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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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.
Everyone knew Gary. He drove... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - C -- 2001
Everyone knew Gary.
When my son was younger... -- Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a) -- Transfiguration Sunday - C -- 2001
When my son was younger, his favorite toys were Transformers.
Conventional ice hockey wisdom dictated... -- Luke 6:27-38 -- Epiphany 7 | Ordinary Time 7 - C -- 2001
Conventional ice hockey wisdom dictated that a defenseman had three jobs: clear the puck out of the
Many computer languages are case... -- Luke 5:1-11 -- Epiphany 5 | Ordinary Time 5 - C -- 2001
Many computer languages are case-specific, which means words must be exactly the same throughout the
On August 6, 1945, at... -- Luke 6:17-26 -- Epiphany 6 | Ordinary Time 6 - C -- 2001
On August 6, 1945, at 8:16 a.m., an American B-29 bomber dropped the world's first atomic bomb on Hi
Traditions are important. They help... -- Hebrews 2:10-18 -- 2001
Traditions are important.

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StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. (vv.8-10)

I, John Sumwalt, believe in God! It’s the reality in which, as the Apostle Paul wrote, “I live and move and have my being.”
John E. Sumwalt
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. (vv.8-10)

I, John Sumwalt, believe in God! It’s the reality in which, as the Apostle Paul wrote, “I live and move and have my being.”

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John Jamison
Object: A sign that says, “The Home of Jesus!” (Click here to download the sign I used.)

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The Immediate Word

Christopher Keating
Thomas Willadsen
Katy Stenta
Mary Austin
George Reed
Dean Feldmeyer
For February 2, 2025:
  • Love Notes To The Powerful by Chris Keating. Jesus' sermon to his hometown crowd provides a reminder of what Rev. William Barbour has called "the terrible joy" of preaching.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Coffin
Imagine an aging church leader or preacher who has seen one technology tool after another change the face of how messages of fait are communicated. It started with the chalkboard, overhead plastic sheets on a projector to now various forms of computer software programs off a laptop onto a screen. With all the modern technology changes going at increasing megabytes per second, is God’s Word still as accurate and effective as in times past?
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Bonnie Bates
Jeremiah 1:4-10
There are plenty of things in contemporary American society which could use a prophetic voice to challenge them. We think of all the ugliness in our public discourse and on the net. There is the rising tide of anti-semitism. Reuters reported a 268.1 times wage gap in 2023 between the salary of the median employed worker and CEO pay. Racism is hardly vanishing given legislation passed in a number of state legislatures against teaching Critical Race Theory. John Calvin well described an important aspect of the sort of prophecy we need. He wrote:

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
The story of the presentation of Jesus in the temple is strong on two 'bit-part' characters, Simeon and Anna, both of whom are old, and neither of whom has any other mention in the Bible. This story is an imaginary biography of Anna.

SermonStudio

Schuyler Rhodes
Most people, at one time or another, have had the regrettable experience of needing refuge. Untold millions around this war-ripped world are literally refugees, whose lives are shattered as they are uprooted and left bereft of home, family, and any visible means of sustenance. Countless women around the world suffer from the brutality of abuse by their male partners and are in need of refuge. Each day the numbers of homeless poor on the streets of America grows and grows. They, too, need refuge.
Richard E. Gribble, CSC
During the 56 years of his life, Adolf Hitler did incredible harm and was responsible for the death of millions of people. Yet in all of the horror that he unleashed, there were pinpoints of light and nobility. One German soldier, Private Joseph Schultz, was one of those pinpoints.
Derl G. Keefer
Jeremiah had a task, a vision, and a promise from God. The prophet Jeremiah had a call from God to preach his word to a people needing to hear from God. His call has been duplicated multiple times over the centuries.
J. Ellsworth Kalas
David Kalas
In the church, most of us think of Epiphany simply as a season on the church calendar, and sometimes as a season we don't understand too well. We may recall that we are celebrating particularly the revealing of Christ to the Gentile world, via the Wise Men, but not much more.

The dictionary, however, adds further dimension to the word, listen: "a sudden, intuitive perception ... into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience."
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