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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Suppose you learned that actress... -- James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2006
Suppose you learned that actress Julia Roberts was coming to your worship service next
Courtney worked hard in math... -- James 2:1-10 (11-13) 14-17 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2006
Courtney worked hard in math while in high school. Every good grade she got, she
And then there was what... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2006
And then there was what I remember as one of the worst nights in my life. It was 3 a.m.,
This text points to a... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2006
This text points to a recurring theme in Mark's Gospel that the "outsiders" (the
Prior to the release of... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2006
Prior to the release of the movie, The Da Vinci Code, author Dan Brown was
Most students, at one time... -- Proverbs 1:20-33 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
Most students, at one time or another, are given a "test" in which the instructions are
The late Konrad Adenauer, an... -- Proverbs 1:20-33 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
The late Konrad Adenauer, an anti-Nazi activist who was elected the first Chancellor of
George enrolled in a trade... -- Proverbs 1:20-33 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
George enrolled in a trade college and took the classes he needed in order to start up his
Each August, the Canadian National... -- Proverbs 1:20-33 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
Each August, the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto presents a spectacle of color,
James reminds us that the... -- James 3:1-12 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
James reminds us that the way we use our tongue can either be part of the problem or
Dirk remembers working one summer... -- James 3:1-12 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
Dirk remembers working one summer while he was in college at an assembly plant in his
The tongue is a fire... -- James 3:1-12 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
"The tongue is a fire" -- Adolf Hitler knew all about that. Just look at that old
Joe was ambitious. Growing up... -- Mark 8:27-38 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
Joe was ambitious. Growing up without a lot of the things his friends had, Joe vowed to
You don't have to be... -- Mark 8:27-38 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
You don't have to be around people long to realize everyone is something of a mystery.
Kathy has a choice to... -- Mark 8:27-38 -- Proper 19 | Ordinary Time 24 - B -- 2006
Kathy has a choice to either go to the local shopping mall with her friends on Saturday, or
It was the television commercial... -- Proverbs 31:10-31 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2006
It was the television commercial many of us loved to hate. A working woman comes
In a time when skin... -- Proverbs 31:10-31 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2006
In a time when skin-deep beauty is placed almost on a level of a modern goddess, today's
CNN's Soledad O'Brien claims that... -- Proverbs 31:10-31 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2006
CNN's Soledad O'Brien claims that faith played an essential role in her life while
Jim and Sally were brother... -- James 3:13--4:3, 7-8a -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2006
Jim and Sally were brother and sister. They had three older sisters and there were eight
In August 2002, Linda and... -- James 3:13--4:3, 7-8a -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2006
In August 2002, Linda and Anthony O'Malley traveled from Wales to Spain with plans to
Chris once asked the pastor... -- James 3:13--4:3, 7-8a -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2006
Chris once asked the pastor, during catechism class, if the devil could take over a person's
Sometimes we sow our wild... -- James 3:13--4:3, 7-8a -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2006
Sometimes we "sow our wild oats, but pray for a crop failure." Still, it's generally true
A family was seated in... -- Mark 9:30-37 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2006
A family was seated in a restaurant. The server took the order from the adults, then turned
Six-year-old Andrea had... -- Mark 9:30-37 -- Proper 20 | Ordinary Time 25 - B -- 2006
Six-year-old Andrea had an innocence as well as a sincerity about her as she answered
What can you do when... -- Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - B -- 2006
What can you do when you're treated unfairly? Go to any bookstore and you'll find books

Political Pulpit

Sermon

The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 10 | OT 15 | Pentecost 5
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
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Proper 11 | OT 16 | Pentecost 6
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 12 | OT 17 | Pentecost 7
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

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John Jamison
Object: This is a role play activity.

Note: You will need to select six children to play roles in this activity. If you have a smaller group, you might ask some older youth or even adults to play the parts of the two attackers and the man being attacked. I will give suggestions for how they can play their roles, but feel free to help your children make the story as fun and memorable as you can. I have used boys and girls in the various roles, but you can change those however you want to change them.

* * *

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Christopher Keating
George Reed
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
For July 13, 2025:
  • Samaritans Among Us by Dean Feldmeyer based on Acts 2:1-21. Samaritans were despised and dismissed by the original audience who first heard Jesus tell this parable. Who are the Samaritans in our lives and how does this parable apply today?
  • Second Thoughts: The Helpers by Katy Stenta based on Amos 7:7-17.

StoryShare

Frank Ramirez
I say, “You are gods,
    children of the Most High, all of you;
nevertheless, you shall die like mortals
    and fall like any prince….”
(vv. 6-7)

There have been any number of brother-sister acts that achieved a measure of fame. Take the Carpenters, famed for their singing, musicianship, and songwriting skills. Also worthy of mention are John and Joan Cusack who have acted together in over sixteen films.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Wayne Brouwer
An ancient legend tells of a remote mountain village where people used to send their senior citizens out into the woods to die. The villagers had an eye to the future; they felt that those beyond a certain age would only slow down progress or use up valuable resources to no economically profitable end. Those who reached a certain age weren’t “put out to pasture” or “put out of their misery”; they were simply put out of other people’s way.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Amos 7:7-17 and Psalm 82
The tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It is more than 2,700 feet high—over half a mile tall. It has 160 floors and is twice as tall as the Empire State Building in New York City. It is home to the world’s fastest elevator which reaches speeds of forty miles an hour. The Burj Khalifa also hosts the world’s highest outdoor observation deck (on the 124th floor) and the world’s highest swimming pool (on the 76th floor).

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Mabel hummed a familiar hymn tune as she made her way to church. She always enjoyed her Sunday morning walk. It was one of the few times she felt safe to walk alone through the inner city, for she knew nobody would be up at 7.45 in the morning. Today was a particularly beautiful morning, with blue sky, warm sunshine, and the song of a few intrepid blackbirds who still inhabited the city.

SermonStudio

James Evans
Often, a distinction is made between the pastoral or priestly work of the church and the prophetic work. Pastoral care has to do with the care of souls, the offering of comfort in times of loss. The priestly character of pastoral work seeks to mediate the presence of God to those who are hurting.

Schuyler Rhodes
Trusting is never easy. Even in the best of relationships, people step into trust slowly. There is wariness -- questioning -- worry. What happens if trust is betrayed? What if this doesn't work? Sometimes it's like a dance. We step in and out of trust, moving to the rhythms of fear. For many, the routine is achingly familiar. Indeed, it's not easy to trust.
John Jamison
It was back in the days when the railroad was the most common mode of transportation. There were automobiles, and some airplanes, but the steam locomotive was the way most folks traveled and the way that most of the goods were distributed around the country. After dinner, people sat in the drawing room and listened to the radio programs, fading in and out from some faraway location, over the magical broadcasting signal.
Robert Leslie Holmes
Not many tourists to Washington, D.C., look for the Federal Bureau of Standards offices. It's the Capitol and the White House, the Supreme Court Building or the Smithsonian most of us want to see when we go there. Yet, at the Bureau of Standards offices something very important is stored, something that impacts your life and mine every single day. Have you ever bought the materials for a new project? When you did, most likely you purchased so many inches or feet or yards. Or, you stopped to buy gasoline for your car and purchased it at a certain price per gallon.
David O. Bales
I have the two best jobs in the world. I teach social studies at Leon Griffith Junior High School (a fairly small junior high) and I am Sunday School Superintendent at Calvary Presbyterian Church (an enormous church school). Each job is my vocation. I tell people that at school they'll find my room where the halls cross. At church they can look but probably won't find me. I'll be in someone's classroom. At each job I practice what I most deeply believe: it's how you see the world that determines how you respond to it. I'll give you an example, actually, two examples.
Erskine White
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed,
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
(Stuart K. Hine)

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