Login / Signup

Online Sermons

What is SermonSuite

SermonSuite, a division of CSS Publishing, is an online collection of professionally published lectionary and non-lectionary sermons, children's sermons, sermon illustrations, exegesis, homiletical resources, and worship resources which have been developed over the years to help pastors deliver relevant, high impact messages and worship resources.

This site's collection of professionally written, edited and published resources can be accessed online 24/7 giving pastors a versatile collection of fresh, innovative preaching and worship material for building dynamic messages that connect with your congregation and keep your pews filled.

Category   Sermons Children's
Material
Illustrations Exegetical
Material
Worship
Material
Subscription
              
         
The Immediate Word Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
SermonStudio Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Emphasis     Yes Yes  
StoryShare Yes   Yes    
The Village Shepherd Yes Yes     Yes
CSSPlus   Yes      
Gospel Grams 1   Yes      
Gospel Grams 2   Yes      

Components

Click on any of the following component names to learn more...

     The Immediate Word

     SermonStudio

     Emphasis Online

     StoryShare

     The Village Shepherd

     CSS Plus

     Gospel Grams 1

     Gospel Grams 2



The Immediate Word

The Immediate Word a theological perspective on today's headlinesThe Immediate Word gives a theological perspective on today's headlines and popular culture for your sermon, children’s message, and worship service. The Immediate Word gives a theological perspective on today's headlines and popular culture.

Cutting Edge: THE IMMEDIATE WORD gives you the tools to be cutting edge ... to put you in touch with today's most critical issues and to aid you in crafting messages and presentations that will truly help your congregants understand the Gospel in the context of what is current and most important to them.

Collaborative: THE IMMEDIATE WORD is a unique collaboration of some of the sharpest, most contemporary clergy of our day in a web based service that gives you weekly information, inspiration, and presentation material.

Enabling: THE IMMEDIATE WORD will enable you to create messages about matters that your parishioners are discussing and concerned about.

Timely: THE IMMEDIATE WORD posts the topic of the week and a brief introduction on Monday and the final product on Tuesday afternoon, giving you time to digest the material and then incorporate them into your preparations for the coming Sunday service.

Satisfaction Guaranteed: THE IMMEDIATE WORD is not only guaranteed to satisfy you, we believe it will actually energize your ministry. We are so confident that you will find THE IMMEDIATE WORD to be such a great value that if you are not completely satisfied with the service we will refund the balance of your subscription payment, no questions asked.

Click Here to Join Now

Back to Top


SermonStudio

SermonStudioSermonStudio, a flagship product of the site, is home to thousands of sermons, children’s messages, outlines, sermon illustrations, worship services, exigetical resources, dramas, prayers, preaching resources, and more.

Within this component, you will find high quality resources for all liturgical seasons from Advent/Christmas all the way through Thanksgiving. You’ll find lectionary and non-lectionary content as well as funeral and wedding homilies, communion and baptism homilies, special occasion messages and others based on Biblical and general themes.

Click Here to Join Now

Back to Top


Emphasis Preaching Journal

Emphasis Preaching Journal Commentary and illustrations based on the LectionaryEmphasis Preaching Journal provides in-depth, scripturally sound, lectionary-based commentary on weekly texts, plus thousands of illustrations to help you create riveting messages.

For each Sunday, Emphasis writers and editors delve into the heart of the four lectionary readings, providing you with several fresh, solid ideas -- based squarely on the lectionary texts -- for creating messages that speak powerfully to your audience. The writers look for overall themes that hold the readings together, then they home in on the themes and the specific scripture links, suggesting multiple homiletical directions. Since a single idea each week may not provide what you are looking for at that particular time, Emphasis suggests several, giving you the opportunity to select the one that matches your specific needs.

Emphasis is like having a dedicated, thoroughly-versed research team right in your own study to help you create messages that are truly yours, and that speak powerfully to your audience.

Archives
Emphasis gives you even greater value by putting back issues of the journal at your fingertips. This access to the Emphasis archives, combined with the ability to find commentaries and illustrations based on lectionary, scripture, or keyword, makes Emphasis an efficient, indespensible, time-saving tool for your ministry.

Click Here to Join Now

Back to Top


StoryShare

StoryShare -- stories of faith for preaching and teachingStoryShare is a treasure trove of good stories that relate authentic, life-changing experiences that demonstrate the Lord's power and presence. All of the content in StoryShare is lectionary based and serves to help you illustrate the weekly readings. The stories can be used as illustrations or, in some cases, as standalone homilies. Along with new stories being added every week, a subscription to StoryShare also gives you access to the archives, so if the new stories don't catch your eye, it's likely something from the archives will work for you.

Click Here to Join Now

Back to Top


The Village Shepherd

The Village Shepherd sermons, children's stories and liturgies, and prayers based on the lectionaryThe Village Shepherd offers sermons, children's stories and liturgies, and prayers based on the lectionary. This content is sure to touch your heart, because they reflect the simple virtues and tranquil serenity that characterize Reverend Janice Scott's English countryside pastorate. The questions "Where is God in this particular situation?" and "Where does the Gospel story cross our own human story?" are always at the heart of these meditations -- but rather than finding overt answers, instead you will be gently led to make your own connections and discover the powerful ways in which God works. Janice Scott has the unique ability to find interesting details in ordinary life that illuminate scripture, while still challenging even the most intellectual reader. And that gift is precisely what also makes her an outstanding communicator with children.

For every Sunday in all three lectionary cycles you will find:
  • A homiletical message for each Gospel, Second Reading, and First Reading.
  • Children's stories based on the Gospel for the week.
  • Children's liturgy and story based on the Gospel. (The story included with the liturgy is different from the story mentioned above.
  • A group of intercessory prayers for your worship service.
The convenient search engine enables you to quickly find exactly what you need -- all the rich content of The Village Shepherd can be searched by lectionary, scripture, or keyword.

Click Here to Join Now

Back to Top


CSS Plus

CSSPlus - children's sermons and activities based on the LectionaryCSSPlus (Children Sermon Service) offers great children's sermons for lectionary and non-lectionary users. CSSPlus is a subscription service of children's messages that provide one new children's message per week for each Sunday of the year based on the lectionary Gospel. In addition to the children’s homilies, each week includes several different children’s activities which are perfect for use in Sunday school or at home during the week.

Lectionary users will find this component useful because every entry is referenced and searchable by lectionary.

Non-lectionary users will find CSSPlus equally useful because every entry is also referenced and searchable by scripture reference and keyword.

So, whether you are a lectionary user or a non-lectionary user, this component will provide you a vast selection of great children's messages from first-rate communicators with children, and you'll quickly find just what you are looking for.

Click Here to Join Now

Back to Top


Gospel Grams 1

Gospel Grams - children's activities for ages 5-7 based on lectionary textsGospel Grams 1 providers lectionary-based children’s activity bulletin to communicate the Gospel for children ages 4-7. Gospel Grams 1 is an activity bulletin designed to communicate the Gospel to young children at their own level. Instead of kids drawing cars or flowers on scrap paper or the regular worship bulletin, why not give them their very own bulletin that will reinforce the Gospel message for the day in fun and interesting ways.

Geared to children ages 4-7, Gospel Grams 1 uses imaginative Bible word games and puzzles, coloring pictures, and stories to engage kids with the Gospel lesson for the day. And because it is lectionary-based, the children will be on the same "scriptural" page as the adults.

In all, there are 56 Gospel Grams per lectionary cycle. Since they are downloadable pdf files, you can print as few or as many as you need -- therefore keeping waste to a minimum.

Click Here to Join Now

Back to Top


Gospel Grams 2

Gospel Grams 2 provides lectionary-based children’s activity bulletin to communicate the Gospel for children ages 8-10. Gospel Grams 2 is an activity bulletin designed to communicate the Gospel to young children at their own level. Instead of kids drawing cars or flowers on scrap paper or the regular worship bulletin, why not give them their very own bulletin that will reinforce the Gospel message for the day in fun and interesting ways.

Geared to children ages 8-10, Gospel Grams 2 uses imaginative Bible word games and puzzles, coloring pictures, and stories to engage kids with the Gospel lesson for the day. And because it is lectionary-based, the children will be on the same "scriptural" page as the adults.

In all, there are 56 Gospel Grams per lectionary cycle. Since they are downloadable pdf files, you can print as few or as many as you need -- therefore keeping waste to a minimum.

Click Here to Join Now

Back to Top

title: 
Online Sermons & Sermon Illustrations

New & Featured This Week

SermonStudio

Wayne H. Keller
The church, that is, the ekklesia, the called out ones, has taken some hard knocks both from its friends within and its foes without, from chilly indifference inside and arrogant cynicism outside. All kinds of people have condemned it for its navel-gazing, and its lack of concern for the world. Some years ago in Russia, two meetings took place simultaneously. In one, a group of Marxists discussed how they could overturn the world. In the other, which took place only a few doors away, a group of Christians fervently debated the color of their church's choir robes.
Elizabeth Achtemeier
This priestly account of God's creation of the world has been called the most theological chapter in the whole Bible. Written down in the sixth century B.C., its every word is carefully thought through. But it is not intended to be a scientific account of how God made the cosmos. The endless creationist attempts to make it into science and to foist it on our schools are invalid.
Jerry L. Schmalenberger
Seasonal Theme
The teaching and ministry of Jesus the Christ.

Theme For The Day
The doctrine of the Holy Trinity. God as Holy Parent, Son and Savior, and the Spirit with us here and now.

A Suggestion: For the next thirteen Sundays, the First Lesson will be from the book of Genesis for those who use the Revised Common Lectionary. Now might be a good time to introduce these readings to the congregation by putting an outline in your worship bulletin.
1:1-2:4a -- Creation of the Universe and Adam and Eve
Carlos Wilton
Theme For The Day
The great Trinitarian benediction of 2 Corinthians 13:13 -- "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all" -- provides an outline for teaching the doctrine of the Trinity.

Old Testament Lesson
Genesis 1:1--2:4a
The Creation
Steven E. Albertin
Trinity Sunday begins the second half of the church year. The first half of the church year beginning with Advent and ending with Pentecost focused on the life of Christ. We call this second half ordinary time but there is nothing ordinary about it. It is an extraordinary time of the year when we focus on the church's life and mission. Some have called Trinity Sunday the "great hinge" of the church year. Others have called it the "great pain"! Why?
James L. Killen, Jr.
Things are. The world is. The universe, whatever that is, is. I am. You are. That didn't just happen. Some people believe that is the result of an awesome succession of accidents but I just can't believe that. All of this didn't just happen. It must have been the result of some kind of a miracle. And if there was a miracle, there must be some miracle worker. Nothing that Darwin or anyone else has discovered can deny that.
William G. Carter
In the middle of March, 1961, a minister named Duffy splashed water on my head in the middle of a Sunday morning worship service. I was only one of a half dozen "Baby Boomers" whose parents had recently petitioned the Session for the sacrament of baptism. Having recently moved to a trailer park in Akron, Ohio, my parents thought the time seemed right to make their firstborn infant a Presbyterian.
Thom M. Shuman
Call To Worship
One: God, who created all things and named them "good,"
has shaped us in the divine image.
All: We come, with grace-filled hearts,
into the presence of our Creator.
One: Jesus, who led the way by carrying a cross,
has brought us into the kingdom of God.
All: We come, our brokenness made whole,
into the presence of our Redeemer.
One: The Holy Spirit, who brings us together from many places, calls us to be the household of God.
All: We come, all walls broken down,
Beverly S. Bailey
Hymns
Sois la Semilla (You Are The Seed) (NCH528, MH583)
Lord, You Give The Great Commission (MH584, PH429)
We Shall Overcome (NCH570, MH533)
God, Who Stretched (CBH414, MH150, PH268)
Lord, Our Lord, Your Glorious Name (CBH157, PH163)
All Creatures Of Our God And King (LBW527, NCH17, PH455, MH62, CBH48)
All Things Bright And Beautiful (CBH156, MH147, PH267)
Wind Who Makes All The Winds Blow (NCH271, PH131, MH538)
I Sing The Mighty Power Of God (CBH46, MH152, PH288)
Frank Ramirez
Call To Worship
This world is no accident, but the product of design and purpose. Our presence here is no accident as well, but planned before time by a God who loves us.


Collect
(Psalm 8:9)
(Unison) O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Amen.


Prayer Of Confession

The Immediate Word

Thomas Willadsen
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
Christopher Keating
Katy Stenta
George Reed
Dean Feldmeyer
For May 31, 2026:

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Toby was playing with his favourite toy. His family's new television had come packed in a large cardboard box, and now the box was empty Toby loved playing with it. Today it was a bus. Since his family had a car, Toby had only once travelled on a bus. It had been the highlight of his life. Now his big cardboard box was a bus, and Toby was the proud driver. Sometimes he would allow it his baby sister Samantha to sit in his bus as a passenger. But if she started to cry he got fed up and turned her out.

StoryShare

Craig Kelly
Keith Hewitt
Contents
"God, Faith, and Science Fairs" by Craig Kelly
"The Road Much Traveled" by Keith Hewitt


* * * * * * * *


God, Faith, and Science Fairs

by Craig Kelly
Genesis 1:1--2:4a
Keith Hewitt
C. David Mckirachan
Contents
"The Critic" by Keith Hewitt
"That's Just Not Him" by C. David McKirachan
"Getting Crowned" by C. David McKirachan


* * * * * * *


The Critic
by Keith Hewitt
Genesis 1:1--2:4a

"So, what do you think?"

CSSPlus

Good morning! This morning I brought with me a person some of you know very well. Who is she? (Let them answer.) To some of you, she is your "mother." To others of you, she is a friend. And others know her as a neighbor. Perhaps you know her as a nursery helper. You might also know her as a member of the choir. She is also a wife, a citizen of the land, and a businesswoman.
The sun is always with us. We can't see it here this morning because we are inside the church building, but we know the sun is outside. Sometimes clouds hide it from our view. At nighttime it seems like the sun is gone, but it isn't. Where is the sun when it's nighttime? (Let them answer.) We always have the sun -- whether we see it or not.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

William H. Shepherd
The more I listened, the more I heard desperation.

"It is possible for there to be light and darkness without the sun and the moon," she said as she launched into a long explanation gleaned from some dubious website. "And of course the days are not real days, but eras," she concluded.

"But the days are defined as alternating periods of light and darkness," someone replied. "Are you trying to tell us that there was darkness for thousands of years, and then light for another thousand?"

"That's one possibility," she said.
R. Craig Mccreary
All of my life, as I am sure of that in most of your lives, I have had to live by the numbers, and it has only gotten worse. There was a time when if you could manage to keep your social security number and telephone number in your head you could pretty well count on getting through the day unscathed. Those days are gone forever. I believe that the downward slide began with the invention of the area code. All right, I innocently went along believing that little harm would come and that could even be some benefit. What did I know?
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Trinity Sunday
28 – Sermons
150+ – Illustrations / Stories
29 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20+ – Worship Resources
26 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 5 (OT 10, Pent 2)
22 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
24 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20+ – Worship Resources
21 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 6 (OT 11, Pent 3)
29 – Sermons
150+ – Illustrations / Stories
30+ – Children's Sermons / Resources
20+ – Worship Resources
28 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Signup for FREE!
(No credit card needed.)
Wildcard SSL