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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

One Sunday morning an eccentric... -- Matthew 14:13-21 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - A -- 2002
One Sunday morning an eccentric looking man came to church.
One Saturday night, motivational speaker... -- Matthew 14:13-21 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - A -- 2002
One Saturday night, motivational speaker Reggie Dabbs led an powerful youth service.
Catherine was an active member... -- Romans 10:5-15 -- Proper 14 | Ordinary Time 19 - A -- 2002
Catherine was an active member of her church.
Johnny was adopted into a... -- Romans 9:1-5 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - A -- 2002
Johnny was adopted into a family of two brothers and one sister, of whom he was the youngest.
Kidnapped in Pakistan, a news... -- Romans 9:1-5 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - A -- 2002
Kidnapped in Pakistan, a news reporter has been unheard of for days.
Chosen-ness does not lead... -- Romans 9:1-5 -- Proper 13 | Ordinary Time 18 - A -- 2002
Chosen-ness does not lead automatically to arrogance, but without vigilance it can slide into it.
When the beloved disciple ran... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - A -- 2002
When the beloved disciple ran and reached the tomb first and saw the folded cloths that had covered
One woman writes:br... -- Colossians 3:1-4 -- Easter Day - A -- 2002
One woman writes:
There was a family, not... -- Colossians 3:1-4 -- Easter Day - A -- 2002
There was a family, not very well off, who stayed overnight in a cheap motel on their way to a new t
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid... -- Colossians 3:1-4 -- Easter Day - A -- 2002
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe is a vivid account of the excesses of the 1960s.
Axel Hjalmar Ender, of Molde... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - A -- 2002
Axel Hjalmar Ender, of Molde, Norway, painted a glorious picture of "Holy Women at the Tomb." He por
The acclaimed U.S. writer, Bret... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - A -- 2002
The acclaimed U.S.
How does one recognize Christ... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - A -- 2002
How does one recognize Christ?
In 1939, a professor from... -- Hebrews 10:16-25 -- Good Friday - A -- 2002
In 1939, a professor from Germany left Union Seminary in New York to return to war-torn Germany.
We all want our churches... -- Hebrews 10:16-25 -- Good Friday - A -- 2002
We all want our churches to grow spiritually and numerically.
Once, and that was enough... -- John 18:1-19:42 -- Good Friday - A -- 2002
Once, and that was enough for me, I observed a mob in action.
Once the damage was done... -- John 18:1-19:42 -- Good Friday - A -- 2002
Once the damage was done, Judas couldn't reverse it, any more than we can put toothpaste back in the
Mark Twain had a bit... -- John 18:1-19:42 -- Good Friday - A -- 2002
Mark Twain had a bit of advice for those who spend a lot of time tracing their family tree.
Jesus of Nazareth underwent Jewish... -- John 18:1-19:42 -- Good Friday - A -- 2002
Jesus of Nazareth underwent Jewish and Roman trials, was flogged and sentenced to death by crucifixi
Clyde was a constant thorn... -- Colossians 3:1-4 -- Easter Day - A -- 2002
Clyde was a constant thorn in the side of most church members and the new pastor.
A pastor visiting the Holy... -- John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Maundy Thursday - A -- 2002
A pastor visiting the Holy Land writes:
Learning to be a servant... -- John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Maundy Thursday - A -- 2002
Learning to be a servant is a frightfully difficult business.
The woman in the nursing... -- John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Maundy Thursday - A -- 2002
The woman in the nursing facility had Alzheimer's.
An old legend has it... -- John 13:1-17, 31b-35 -- Maundy Thursday - A -- 2002
An old legend has it that as the disciples and Jesus walked the dusty highway, a man approaching fro
Community organizers work in a... -- Hebrews 10:16-25 -- Good Friday - A -- 2002
Community organizers work in a variety of environments.

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...

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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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