Login / Signup

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Hold down Ctrl (Windows) / Command (Mac) for multiple selections (scroll list to see all options)

Commentary

Communicating God's Love

Guest column

Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was born... -- Mark 10:35-45 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 2003
Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was born August 26, 1910, in Macedonia.
Jesus' disciples had a serious... -- Mark 10:35-45 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 2003
Jesus' disciples had a serious problem with humility. Who doesn't?
My parents raised me in... -- Hebrews 5:1-10 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 2003
My parents raised me in the Baptist tradition.
We who are privileged to... -- Hebrews 5:1-10 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 2003
We who are privileged to be ministers in the church serve in a long line of preachers, pastors, prie
In his book, Flags... -- Hebrews 5:1-10 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 2003
In his book, Flags of our Fathers, James Bradley told how General Holland M.
In the heat of war... -- Hebrews 5:1-10 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 2003
In the heat of war, horrors happen.
Humanity has always been lifting... -- Job 38:1-7 (34-41) -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 2003
Humanity has always been lifting its voice to the clouds, seeking to harness the forces of nature.
Foundation, base, cornerstone: structures of... -- Job 38:1-7 (34-41) -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 2003
Foundation, base, cornerstone: structures of the universe.
If Job only had a... -- Job 38:1-7 (34-41) -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 2003
If Job only had a sense of the measurements God was asking about, he would have conceded his argumen
During the 2000 Sydney Olympics... -- Mark 10:17-31 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 2003
During the 2000 Sydney Olympics Games, a young man from Guinea named Eric Moussambani became an unli
Few passages are so provocative... -- Mark 10:17-31 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 2003
Few passages are so provocative as this one in proclaiming the cost of discipleship.
Joseph Kennedy, the father of... -- Mark 10:17-31 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 2003
Joseph Kennedy, the father of President John F.
How come some things that... -- Mark 10:17-31 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 2003
How come some things that look so easy to do turn out to be impossible?
I grew up in a... -- Hebrews 4:12-16 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 2003
I grew up in a household that contained many Bibles.
As a young adult, I... -- Hebrews 4:12-16 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 2003
As a young adult, I had my tonsils removed.
About two years ago, U.S... -- Hebrews 4:12-16 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 2003
About two years ago, U.S. Representative Floyd D. Spence from South Carolina died.
Research is being conducted in... -- Hebrews 4:12-16 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 2003
Research is being conducted in many places (Emory University in Atlanta, the Wadsworth Center of the
Job couldn't find God on... -- Job 23:1-9, 16-17 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 2003
Job couldn't find God on any of the four sides around him - forward, backward, left or right.
Job experiences God as hidden... -- Job 23:1-9, 16-17 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 2003
Job experiences God as hidden. "He hides ...
Job has confidence that if... -- Job 23:1-9, 16-17 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 2003
Job has confidence that if he could only make his case before God, God would listen.
One of the characters in... -- Job 23:1-9, 16-17 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 2003
One of the characters in Elie Wiesel's play The Trial of God, voices a Jobian protest against
Ten-year-old Jason wanted... -- Mark 10:2-16 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - B -- 2003
Ten-year-old Jason wanted one thing for Christmas - a new X-Box videogame system.
A child's perspective always creates... -- Mark 10:2-16 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - B -- 2003
A child's perspective always creates new possibilities for seeing and understanding.
Whoever does not receive the... -- Mark 10:2-16 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - B -- 2003
Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child cannot enter it.
Our church has just finished... -- Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12 -- Proper 22 | Ordinary Time 27 - B -- 2003
Our church has just finished a new building program, virtually doubling the size of our facility.

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
and more...
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...

New & Featured This Week

CSSPlus

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)

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL