Emphasis Contributors
Illustration Writers
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Bill Thomas
Mark Ellingsen
Fifth Sunday in Lent - C
Frank Ramirez
This is not the same old thing. This is something new. Isaiah tells us to forget the old standards of life and truth. Our God conquers, so no longer judge the old way. Paul in prison says pretty much the same thing. And in the first supper, which takes place in the home of Martha, with Mary, Jesus, and the newly resurrected Lazarus in attendance, we see the world turned upside down as well. Something new. Something new.
Isaiah 43:16-21
The Iliad by Homer, an epic poem written eight centuries before Jesus, is about a short incident in the famous Trojan War. The captains from the various Greek city states are as much in conflict with each other as they are at war with the Trojans. It was considered a scripture in the...
Isaiah 43:16-21
The Iliad by Homer, an epic poem written eight centuries before Jesus, is about a short incident in the famous Trojan War. The captains from the various Greek city states are as much in conflict with each other as they are at war with the Trojans. It was considered a scripture in the...
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Isaiah 43:16-21
C. S. Lewis captured the spirit of this lesson, its call to forget the past and start anew. As he put it, “there are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” John Calvin captured what is new for us in God’s assurance that he is making new things. For Calvin it means that God has offered us “His paternal favor, and declares that our salvation is become the object of his care; he gives us fee access to himself…” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.X/2, p.133) With this sort of love, you would think we could readily move beyond the past and all its hurts, to forgive and forget. This is a difficult, for many people a seemingly impossible way to live. But the words of the famed 19th-century American Congregationalist Henry Ward Beecher (...
C. S. Lewis captured the spirit of this lesson, its call to forget the past and start anew. As he put it, “there are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” John Calvin captured what is new for us in God’s assurance that he is making new things. For Calvin it means that God has offered us “His paternal favor, and declares that our salvation is become the object of his care; he gives us fee access to himself…” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.X/2, p.133) With this sort of love, you would think we could readily move beyond the past and all its hurts, to forgive and forget. This is a difficult, for many people a seemingly impossible way to live. But the words of the famed 19th-century American Congregationalist Henry Ward Beecher (...
Lectionary Commentary and Sermon Illustrations
Emphasis Preaching Journal provides in-depth lectionary-based commentary on lectionary texts, plus thousands of sermon illustrations to help you create riveting sermons.For over 45 years, Emphasis has provided subscribers with scripturally sound, lectionary-based commentaries and sermon illustrations that connect with the people in the pews.
For each week, Emphasis writers delve into the heart of the lectionary readings, providing you with several fresh, solid ideas -- based squarely on the lectionary texts -- for creating sermons that speak powerfully to your audience. They look for overall themes that hold the readings together. Then, they zero in on the themes and the specific scripture links, suggesting directions for the sermon and worship service. Since a single idea each week may not provide what you are looking for at that particular time, writers suggest several, giving you the opportunity to select the one that matches your specific needs.
