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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

Will the real Jesus please... -- Matthew 11:2-11 -- 2001
"Will the real Jesus please stand up?"
RCA used the image of... -- Luke 4:21-30 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 2001
RCA used the image of a dog sitting attentively next to a record player and the caption was, "His ma
A popular movie a couple... -- Luke 4:14-21 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - C -- 2001
A popular movie a couple of years ago was The Prince of Egypt.
As a child I was... -- Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- 2001
As a child I was taught to ask the following questions: who, what, where, when, why, and how.
One Sunday morning a little... -- John 2:1-11 -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - C -- 2001
One Sunday morning a little boy commented, "I like it when we have bread and medicine at church." Af
You've probably seen them. I... -- Matthew 25:31-46 -- New Year's Day - A, New Year's Day - B, New Year's Day - C -- 2001
You've probably seen them.
During election campaigns, candidates sometimes... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 2001
During election campaigns, candidates sometimes use the slogan "All politics is local." What that me
John Calvin, the founder of... -- Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a) -- Transfiguration Sunday - C -- 2001
John Calvin, the founder of the Presbyterian movement in the 1500s, once said: "To walk rightly in t
In real life, most of... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - C -- 2001
In real life, most of us do just about anything to keep others from discovering who we really are.
The Pope, Billy Graham, and... -- Luke 6:27-38 -- Epiphany 7 | Ordinary Time 7 - C -- 2001
The Pope, Billy Graham, and Oral Roberts were in a plane crash over the Atlantic Ocean.
Soren Kierkegaard wrote a parable... -- Luke 6:17-26 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - C -- 2001
Søren Kierkegaard wrote a parable in which he invited Christians to think of life as one huge play.
Some children were playing hide... -- Luke 5:1-11 -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - C -- 2001
Some children were playing hide and seek one day.
A parishioner came to his... -- John 1:1-14 -- 2001
A parishioner came to his pastor and asked her to pray for him in some specific matter.
In a recent study of... -- Hebrews 2:10-18 -- 2001
In a recent study of pastors able to turn congregations around it was noted that there was a common
God made a stable cold... -- Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) -- 2001
God made a stable cold and bareThe symbol of God's love and care.
Jean, a newly-ordained pastor... -- Matthew 1:18-25 -- 2001
Jean, a newly-ordained pastor, was appointed to serve her first church.
The inquirers in this text... -- Matthew 11:2-11 -- 2001
The inquirers in this text clearly got things wrong.
Mary was upset by her... -- Matthew 3:1-12 -- 2001
Mary was upset by her pastor's sermon and confronted him about it on Monday morning.
But what will I do... -- Matthew 24:36-44 -- 2001
"But what will I do in the meantime?" Margie wailed to her father, a retired army colonel.
Small town memories can be... -- Luke 4:21-30 -- Epiphany 4 | Ordinary Time 4 - C -- 2001
Small town memories can be long and brutal. Michael was a troubled child.
Certain actions are said to... -- Luke 4:14-21 -- Epiphany 3 | Ordinary Time 3 - C -- 2001
Certain actions are said to be habit forming.
When I was growing up... -- John 2:1-11 -- Epiphany 2 | Ordinary Time 2 - C -- 2001
When I was growing up, my mother made bread once a week. Bread day was a day of great expectation.
Fire under control has a... -- Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 -- The Baptism of our Lord | Epiphany 1 | Ordinary Time 1 - C -- 2001
Fire under control has a purifying effect.
Researchers are eternal optimists. They... -- Matthew 2:1-12 -- Epiphany of the Lord - C -- 2001
Researchers are eternal optimists.
Some children drag home every... -- Matthew 25:31-46 -- New Year's Day - A, New Year's Day - B, New Year's Day - C -- 2001
Some children drag home every stray cat and dog they find. My friend Dennis brought home drifters.

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New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Thomas Willadsen
Nazish Naseem
Dean Feldmeyer
Mary Austin
Katy Stenta
George Reed
For September 21, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Frank Ramirez
Well, it’s autumn, and by now the seeds we planted in the spring either took root and produced or else the weather, pests, rabbits, or our own laziness conspired to make this year’s garden less than a success. But at one point we had to get started and actually plant seeds for the future.

Jeremiah is looking back from the perspective of our spiritual well-being and laments than our spiritual harvest has all been for naught. He wonders if it is now too late for a recovery. Is there no healing, no balm in Gilead, to apply to our wounds?
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Jeremiah 8:18--9:1 and Psalm 79:1-9
In the spring as farmers and gardeners prepare to plant we are looking at a summer of possibilities. Hard work, to be sure, but also potential. What will happen? What will this season be like? At summer’s end there will be no more questions. We’ll know. Maybe it was a great season, and we have canned or frozen many vegetables. Maybe the farmers have brought in a bumper crop and they got a good price besides.

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: This message will be based on a game you will play. See the note below.

NOTE: Ask three or more adults to come up and play the role of Simon for your group. Tell them to all speak at once, asking the children to do different things. The goal is to create a nice bit of confusion for the children to experience.

* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Great!

StoryShare

Peter Andrew Smith
“Hey!” Annie waved at the woman standing next to the open doorway. “Can you come here?”

The woman made her way past the other nursing home residents and stood next to Annie’s wheelchair.

“What can I do for you?”

“You look familiar.” Annie squinted at her. “Do I know your name?”

“I’m Brenda.” The woman pointed at her name tag. “I work in the kitchen and sometimes help serve the meals when they are ready.”

“That’s right. I think we’ve met before.” Annie tapped her lips with her finger. “You have the nice smile.”

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus said, “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much.” In our worship today let us remember the little things in our lives and ask God to help us to be utterly faithful in them.



Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes we pretend that little sins don't matter.

Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we imagine that you don't notice little sins.

Christ, have mercy.

SermonStudio

James Evans
This poignant prayer of lament and community grief gives expression to what it feels like to suffer as a person of faith. If we believe we are truly part of God's community, then the destruction of that community -- as was the case with Israel in 587 B.C. -- becomes a time for doubt, anger, and confusion. Furthermore, if we believe we are individual members of that community, our personal suffering also creates an opportunity for a crisis of faith: "Why didn't God protect me?" Of course, it does not take a national catastrophe to raise those sorts of questions.
Kirk R. Webster
If feedback is the breakfast of champions, perhaps we would do well to examine some of our prayer habits. If you have ever heard someone use The Just Really Prayer, you know exactly what problem we are talking about.

That prayer goes something like this, "Lord, we just really thank you for this day. We come before you and just really pray for mercy. We offer ourselves to you and just really ask that your will be done in our lives. Amen." I'm thankful this particular Just Really prayer was mercifully short, unlike the next example, The Good Guilt-Based Prayer.
John W. Wurster
Another season has come and gone. Promises that were made have not been fulfilled. Good intentions haven't yielded any tangible results. Dreams have not come true. High hopes have proven to be only wishful thinking. Nothing has really changed; nothing has really improved. The time keeps moving along, but we seem stuck in the same ruts. Old routines remain, prejudices persist, dullness and anxiety continue to be constant companions. Lingering in the air is that nagging sense that things aren't quite right, not as they could be, not as they should be.
R. Robert Cueni
In the scripture lesson for today Jesus tells a perplexing parable about a thoroughly dishonest employee who was praised for his dishonesty. In this story Jesus not only seems comfortable suggesting that it is acceptable to compromise with moral failings, but our Lord appears to commend his disciples to "go and do likewise." For centuries, preachers, commentators, and scholars have struggled to make sense of this outrageous tale.

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