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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Phil shares his experience being... -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - C -- 2007
Phil shares his experience being away from home for the first time while attending a state
Bill didn't think it could... -- 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - C -- 2007
Bill didn't think it could get any worse, financially. His wife, Sharon, was off work on
Huge architectural structures are meant... -- Luke 21:5-19 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - C -- 2007
Huge architectural structures are meant to impress people. In the magnificent 35-acre
Recently, a fellow minister took... -- Luke 21:5-19 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - C -- 2007
Recently, a fellow minister took exception to something I wrote. I don't know all of his
Christ has no hands but... -- Luke 21:5-19 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - C -- 2007
Christ has no hands but our hands; he has no voice but our voice to speak his word.
There's an old story of... -- Deuteronomy 26:1-11 -- Thanksgiving Day - C -- 2007
There's an old story of John Witherspoon, who in colonial times was President of the
Some people from the church... -- Deuteronomy 26:1-11 -- Thanksgiving Day - C -- 2007
Some people from the church were calling on parishioners in their homes to ask them to
Terry was offered a new... -- Deuteronomy 26:1-11 -- Thanksgiving Day - C -- 2007
Terry was offered a new job in California. Accepting the job would mean moving over
I wonder how many people... -- Deuteronomy 26:1-11 -- Thanksgiving Day - C -- 2007
I wonder how many people have heard the same type of story as this writer has. My
Christians come to the Bible... -- Philippians 4:4-9 -- Thanksgiving Day - C -- 2007
Christians come to the Bible for advice on how to plan their lives, adjust their attitudes,
Feel better by saying a... -- Philippians 4:4-9 -- Thanksgiving Day - C -- 2007
"Feel better by saying a few kind words to yourself." That was the gist of an article I saw
Sometimes when we talk about... -- Philippians 4:4-9 -- Thanksgiving Day - C -- 2007
Sometimes when we talk about hymns of "Christian Soldiers," we are criticized as being
I have a good friend... -- Philippians 4:4-9 -- Thanksgiving Day - C -- 2007
I have a good friend who once served as a college chaplain. She has many great stories to
There's a remarkable item on... -- John 6:25-35 -- Thanksgiving Day - C -- 2007
There's a remarkable item on the shelves of our local supermarket. It's a milk carton --
James Lloyd Breck was a... -- John 6:25-35 -- Thanksgiving Day - C -- 2007
James Lloyd Breck was a great missionary who took the gospel message to Wisconsin,
On Thanksgiving, we remember the... -- John 6:25-35 -- Thanksgiving Day - C -- 2007
On Thanksgiving, we remember the story of the Pilgrims having a feast with the Indians.
Lynceus of Samos, was a... -- John 6:25-35 -- Thanksgiving Day - C -- 2007
Lynceus of Samos, was a classical Greek author of comedies, letters, and humorous
The 25-year-old theologian... -- Jeremiah 23:1-6 -- 2007
The 25-year-old theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was asked to take over a boys'
The Lord used this text... -- Jeremiah 23:1-6 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - C -- 2007
The Lord used this text to rebuke Israel's leaders. They hadn't fulfilled their shepherding
Hope for the future.br... -- Jeremiah 23:1-6 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - C -- 2007
Hope for the future.
Many years ago, the Jansen... -- Colossians 1:11-20 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - C -- 2007
Many years ago, the Jansen family of Norway -- father and mother and two young
He is the image of... -- Colossians 1:11-20 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - C -- 2007
He is the image of the invisible God. The word used for "image" here is the same word
Cheryl and Sandy met at... -- Colossians 1:11-20 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - C -- 2007
Cheryl and Sandy met at work. They immediately hit it off, becoming the best of friends.
For many handymen and handy... -- Colossians 1:11-20 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - C -- 2007
For many handymen and handy-women, duct tape is what holds things together. Duct
In 1915, the Turkish army... -- Luke 23:33-43 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - C -- 2007
In 1915, the Turkish army slaughtered over a million Armenians. E. Stanley Jones tells of

Political Pulpit

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The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
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Proper 10 | OT 15 | Pentecost 5
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Proper 11 | OT 16 | Pentecost 6
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
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Proper 12 | OT 17 | Pentecost 7
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John Jamison
Object: You may present this message as a simple story, or have the children act it out as a role-play. I will show the role-play version, but you can ignore the acting pieces and just tell the story if you prefer.

Note: For the role-play version, you will need to select two girls and one boy to play the roles. You might also have a broom and a dust rag if you want to.

* * *

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

The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Dean Feldmeyer
Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
For July 20, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Amos 8:1-12, Psalm 52
Amos proclaims the word from God that punishes the people. The people are to be punished for their lack of faith, for their focus on practicing deceit, betraying honesty to their neighbors, and being impatient for the time after the Sabbath when they can focus on profit and selling their crops and wares. Oh, my! What a terrible message for people. You have been unfaithful so I will punish you. And then in the psalm, God is proclaimed to be the olive tree, that which brings blessing.
David Kalas
I have tried to find different ways of saying it so that my children don’t tire of hearing it. But the basic principle remains the same, and my kids have heard it a ton. “First things first.” They ask if they can do this or they start to do that, and I will endeavor to redirect them, saying, “Why don’t we make sure we’re doing first things first!”

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. (v. 24)

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
One of Martha's earliest memories was of her little sister Mary singing and dancing in the middle of an admiring crowd of friends. Mary had always been a dancer, from the time she could walk. Privately, Martha thought she'd always been something of a show-off and ought to go on the stage, for Mary loved an audience.

SermonStudio

John E. Sumwalt
Jeanne Jones
Several years ago, before we moved to Wisconsin, I was an honorary nanny for our pastor's son, Jonathan. I took care of him from the time he was able to walk until our pastor moved, when Jonathan was about five. We had wonderful times together. One time, when I was at their house, and we had been doing some spiritual direction together, Pastor Michael asked me if I knew the name of my guardian angel.
James Evans
We are not surprised when we learn about crooks and robbers boasting about "mischief done against the godly" or "plotting destruction" all day long. The image we have in our minds about who "bad" people are, and how they conduct themselves, make such accusations completely plausible. We are less inclined to believe such things about leaders, especially respected leaders among us. We have difficulty believing someone with wealth and power would deliberately plot to do someone else harm.
Arley K. Fadness
Today's gospel from Luke 10 follows the parable of the good Samaritan. Luke positions the good Samaritan and the Mary-Martha story back to back for good reason. The parable and the story are examples of the Great Commandment "to love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself." The good Samaritan parable illustrates "love to neighbor," whereas the Mary-Martha story illustrates "love to God."
Kirk R. Webster
In the early 1990s, Wesley Nunley of Dallas completed a project he had dreamed of for decades. "I tell you, this could be a big thing," he explained. Wes then walked out to a concrete octagon in the middle of his backyard. With a beaming smile, arms raised up in excitement, the energetic retiree said, "This welcomes the UFO to land, which has never been done before."
John W. Wurster
It was the best of times. A time of prosperity and confidence, a time of relative peace, a time when most everything looked pretty good, a time when most everyone felt pretty good. It was a time maybe not unlike our own time.
H. Burnham Kirkland
Words Of Assurance
Our God is both wise and caring: afflicting the comfortable and comforting the afflicted.

Pastoral Prayer
God, we bow before you this morning, knowing that you hear every prayer. We know that in all of Creation, you are the source of life. You are the one who set the light swirling between the galaxies. The breath of your Spirit pulses through all life. You have even become flesh among us. We praise you, Lord, that in all your wonder, you have not forgotten us.

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