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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

They didn't recognize him when... -- John 1:(1-9) 10-18 -- 2003
"They didn't recognize him when he came." Ah, that's the way of it so often, almost all the time.
Harry was 89 when I... -- Mark 2:1-12 -- Epiphany 7 | Ordinary Time 7 - B -- 2003
Harry was 89 when I first met him.
Isn't it interesting that Jesus... -- Mark 1:40-45 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - B -- 2003
Isn't it interesting that Jesus healed a man who said, "I want to be healed"?
Some of us in the... -- Mark 1:21-28 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - B -- 2003
Some of us in the "golden years" remember the party-line telephone.
Peter implies that Jesus should... -- Mark 1:29-39 -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - B -- 2003
Peter implies that Jesus should return to the town where more people were waiting for healing, but J
In the wilderness, Jesus was... -- Mark 1:9-15 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 2003
In the wilderness, Jesus was tempted to sin.
Mike Hall (the world's strongest... -- John 3:14-21 -- Fourth Sunday in Lent - B -- 2003
Mike Hall (the world's strongest drug-free man) and I co-host a cable television talk show titled Su
A small Presbyterian college in... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2003
A small Presbyterian college in the Midwest received a letter from an attorney telling them that a g
When we believe in Jesus... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2003
When we believe in Jesus, we are empowered by the new life of the Resurrection.
Sir, we wish to see... -- John 12:20-33 -- Fifth Sunday in Lent - B -- 2003
"Sir, we wish to see Jesus," said the Greeks to Philip.
When Brady was three weeks... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - B -- 2003
When Brady was three weeks old, he lay in his mother's arms in the front row of the church as the ch
When we toured the Holy... -- Mark 15:1-39 (40-47) -- Passion Sunday - B -- 2003
When we toured the Holy Land, we were brought to where we could see Golgotha -- the place of the sku
Years ago, some island missionaries... -- John 18:1-19:42 -- Good Friday - B -- 2003
Years ago, some island missionaries brought the gospel to places it had never been before.
After lunch we decided to... -- Mark 9:2-9 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 2003
After lunch we decided to go to the beach.
A quick perusal of titles... -- 1 John 5:1-6 -- Sixth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2003
A quick perusal of titles on the library shelf, the bookstore, or on the Internet, gives us the impr
Although not referring directly to... -- 1 John 4:7-21 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2003
Although not referring directly to Jesus' command to love one another, Albert Schweitzer did sum up
Love is neither an easy... -- 1 John 3:16-24 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2003
Love is neither an easy nor natural response to those around us.
Christ left the riches of... -- 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 -- Proper 8 | Ordinary Time 13 - B -- 2003
Christ left the riches of heaven in order to abide among us mortals here on earth.
As Christians, we are called... -- 1 John 3:1-7 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2003
As Christians, we are called to live our lives in ways that often run against the world's definition
In his book, The Buchwald... -- 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - B -- 2003
In his book, The Buchwald Stops Here, Art Buchwald, political pundit, described Charley, well dresse
The whole creation is groaning... -- Romans 8:22-27 -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 2003
The whole creation is groaning. The sounds and sights of hunger illustrate that.
When night falls in Pittsburgh... -- Romans 8:12-17 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B -- 2003
When night falls in Pittsburgh, 608 families leave their porch lights on and have baskets ready on t
Successful fishing requires using the... -- Mark 1:14-20 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - B -- 2003
Successful fishing requires using the right approach and the right bait or lure.
Early on in J. K... -- Mark 1:4-11 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - B -- 2003
Early on in J. K.
The Come unto me stained... -- John 1:43-51 -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - B -- 2003
The "Come unto me" stained-glass window in the Corinth Presbyterian Church, Dayton, Ohio, is awe-ins

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Proper 23 | OT 28 | Pentecost 21
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22 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
2 – Pastor's Devotions
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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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