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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

It was during the Stone... -- Isaiah 50:4-9a -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2007
It was during the Stone Age that humans first began using flint to make tools. Flint was
What is striking every Holy... -- Isaiah 50:4-9a -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2007
What is striking every Holy Week is Jesus' determination. He began his ministry
Did you watch the PBS... -- Isaiah 50:4-9a -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2007
Did you watch the PBS specials on Genesis? Hosted by a former White House Press
Talk of having the same... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2007
Talk of having "the same mind" can excite science fiction fans to speculate about a
I learned a lesson about... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2007
I learned a lesson about humility early in my ministry as a church organist. I had been
This passage in Philippians 2:5-11... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2007
This passage in Philippians 2:5-11 is perhaps the most powerful passage about Jesus that
Let the same mind be... -- Philippians 2:5-11 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2007
"Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus ..." (v. 5). What a strange Messiah
Fred Craddock tells of how... -- Luke 22:14--23:56 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2007
Fred Craddock tells of how, when he was in graduate school at Vanderbilt, he used to
Anyone who has lived on... -- Luke 22:14--23:56 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2007
Anyone who has lived on or visited a farm will know that roosters love to crow in the
For the past twenty years... -- Luke 22:14--23:56 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2007
For the past twenty years, a community observes Good Friday with its annual Cross
It's a struggle to keep... -- Luke 22:14--23:56 -- Passion Sunday - C -- 2007
It's a struggle to keep it. Ministers tussle mightily to retain it. As with a suit or dress ten
Humans divide time into manageable... -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 2007
Humans divide time into manageable hunks, then we name those days, months, and eras.
A small country church in... -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 2007
A small country church in Wisconsin has a special tradition that they have used at the
One of the most famous... -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 2007
One of the most famous paintings in the world is Leonardo da Vinci's painting of the
Fred Speakman, great preacher of... -- Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 2007
Fred Speakman, great preacher of another era, tells this story. Wheeler Robinson, great
There's a story of the... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 2007
There's a story of the original President Bush (not our president today, but his father,
Between April 3, 1860, and... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 2007
Between April 3, 1860, and November 21, 1861, the Pony Express delivered mail
Currently, Ben is serving with... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 2007
Currently, Ben is serving with the US Army in war-torn Iraq. The week before being
For I received what I... -- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 2007
"For I received what I passed on to you." Thus reads the apostle Paul's familiar Last
When John Kennedy ran for... -- John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 2007
When John Kennedy ran for president in 1960, he went to West Virginia to campaign
As Christ kneels and washes... -- John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 2007
As Christ kneels and washes the feet of the disciples of the upper room, he is teaching
A communion hymn by Charles... -- John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 2007
A communion hymn by Charles Wesley is fitting:
Elton Trueblood used to tell... -- John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Maundy Thursday - C -- 2007
Elton Trueblood used to tell the story that a pastor once preached on the subject of
Dorothee Soelle has remarked that... -- Isaiah 52:13--53:12 -- Good Friday - C -- 2007
Dorothee Soelle has remarked that "people can be dead for forty years even though they
Helen Keller is credited with... -- Isaiah 52:13--53:12 -- Good Friday - C -- 2007
Helen Keller is credited with these words: "So long as you can sweeten another's pain,

Political Pulpit

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The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
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Proper 23 | OT 28 | Pentecost 21
30 – Sermons
180+ – Illustrations / Stories
29 – Children's Sermons / Resources
22 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
2 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 24 | OT 29 | Pentecost 22
31 – Sermons
180+ – Illustrations / Stories
34 – Children's Sermons / Resources
22 – Worship Resources
30 – Commentary / Exegesis
2 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 25 | OT 30 | Pentecost 23
32 – Sermons
180+ – Illustrations / Stories
33 – Children's Sermons / Resources
21 – Worship Resources
30 – Commentary / Exegesis
2 – Pastor's Devotions
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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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