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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Have you ever been down... -- Isaiah 9:2-7 -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2007
Have you ever been down a cave? The tour guide leads you down into the bowels of the
Even if our culture didn't... -- Titus 2:11-14 -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2007
Even if our culture didn't seduce us from a biblical focus upon Jesus' birth, our propensity
A generation ago, many preachers... -- Titus 2:11-14 -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2007
A generation ago, many preachers sermonized against ungodliness. They denounced sin
An English farmer told a... -- Titus 2:11-14 -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2007
An English farmer told a companion that he had been saved by his good looks.
One Sunday morning in 1988... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2007
One Sunday morning in 1988, as Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide (later to become president
At the entrance to the... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2007
At the entrance to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in the Holy Land, there is a
Christmas Eve is always a... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2007
Christmas Eve is always a special time for Joe and Barbara as their adult children along
Kevin and Samantha were scheduled... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- The Nativity of our Lord - A -- 2007
Kevin and Samantha were scheduled to move into their new home at the end of the
In Ken Follett's The Pillars... -- Isaiah 63:7-9 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A -- 2007
In Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth, the monk, Remigius, has been a
People sometimes come up with... -- Isaiah 63:7-9 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A -- 2007
People sometimes come up with some strange ideas about Jesus as companion and friend.
Isaiah demonstrates the difference between... -- Isaiah 63:7-9 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A -- 2007
Isaiah demonstrates the difference between ordinary folks and the extraordinary. It's also
There's a story that comes... -- Hebrews 2:10-18 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A -- 2007
There's a story that comes out of the West Indies during the time of slavery. At one
The military is very quick... -- Hebrews 2:10-18 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A -- 2007
The military is very quick to refer to comrades in arms as brothers. Band of
Justine dreads going to the... -- Hebrews 2:10-18 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A -- 2007
Justine dreads going to the store where she works at the mall the days following
In Christianity's early days, the... -- Hebrews 2:10-18 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A -- 2007
In Christianity's early days, the slaughter of the babies (regarded as the first Christian
Most professional sports teams like... -- Hebrews 2:10-18 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A -- 2007
Most professional sports teams like to have a mix of younger and older players. A team
Most Jewish couples hoped they... -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A -- 2007
Most Jewish couples hoped they could be the parents of the Messiah. What an honor that
Sometimes when we celebrate Christmas... -- Matthew 2:13-23 -- First Sunday after Christmas Day - A -- 2007
Sometimes when we celebrate Christmas, we remember the giving, but make it a minimal
Illustrations for December 2, 2007 from Emphasis -- Matthew 24:36-44, Romans 13:11-14, Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122 -- First Sunday of Advent - A -- 2007
Preaching The PsalmPsalm 122
Time is told by death... -- Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 -- New Year's Day - A, New Year's Day - B, New Year's Day - C -- 2007
Time is told by death, who doubts it? But time is always halved -- for all we know, it is
There is nothing better than... -- Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 -- New Year's Day - A, New Year's Day - B, New Year's Day - C -- 2007
"There is nothing better than to be happy and do good...."
It was afternoon on New... -- Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 -- New Year's Day - A, New Year's Day - B, New Year's Day - C -- 2007
It was afternoon on New Year's Day. All of the out-of-town relatives had left and other
An elderly parishioner told her... -- Ecclesiastes 3:1-13 -- New Year's Day - A, New Year's Day - B, New Year's Day - C -- 2007
An elderly parishioner told her pastor this: In my lifetime I have seen my children born,
For Hebrew Christians, the sea... -- Revelation 21:1-6a -- New Year's Day - A, New Year's Day - B, New Year's Day - C -- 2007
For Hebrew Christians, the sea was a continuing threat of chaos again seeping into (or
The home of God is... -- Revelation 21:1-6a -- New Year's Day - A, New Year's Day - B, New Year's Day - C -- 2007
"The home of God is with mortals." Many churchgoers I know talk about going to heaven

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