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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

In the Catholic Church... -- Deuteronomy 5:12-15 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
In the Catholic Church is a ritual called litany of the hours.
It is interesting and... -- Deuteronomy 5:12-15 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
It is interesting and important to notice that, according to the Jewish tradition, the day beg
The amusing story is... -- Exodus 24:3-8 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
The amusing story is often told of a mother who returned from her shopping to find her childre
Whenever sacrifices were offered... -- Exodus 24:3-8 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Whenever sacrifices were offered in he Old Testament there was an altar present.
Moses told the people... -- Exodus 24:3-8 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Moses told the people what the Lord wanted them to do, and they said, “We will do it.” But the
Herbert Lockyer has told... -- Exodus 24:3-8 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Herbert Lockyer has told of a friend in Glasgow, Scotland, who, many years ago, was in and out
One might wonder how... -- Genesis 3:(1-7) 8-21 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
One might wonder how Adam and Eve could be tempted.
Jesus knew the importance... -- Genesis 3:8-21 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Jesus knew the importance of storytelling as a way to convey great truths.
An ice-cream parlor... -- Genesis 3:(1-7) 8-21 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
An ice-cream parlor manager from Bethesda, Maryland, named Nathan Peabody, received a phone ca
In his book, I... -- Genesis 3:(1-7) 8-21
In his book, Rebellion, Albert Cam us writes about a little Frenchman who was taken pri
Helen Keller was born... -- 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Helen Keller was born with the crushing handicaps of both blindness and deafness ‚--'' a helpl
Paul expresses his faith... -- 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 -- Proper 4 | Ordinary Time 9 - C
Paul expresses his faith in the Lord Jesus.
When I am overwhelmed by... -- Zechariah 7:1-10 -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - C
When I am overwhelmed by the business and busy-ness of the church, it sometimes seems that the sole
Bill Cosby does a marvelous... -- Zechariah 7:1-10 -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - C
Bill Cosby does a marvelous skit on fathers and Father's Day gifts.
What would a wrestling match... -- Genesis 32:22-30 -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - C
What would a wrestling match with the Lord be like in real life?
After an acquaintance I will... -- Genesis 32:22-30 -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - C
After an acquaintance I will call Maureen Jackson passed through a trying time in which she wrestled
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz reflects on... -- Genesis 32:22-30 -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - C
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz reflects on this passage: "...
I know of one head... -- Genesis 32:22-30 -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - C
I know of one head baseball coach who anticipates a confrontation with his better players.
There was an Athenian soldier... -- 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14 -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - C
There was an Athenian soldier who was lame in one foot.
We have the assurance that... -- 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14 -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - C
"We have the assurance that God will raise us from death," said the fourth brother to the soldiers w
What's worth dying for? Literally... -- 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14 -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - C
What's worth dying for? Literally?
The reading from Maccabees is... -- 2 Macabees 7:1-2, 9-14 -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - C
The reading from Maccabees is like seeing a grade-B horror movie.
How would you live if... -- Job 19:23-27 -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - C
How would you live if you knew exactly when you were going to die?
Who can ever forget the... -- Job 19:23-27a -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - C
Who can ever forget the momentous scene in the movie, The Ten Commandments, where Moses is st
Music critics have heralded I... -- Job 19:23-27a -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - C
Music critics have heralded Requiem as the most outstanding of Brahms' works in bringing toge

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160+ – Illustrations / Stories
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34 – Commentary / Exegesis
5 – Pastor's Devotions
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New & Featured This Week

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
In the sometimes-tiresome debate over science and scripture with respect to creation, it’s easy to become distracted. While the argument typically requires a focus on the how, we may lose sight of the what. And so, for just a moment, let me invite us to think for a moment about what God created.
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Bill Thomas
Acts 8:26-40
As a local church pastor, I was often asked if I would baptize a child whose family were not members of the church. Some churches rebelled against this, but I remember this scripture — the hunger for understanding and inclusion of the Eunuch and Philp’s response — to teach and share and baptize in the name of our God. How could we turn anyone away from the rite of baptism?

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
“Dad, I think you worked a miracle.” Rolf slowly walked around the tree. “After that windstorm, I assumed this tree was as good as gone.”

“We just needed to give the branches time to heal and come back,” Michael replied.

 “I know, but so many of them were battered and broken I figured that it couldn’t recover. Now though it looks just like it did before the storm.” Rolf paused. “Do you think it will bear any fruit this summer?”

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A live plant that produces fruit, and a broken branch from that plant. I used a tomato plant from a local greenhouse. Ideally, find a plant with blossoms or small fruit already growing. If you use a different kind of fruit-producing plant, just change the script to fit.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent!

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Mary Austin
Elena Delhagen
Dean Feldmeyer
Quantisha Mason-Doll
For April 28, 2024:
  • On The Way To Gaza by Chris Keating based on Acts 8:26-40. On the way to Gaza, Philip discovers the startling ways the Spirit of God moves across borders, boundaries, customs, and traditions.
  • Second Thoughts: Abiding by Katy Stenta based on John 15:1-8.
  • Sermon illustrations by Mary Austin, Tom Willadsen, Elena Delhagen, Dean Feldmeyer.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. In our service today, let us absorb from the vine all the nourishment we need.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes our branches become cut off from the vine.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes our branches are withered.
Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we fail to produce good fruit.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

Stan Purdum
We will meet Psalm 22 in its entirety on Good Friday, but here the lectionary designates just verses 23-31. The lectionary psalms generally illuminate the week's First Lesson, which in this case is about the covenant initiated by God with Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 17. The nine verses from this psalm, while not inappropriate, nonetheless leave us looking for an obvious connection with the First Lesson.

John S. Smylie
I think some people are natural-born gardeners. Our Lord grew up in a society that was familiar with agriculture. The images that he used to explain the ways of his Father in heaven are familiar to his audience. Growing up, my closest experience to agriculture was living in, "the Garden State." Most people, when they pass through New Jersey, are surprised to see that expression on the license plates of vehicles registered in New Jersey. Most folks traveling through New Jersey experience the megalopolis, the corridor between New York City and Washington DC.
Ron Lavin
A pastor in Indiana went to visit an 87-year-old man named Ermil, who was a hospital patient. A member of his church told the pastor about this old man who was an acquaintance. "He's not a believer, but he is really in need," the church member said. "I met him at the county home for the elderly. He's a lonely old man with no family and no money."

Paul E. Robinson
"Love is a many splendored thing...." Or so we heard Don Cornwall and the Four Aces sing time and again. Of course you or I might have other words to describe love, depending on our situation.

Love. "I love you." "I love to play golf." "I just love pistachio lush!" "It's tough to love some people." "Jesus loves me, this I know."

Love.

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