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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

For some strange reason an... -- Mark 1:1-8 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
For some strange reason an unusual custom developed at the local high school.
John the Baptist is like... -- Mark 1:1-8 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
John the Baptist is like that eccentric uncle who visits each year around Christmas.
While on vacation at a... -- Mark 1:1-8 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
While on vacation at a well-known Atlantic Ocean beach, a couple went to one of the local attraction
Jonathan Edwards, arguably the greatest... -- Mark 1:1-8 -- Second Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
Jonathan Edwards, arguably the greatest systematic theologian ever born on this side of the Atlantic
The Spirit of the Lord... -- Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 -- Third Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
The Spirit of the Lord is upon the prophet. He's ecstatic with his vocation as the Lord's prophet.
Do you remember your family... -- Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 -- Third Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
Do you remember your family going somewhere special when you were a child?
It is that time of... -- Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 -- Third Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
It is that time of year when family members whom we don't often see will soon return home for the ho
Jamie was trying out for... -- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 -- Third Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
Jamie was trying out for a part in the Christmas play.
It had been a rough... -- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 -- Third Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
It had been a rough year for the Rogers family.
Sports drinks are the rage... -- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 -- Third Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
Sports drinks are the rage these days.
The conductor, author, and composer... -- John 1:6-8, 19-28 -- Third Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
The conductor, author, and composer, Leonard Bernstein, was also a teacher.
There was once a town... -- John 1:6-8, 19-28 -- Third Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
There was once a town overrun by squirrels. They were everywhere, especially the churches.
John the Baptist is a... -- John 1:6-8, 19-28 -- Third Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
John the Baptist is a popular preacher, having followers of his own.
It is among the oldest... -- 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
It is among the oldest and most durable of the old vaudeville routines.
Eric shared with the youth... -- 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
Eric shared with the youth group the time when he accompanied his father to the service club's Chris
When Michael and David were... -- 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
When Michael and David were ten, they decided that what their dad needed most for Father's Day was a
My father-in-law and... -- Romans 16:25-27 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
My father-in-law and his brother lived the last years of their life in an assisted living facility.
This section of Romans is... -- Romans 16:25-27 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
This section of Romans is called the final doxology.
In the concluding verses of... -- Romans 16:25-27 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
In the concluding verses of the letter to the Romans, Paul reflects on the "mystery that was kept se
Hail Mary, full of grace... -- Luke 1:26-38 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
"Hail Mary, full of grace.
Boys dressed in bathrobes portraying... -- Luke 1:26-38 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
Boys dressed in bathrobes portraying shepherds, a shy girl cast as Mary, alongside a giggling boy as
When the doctor gave sixteen... -- Luke 1:26-38 -- Fourth Sunday of Advent - B -- 2008
When the doctor gave sixteen year-old Mavis the news, it didn't come as a surprise. Pregnant.
At Christmas, people grab from... -- Isaiah 9:2-7 -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 2008
At Christmas, people grab from this text: "Prince of peace," and "endless peace," and miss "boots of
Put yourself in the month... -- Isaiah 9:2-7 -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 2008
Put yourself in the month of June.
The days are short and... -- Isaiah 9:2-7 -- The Nativity of our Lord - B -- 2008
The days are short and dark now, but it is a season of lights.

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New & Featured This Week

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A football, a hand-held microphone, a camera, a stack of play money bills. These are the objects I used, but you can use any objects that might symbolize “success”.

* * *

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

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
For October 20, 2024:

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. (v. 4)

The outhouse on the farm where I grew up was beside the ash pile, at the end of a well-worn path, under a boxelder tree about fifty yards from the back door of the house. It was a two-seater – cold in winter, smelly and hot in summer. There was always a Sears and Roebuck catalogue on the floor in the corner, which served as both reading and wiping material.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Bill Thomas
Mark Ellingsen
Bonnie Bates
Frank Ramirez
Job 38:1-7 (34-41)
Most people assume God’s answer to Job, showing him the depth and breadth of the universe is meant to cow Job’s resistance, leading him, now broken, to repent, abjectly saying “...therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes (42:6).”
Mark Ellingsen
All the lessons testify to the theme that it’s not at all about you and me; it’s all about God!

Job 38:1-7 (34-41)

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus said, "What is it you want me to do for you?" In our worship, let us explore what we want Jesus to do for us today.

Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, we are sometimes selfish in our requests to you.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, we are sometimes unreasonable in our requests to you.
Christ, have mercy.

Jesus, help us to make you the centre of our world.
Lord, have mercy.

SermonStudio

David E. Leininger
The story of Job is familiar to all of us -- a man whose world was spinning merrily along with everything falling into place is suddenly confronted with one misery after another ... disaster, death, disease, and despair. In some of the most moving poetry ever written, chapter after chapter attempts to deal with the age-old question of why, so often, life is unfair.

Schuyler Rhodes
The voice of praise rings beautifully through this psalm as each verse gives poetic color to the glories of creation and its maker. It is something to be read and re-read as we contemplate the wonders of God.
Steven Molin
There is a candy shop in the city of Keystone, South Dakota, just a few hundred yards down the mountain from that infamous Mount Rushmore monument. I can't tell you the name of that candy store, but I can certainly recall the sign on the counter that stands at just about eyeball-level for the average seven-year-old. The sign says this: "If Mom says, 'No,' ask Grandma!"

Harold C. Warlick, Jr.
An elementary principle in the business world is the law of supply and demand. When supplies outrace the demand for a product, prices are low. We call that a "buyer's market." On the other hand, when there are more buyers demanding a product than there are supplies of the product, prices are high. We call that situation a "seller's market."

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