underpass.

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UPCOMING WEEKS
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Easter 2
20 – Sermons
170+ – Illustrations / Stories
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20 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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New & Featured This Week

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John Jamison
Object: An old, worn-out shoe and an old banana.

* * *

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
For May 18, 2025:
  • Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Chris Keating based on Acts 11:1-18 and John 13:31-35. As Peter, popes, pastors, and even pew-sitters learn, change often becomes the smokescreen that conceals deeper conflicts that keep us from loving as Jesus commanded.
  • Second Thoughts: Giving and Accepting Love by Tom Willadsen based on John 13:31-35.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Acts 11:1-18
Who do we exclude? In the days of the early church, everything was about purity, about the acts that made one a member of the Jewish community first and then a part of “the way” of Jesus. Imagine the horror among the crowds of the faithful when Peter traveled to the Gentiles, to those who did not believe in the one true God before Jesus came into the world. Yet, Peter is clear. He has had a vision and, in that vision, was declared, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” God ordains who is included, not people.
David Kalas
The old idiom claims of certain people, “To know them is to love them.” A variation on the saying might be appropriate when talking about the Lord.  Specifically, we might say that to know him is not merely to love him, but to know that he is love.

This may seem like an unspectacular statement to church folks.  I fear that we are perhaps so accustomed to the affirmation that God is love that we no longer recognize the profundity of it. Or the scandal of it.

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them and be their God;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’
(vv. 3-4)

SermonStudio

Bonnie Bates
We continue this Easter season with the epistolary readings from Revelation. In this reading, we see the final vision of the world to come: the new heaven and the new earth, the new Jerusalem. This is also an apocalyptic vision, the vision the seer shared with us of the end of the world as we know it. This is a writing about a prophetic promise of what is to come at the end of time as we know it. John’s vision is almost complete and we may be comforted by this vision of what is to come.
James Evans
(See Christmas 1, Cycle A; Christmas 1, Cycle B; and Christmas 1, Cycle C for alternative approaches.)

The theme of this psalm is the glory of God. The praise is extravagant and unrestrained. The psalmist makes good use of repetitive themes to drive home the central message of the psalm, namely that God is worthy of praise. The psalmist, with great deliberation, leads worshipers through a litany of causes and effects that demonstrate the praiseworthiness of God.

David Kalas
Professional sports has no statistic for measuring talking. Yet talking can be an important part of the game.

We can measure how fast a player pitches or serves. We keep statistics on batting averages, shooting percentages, and quarterback ratings. We track yards-after-catch, on-base percentages, and shots on goal. We record height and weight, wins-and-losses, and times in the 40-yard dash. But we have no way of measuring a player's talking.
John M. Braaten
It is often difficult for Christians to get past the idea that those who have given themselves to the Lord should be treated a little better than the average woman or man who does not possess a living faith. In other words, there ought to be some kind of return for what you have done for God, for what you have given in time, energy and money. That doesn't sound outrageous, does it? In this "you get what you deserve" world, you really ought to be rewarded. Harmless as that sounds, it is the first step toward a theology of glory.

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.

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