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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Online Sermons & Sermon Illustrations

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
Alyssa Spradlin
Nazish Naseem
Tom Willadsen
Christopher Keating
For September 27, 2026:

StoryShare

David O. Bales
Contents
“If It’s Worth Telling …” by David O. Bales
“An Over-Abundance Of New” by David O. Bales


If It’s Worth Telling …
by David O. Bales
Psalm 25:1-9

“Let me tell you a story.”

“No, no, no. That’s not the way to start a story. Try again.”

“I’ve got a great story to tell you.”

“You’re still missing it badly.”

“But I just introduced the story.”
C. David Mckirachan
Contents
"Wild Oats" by C. David McKirachan
"Bed Time Stories" by C. David McKirachan

* * * * * * *

Wild Oats
by C. David McKirachan
Psalm 25:1-9

I don’t know about you but my youth was full of sin. Not the ones that make up the terrible ten, but the terrible two, the ones on which hang all the law and the prophets.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Double Trouble was the smallest of the litter of puppies. He was also the most mischievous. When the old lady saw him, she couldn't resist the way his ears flopped over his face or the way his tail wagged incessantly.

SermonStudio

Larry Lange
Zack had seen the movie. You know, the one with Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston -- Bruce Almighty. Zack thought it was a pretty cheesy movie ... so predictable ... God helps the guy get the girl. But Zack was thinking, who wants a girl who wants commitment and kids? And who really wants a job? Zack didn't want a job; all he wanted was money. Even oil company executives probably had to do something to make money other than raising prices every time some Middle Eastern king had a toothache. Zack didn't want to do anything.
Wayne Brouwer
When Sadie and Bessie, the famed "Delany Sisters," were in the early years of their second centuries (103 and 105, respectively) they told interviewers, "God only gave you one body, so you better be nice to it. Exercise, because if you don't, by the time you're our age, you'll be pushing up daisies." Fitness gymnasiums ought to put the Delany Sisters on their billboards and quote them into larger profit margins.
Tempe Fussell
Curtis Fussell
Consider this list: a local restaurant under construction, a high school dropout, the cross-stitch I've been working on for six years, a young person killed in an accident. All of these have one thing in common: they describe something that has gone unfinished. A building, an education, a craft, a life. There are thousands of things and thousands of people around us that go unfinished. Some people start something and stop because they can't take criticism. Others stop because they're content with what they've done to that point.
William J. Carl, III
I don't know about you, but I don't think much of the choices Jesus offers in this passage. Think about it with me for a moment. Two sons. The father tells each one to go and do a little work in the vineyard. It's not much to ask, like mowing the lawn every once in a while. Parents don't ask their children to do that many chores around the house. Besides, it's the least they can do to earn their keep. So, says Jesus, this particular father asks his two boys to help out a little around the vineyard.
John R. Brokhoff
The parables are like mirrors. You can see yourself in them. You look at the characters and listen to their responses and you can see and hear yourself. This was the case when Nathan told a parable to David about a rich man's taking a poor man's pet sheep for a banquet. Nathan did not have to say, "You are the man," for David seeing himself as the guilty one confessed, "I have sinned against the Lord."
Thom M. Shuman
Call To Worship
One: God became an infant
All: so we would become God's children.
One: God walked the earth, telling stories
All: so the words would guide our choices.
One: God became poor
All: so our riches would help others.
One: God became foolish
All: so we would be wise enough to follow.
One: God turned the world upside down
All: so we would find our way home.

Prayer Of The Day
You nourish us,
Rock-Splitter,
H. Burnham Kirkland
Theme: Testing Our Profession Of Faith By Our Deeds

Call To Worship
Come, let us sing praises to the Lord. For the Lord is our strength and our salvation. His presence is among us, and his Spirit empowers us to be his people.

Invocation

Emphasis Preaching Journal

William H. Shepherd
They rang the church doorbell insistently. "We want to speak to the pastor!" they yelled over the intercom.

I met them at the glass doors and asked how I could help them.

The tall thin one with the long hair, granny glasses, and floppy leather Bible announced that they had a message from "Our Lord Jesus Christ" (the other one was small, tubby, had short hair, but the same floppy Bible).
The scenario continues from a week ago. Then it was complaining for lack of bread and meat. Now it is water that is scarce. But now the intensity of discontent is deeper. Whereas they had merely "complained" before, now they are in open rebellion. Mumbling has broken into quarreling. Moses is at his wits' end. He fears he will be stoned, a sign that a mob mentality is beginning to take hold.

CSSPlus

Good morning! How many of you like to play a musical instrument? (Let them answer.) Music is so much fun! I like good music! I love the music our children's choir makes when they sing in worship. Music is a real joy. It makes people happy.

Now, let me ask you a question. See if you like the music I'm going to play on this piano. (Play some dissonant chords.) Do you like my music? Now be honest here. (Let them answer.) I can understand that you might not like that music. In fact, we wouldn't even call it music because it's really just noise!
Cynthia E. Cowen
The Point: Words alone are not enough. Action is needed.

The Lesson: Good morning, girls and boys. It is great to have you come up and share this time with me. Thank you.

Every time I see a broom (show broom) I remember a learning moment in my life. I was just a little older than you are. And in our home I had certain chores to do. Chores are things that I was responsible to do to help in my family. One of those chores was to clean my room by hanging up my clothes and sweeping the floor.
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 21 (OT 26, Pent 18)
27 – Sermons
130+ – Illustrations / Stories
24 – Children's Sermons / Resources
19 – Worship Resources
23 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 22 (OT 27, Pent 19)
28 – Sermons
1210+ – Illustrations / Stories
30+ – Children's Sermons / Resources
20+ – Worship Resources
22 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 23 (OT 28, Pent 20)
30 – Sermons
120+ – Illustrations / Stories
20 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20+ – Worship Resources
25 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
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