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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

The text describes love itself... -- 1 John 4:7-21 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2003
The text describes love itself as the very image of God present in God's people.
Few things so cultivate a... -- 1 John 3:16-24 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2003
Few things so cultivate a shared orientation as a common ordeal.
The house was ablaze and... -- Luke 24:36b-48 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2003
The house was ablaze and little Tommy's screams could be heard from within.
Paul reminds us of an... -- 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - B -- 2003
Paul reminds us of an eternal reality. It is not easy to serve God.
While Jesus didn't raise every... -- Mark 5:21-43 -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - B -- 2003
While Jesus didn't raise every dead child in Israel, his bringing Jairus' daughter back to life was
At church camp, Reverend Howard... -- Romans 8:12-17 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B -- 2003
At church camp, Reverend Howard and another boy took off in a canoe.
We're not there yet, but... -- Romans 8:22-27 -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 2003
We're not there yet, but we are on the way.
Every Tuesday morning, I meet... -- Mark 1:14-20 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B -- 2003
Every Tuesday morning, I meet with residents of a nursing home.
God has a plan for... -- John 1:(1-9) 10-18 -- 2003
God has a plan for baby Saige.
It is difficult today to... -- Mark 1:21-28 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - B -- 2003
It is difficult today to imagine demons being driven from our lives, enabling us to become radically
Jesus told the healed leper... -- Mark 1:40-45 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2003
Jesus told the healed leper not to tell others about his healing, but the man told everyone he met.
Karl Barth once said: Look... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2003
Karl Barth once said: "Look at the face of a criminal and you will see what God sees when he looks a
I grew up in a... -- John 12:20-33 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - B -- 2003
I grew up in a large urban church in downtown Paterson, New Jersey.
As a symbol, the cross... -- John 18:1-19:42 -- Good Friday - B -- 2003
As a symbol, the cross has shown up in a number of surprising places, but as far as we know, it was
We've adopted all three of... -- 1 John 5:1-6 -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2003
We've adopted all three of our dogs from the animal shelter.
A trip to a haunted... -- 1 John 4:7-21 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2003
A trip to a haunted house recently turned into a lesson in love for two little six-year-old twin gir
To most of the world... -- 1 John 3:16-24 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2003
To most of the world, Mary Silzel is just another grandmother cruising the merchandise on eBay.
Recently a television special recounted... -- 1 John 3:1-7 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2003
Recently a television special recounted the life of John F. Kennedy, Jr.
There's a little town in... -- 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - B -- 2003
There's a little town in northeast Ohio called Hanoverton, settled in the early 1800s by Protestants
So much turns on the... -- 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - B -- 2003
So much turns on the little word, "but," as Paul used it in verse 4.
There is hardly a scene... -- Romans 8:12-17 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B -- 2003
There is hardly a scene that can surpass in suspense than the reading of the will.
The death of baseball great... -- Romans 8:22-27 -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 2003
The death of baseball great, Ted Williams, has raised the issue of deep-freezing people soon after d
Whom does Jesus call? When... -- Mark 1:14-20 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B -- 2003
Whom does Jesus call?
A Baptist seminary professor once... -- John 1:43-51 -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - B -- 2003
A Baptist seminary professor once said to a Methodist pastor, "I chuckle at you Methodists, always t
There is an incredible power... -- Mark 1:4-11 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B -- 2003
There is an incredible power associated with endorsement and approval.

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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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