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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Tony Campolo cites a Fortune magazine article... -- 1 John 5:9-13 -- Richard A. Hasler -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - B -- 2012
Tony Campolo cites a Fortune magazine article telling how young men and women entering the bu
We live in a politically correct world... -- 1 John 5:9-13 -- Craig Kelly -- Seventh Sunday of Easter - B -- 2012
We live in a politically correct world. Tolerance is a key word in today's society.
Ken and Carol Dorushka were having their morning cup of coffee... -- John 17:6-19 -- Ron Love -- 2012
Ken and Carol Dorushka were having their morning cup of coffee, when Carol mentioned she needed some
Sermon Illustrations for Pentecost -- Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:22-27, John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 2012
Acts 2:1-21
Leslie Weatherhead was an outstanding English Methodist preacher... -- Acts 2:1-21 -- Richard A. Hasler -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 2012
Leslie Weatherhead was an outstanding English Methodist preacher and writer who tells of a visit to
Why do we live as Christians?... -- Acts 2:1-21 -- Craig Kelly -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 2012
Why do we live as Christians?
In the movie Star Wars... -- Romans 8:22-27 -- Ron Love -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 2012
Paul wrote "that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains" in expectation of a Savior.
It's funny how looking at the ideal of something... -- John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 -- Craig Kelly -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 2012
It's funny how looking at the ideal of something shows us how far away we are from it.
Anne Lamott in her best-selling book, Traveling Mercies... -- John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 -- Richard A. Hasler -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 2012
Anne Lamott in her best-selling book, Traveling Mercies tells of her fear at the appearance o
Sermon Illustrations for Trinity Sunday (2012) -- Isaiah 6:1-8, Romans 8:12-17, John 3:1-17 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B -- 2012
Isaiah 6:1-8

Commentary

Emphasis Preaching Journal

When the crows come home to roost -- 1 Kings 21:1-3, 17-21, Galatians 6:7-18, Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 -- Proper 9 | Ordinary Time 14 - C
The Sundays after Pentecost and Trinity traditionally have focused on the growth in the Christian li
Opposites -- Jeremiah 17:5-10, 1 Corinthians 15:12-20, Luke 6:17-26 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - C
The traditional symbol for drama was two masks, one for comedy with the mouth wide and corners turne
Transfiguration or disfiguration -- 2 Kings 2:1-12, 2 Corinthians 4:3-6, Mark 9:2-9 -- R. Craig Maccreary -- Transfiguration Sunday - B
The transfiguration plunges us into the kind of text that many preachers would rather avoid if possi
The wedding hour -- Isaiah 62:1-5, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, John 2:1-11 -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - C
The wedding liturgy in my denomination begins with a paragraph that includes this line: "Our Lord Je
Maundy -- Jeremiah 31:31-34 -- Maundy Thursday - C
The word "maundy" means commandment -- "this I command you."
Roots, Sprouts and repentance! -- Isaiah 11:1-10, Matthew 3:1-12 -- Second Sunday of Advent - A
The world and the church approach the "Mass of Christ" with a different pace, and "atmospheres" that
Say it ain't so! -- Jeremiah 8:18--9:1, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, Luke 16:1-13, Psalm 79:1-9 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - C
The year was 1919, and it was the beginning of the first World Series after the "War to end all wars
It came from beneath the sea -- Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18, Ephesians 1:11-23, Luke 6:20-31, Psalm 149 -- William H. Shepherd -- All Saints Day - C
Theaters in the 1950s were deluged with "wildlife-gone-amok" disaster films ...
Have you been to the mountaintop? -- Exodus 34:29-35, 2 Corinthians 3:12--4:2, Exodus 34:29-35, Psalm 99 -- Transfiguration Sunday - C
There are only two kinds of people in the world.
The Call of Duty -- Amos 5:6-7, 10-15, Luke 17:1-10, 2 Timothy 1:1-14 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - A
There are those who chafe at the word duty. It seems so arbitrary, so oppressive, so binding.

Political Pulpit

Communicating God's Love

The Political Pulpit

Guest column

Sermon

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
Mary Austin
Alyssa Spradlin
For November 1, 2026:
Christopher Keating
Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
Mary Austin
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For November 1, 2026:

CSSPlus

Wesley T. Runk
The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Good morning boys and girls. Does anyone here remember someone saying, “I am the greatest?” I remember hearing it many times by a prize fighter named Ali. Does anyone here remember Muhammed Ali? He used to say a lot of things and he was a very good boxer. He told everyone that he saw that he was “the greatest of all time.” Wow! Not many people say those kind of things about themselves.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Sandra Herrmann
What is a saint?

According to the Roman Catholic church, a saint is a holy person who has been elevated by God to heaven, there to pray for those of us who need their help. There is a three-step process: the request by those who knew the person in life, and who attest to their holiness; a witness by at least two people that they asked the candidate to pray for them and their prayer was granted in a miraculous way; and an investigation by the Vatican into all this evidence. The declaration is made by the pope.

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told the people how they could be blessed by God and experience God's kingdom. In our worship today let us explore the Sermon on the Mount.

Invitation to Confession:
Jesus, sometimes I'm full of pride instead of being poor in spirit.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm overbearing and pushy, instead of being meek.
Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, sometimes I'm not exactly pure in heart.
Lord, have mercy.

Reading:

StoryShare

John S. Smylie
Keith Hewitt
Bryan Meadows
Frank Ramirez
Contents
What's Up This Week
"The Fifth Gospel" by John Smylie
"The Burden" by Keith Hewitt
"Up Stream" by Bryan Meadows
"A Magical Little Poem" by Frank Ramirez


What's Up This Week
John S. Smylie
Keith Hewitt
Bryan Meadows
Frank Ramirez
Contents
What's Up This Week
"The Fifth Gospel" by John Smylie
"The Burden" by Keith Hewitt
"Up Stream" by Bryan Meadows
"A Magical Little Poem" by Frank Ramirez


What's Up This Week
Keith Hewitt
Larry Winebrenner
Peter Andrew Smith
Constance Berg
Sandra Herrmann
Contents
"New Leadership" by Sandra Herrmann
"Lost" by Keith Hewitt
"Three Paths for the End of October" by Larry Winebrenner
"Ahmad's Final Lesson" by Larry Winebrenner
"Freedom to Live" by Peter Andrew Smith
"The Fullness of Life" by Constance Berg


* * * * * * * *


New Leadership
by Sandra Herrmann
Joshua 3:7-17
Keith Hewitt
Larry Winebrenner
Peter Andrew Smith
Constance Berg
Sandra Herrmann
Contents
"New Leadership" by Sandra Herrmann
"Lost" by Keith Hewitt
"Three Paths for the End of October" by Larry Winebrenner
"Ahmad's Final Lesson" by Larry Winebrenner
"Freedom to Live" by Peter Andrew Smith
"The Fullness of Life" by Constance Berg


* * * * * * * *


New Leadership
by Sandra Herrmann
Joshua 3:7-17

SermonStudio

Mary S. Lautensleger
"Surprise! You're adopted!" If you were to hear those words from a trusted relative, surprise would be an understatement, I'm sure. Total shock would probably be more descriptive terminology for your emotional state as you examined the official court record and your original birth certificate. "Adopted" does describe each of us though, because we have been adopted by God into God's family. How do we know? The Bible tells us so.
James L. Killen, Jr.
When we put together the collection of things that we can believe, we need to ask a question about the person in the middle of the inquiry. What can we believe about ourselves? We don't often ask that question but it is a very important one. Some people are oppressed by low self-esteem. Others are led astray by exaggerated images of themselves. It is important to get a realistic understanding of who we are -- and of who we can be. The Bible has something to say on the subject that may surprise you. Are you ready? Hold on to your hat. The Bible says you were created and called to be saints.
Argile Smith
At an office meeting, Ben got the official news that he would become the manager of one of the most influential departments in the company. His colleagues admired him because of his tireless work, and they respected him as a dependable person in whom they could place their trust. They were glad when they found out that he had gotten the promotion. In order to celebrate the news with him, they bought him a gift. Well, it was actually more like a gag-gift, the kind that he would place on his shelf and chuckle over every time he saw it.
Joseph M. Freeman
Maybe both the best and the worst of us in humanity are far better preachers than we are doers and deliverers of what we preach and teach. And maybe maturity has everything to do with our genuine willingness to bring a greater congruity between our esteemed words and those actions compatible with, not contradictory of, those words. Jesus, fully divine and fully human, loved and valued not just the right deeds, but also the right motives and attitudes.
Mary Sue Dehmlow Dreier
Commotion At The Communion Rail

Tommy didn't budge.

When everyone else got up to leave the communion rail, he stayed kneeling. His folded hands were perched on the rail, and his little head was bowed so far down that his forehead was squinched against his thumb knuckles. His eyes were closed hopefully, as if he were waiting for a big present.
Charles L. Aaron, Jr.
As the movie Contact opens, the audience sees a precocious girl named Eleanor learning how to use a ham radio. Nicknamed "Sparks" by her father, she has reached a man in Florida, and is excited that her radio lets her speak with someone so far away. In a later scene she asks her father wistfully if she can call her deceased mother on the radio. He responds sadly that no antenna is big enough.
George L. Murphy
You know that old saying, "Be careful what you wish for, because it might come true"? We see examples of that again and again in life. During the war in Iraq, Hampton Sides, a journalist who had been slated to be "embedded" with one of our frontline Marine battalions, gave an interview on NRP (National Public Radio). At almost the last possible moment, Sides decided not to go with the Marines, but instead to report from Central Command in Qatar.
Richard C. Brand
It seems fair to say that the saints of the Lord have always shown us what it is to be worthy of God. It is why we remember them and rejoice for them. They have shown us what a life worthy of God might look like. To talk about the saints, we may talk about Kagawa in Japan, about Mother Teresa, about Bishop Tutu and Nelson Mandela, about D. T. Niles in India, and about Saint Patrick in Ireland. To know the stories of Dorothy Day in New York City and Oscar Romero in Latin America is to have examples of what it means to lead lives worthy of the God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
Amy C. Schifrin
Martha Shonkwiler
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