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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

NULL -- Genesis 28:10-19a, Romans 8:12-25, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A -- 2011
Genesis 28:10-19a
NULL -- Genesis 28:10-19a -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A -- 2011
You always feel a little embarrassed when you get caught being unobservant.
NULL -- Genesis 28:10-19a -- Ron Love -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A -- 2011
We are celebrating over the next four years the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.
NULL -- Romans 8:12-25 -- Craig Kelly -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A -- 2011
I recently read an article in the Orlando Sentinel about a 55-year-old man named James Bain.
NULL -- Romans 8:12-25 -- Richard A. Hasler -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A -- 2011
Tony Campolo notes that Christians and environmentalists, those who love the Creator and those who l
NULL -- Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A -- 2011
Tom was the new CEO of a small company in financial trouble.
NULL -- Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 -- Ron Love -- Proper 11 | Ordinary Time 16 - A -- 2011
The Grammy Awards have dropped a significant number of categories eligible for recognition -- decrea
Sermon Illustrations for Proper 12 | OT 17 -- Genesis 29:15-28, Romans 8:26-39, Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - A -- 2011
Genesis 29:15-28
NULL -- Genesis 29:15-28 -- Craig Kelly -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - A -- 2011
I don't usually watch TV while I work out at our local YMCA, but I happened one day to notice a stor
NULL -- Genesis 29:15-28 -- Richard A. Hasler -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - A -- 2011
Mark Feldmeir in his Testimony to the Exiles tells the story of Lance Armstrong.
NULL -- Romans 8:26-39 -- Ron Love -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - A -- 2011
Everyone in the village believed Pendle Hill was haunted by demons.
NULL -- Romans 8:26-39 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - A -- 2011
"How much do you love me?" We have all heard that question -- from a sibling, from a child, from a l
NULL -- Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 -- Richard A. Hasler -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - A -- 2011
William J.
NULL -- Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 -- Craig Kelly -- Proper 12 | Ordinary Time 17 - A -- 2011
In today's instant information culture, we can easily see how something can grow from the proverbial
NULL -- Genesis 32:22-31, Romans 9:1-5, Matthew 14:13-21 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - A -- 2011
Genesis 32:22-31
NULL -- Genesis 32:22-31 -- Ron Love -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - A -- 2011
In 1614, Pocahontas married English colonist John Rolfe in Jamestown.
NULL -- Genesis 32:22-31 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - A -- 2011
There's nothing like an injury to serve as a permanent reminder of something.
NULL -- Romans 9:1-5 -- Richard A. Hasler -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - A -- 2011
Despite the apostle Paul's conversion to Christianity he did not abandon the heart and essence of hi
NULL -- Romans 9:1-5 -- Craig Kelly -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - A -- 2011
Anti-Semitism is nothing new.
NULL -- Matthew 14:13-21 -- Ron Love -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - A -- 2011
"Stand Down" is a program sponsored by the American Legion for homeless veterans.
NULL -- Matthew 14:13-21 -- Leah Thompson -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - A -- 2011
It's a long day at work. You're swamped. Meeting after meeting, problem after problem.
NULL -- Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28, Romans 10:5-15, Matthew 14:22-33 -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - A -- 2011
Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
NULL -- Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28 -- Richard A. Hasler -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - A -- 2011
Ira Progoff, in his book At a Journal Workshop, tells the story that in the middle of the nin
NULL -- Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28 -- Craig Kelly -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - A -- 2011
Sometimes the greatest accomplishments in life emerge out of the greatest tragedies.
NULL -- Romans 10:5-15 -- Ron Love -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - A -- 2011
Middleweight boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was sentenced to death on a 1966 conviction of a triple

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In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 7 | OT 12 | Pentecost 2
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
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34 – Commentary / Exegesis
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Proper 8 | OT 13 | Pentecost 3
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
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Proper 9 | OT 14 | Pentecost 4
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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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