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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Communicating God's Love

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Emphasis Preaching Journal

There was a man who... -- Mark 7:24-37 -- Proper 18 | Ordinary Time 23 - B -- 2000
There was a man who was having serious relationship problems in his life.
A small boy, fighting the... -- Romans 3:19-28 -- Proper 25 | Ordinary Time 30 - B -- 2000
A small boy, fighting the town bully, was amazingly winning the battle.
Human life is under siege... -- Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 -- Proper 17 | Ordinary Time 22 - B -- 2000
Human life is under siege not because so many important things go wrong but because we make lesser v
Jesus proposes new categories for... -- Mark 10:35-45 -- Proper 24 | Ordinary Time 29 - B -- 2000
Jesus proposes new categories for determining success and failure, winning and losing, and achieveme
In Old Testament times, there... -- Mark 10:17-31 -- Proper 23 | Ordinary Time 28 - B -- 2000
In Old Testament times, there was a widespread assumption that wealth was the sign of God's favor.
God has taken the initiative... -- Mark 9:38-50 -- Proper 21 | Ordinary Time 26 - B -- 2000
God has taken the initiative and opened for us the possibility of a new relationship of closeness.
Recently, I visited the Dominican... -- Matthew 6:25-33 -- Thanksgiving Day - B -- 2000
Recently, I visited the Dominican Republic where poverty is a way of life.
At its best, politics is... -- John 18:33-37 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - B -- 2000
At its best, politics is used to benefit others and broaden our understandings of life.
Mark predicts a coming fearful... -- Mark 13:1-8 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - B -- 2000
Mark predicts a coming fearful and distressing time for the church.
There are few better ways... -- Mark 12: 38-44 -- Proper 27 | Ordinary Time 32 - B -- 2000
There are few better ways to do a spiritual self-analysis than by looking at your checkbook.
Jesus' friends bemoaned his poor... -- John 11:32-44 -- All Saints Day - B -- 2000
Jesus' friends bemoaned his "poor timing" which allowed the death of Lazarus, but the evangelist mak
The Roman aristocrat Cornelia was... -- John 10:11-18 -- Fourth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2000
The Roman aristocrat Cornelia was the mother of two sons, Tiberius and Gaius, the pair of whom grew
The comedian and pianist, Victor... -- John 15:1-8 -- Fifth Sunday of Easter - B -- 2000
The comedian and pianist, Victor Borge, once surprised his friends by purchasing a chicken farm.
The contemporary church is not... -- Mark 4:35-41<br> -- Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - B -- 2000
The contemporary church is not exempt from the storms of life.
Marlene Dietrich, the German actress... -- Luke 24:36b-48 -- Third Sunday of Easter - B -- 2000
Marlene Dietrich, the German actress and singer, became famous for her starring role in The Blue Ang
The story of Nicodemus is... -- John 3:1-17 -- Trinity Sunday | 1st Sunday after Pentecost - B -- 2000
The story of Nicodemus is best understood when viewed in the light of a mid-life crisis.
The wonder of the church... -- John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 -- Day of Pentecost - B -- 2000
The wonder of the church is that in moments when it just seemed most dead, out of its own body there
Terry Anderson was stationed in... -- Luke 24:44-53 -- Ascension of the Lord - B -- 2000
Terry Anderson was stationed in Beruit, Lebanon, as a journalist for the Associated Press.
The U.S. Bureau of Internal... -- John 2:13-22 -- Third Sunday in Lent - B -- 2000
The U.S.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a British... -- Mark 8:31-38 -- Second Sunday in Lent - B -- 2000
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a British poet, critic, and philosopher, was once out riding near his home
The classical scholar Gilbert Murray... -- Mark 1:9-15 -- First Sunday in Lent - B -- 2000
The classical scholar Gilbert Murray one day encountered the brilliant physicist Albert Einstein si
Humility never comes easily, especially... -- Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 -- Ash Wednesday - B -- 2000
Humility never comes easily, especially for those with a lot to lose.
When John Barrymore, the famous... -- Mark 9:2-9 -- Transfiguration Sunday - B -- 2000
When John Barrymore, the famous Shakespearean actor, was starring in Hamlet on Broadway, the then-eq
For decades Johnny Carson enter... -- John 20:1-18 -- Easter Day - B -- 2000
For decades Johnny Carson enter-tained late-night viewers on the NBC television network.
Marie Anne, Marquise Du Defand... -- John 20:19-31 -- Second Sunday of Easter - B -- 2000
Marie Anne, Marquise Du Defand, a French noblewoman, moved in intellectual circles.

Political Pulpit

Sermon

The Political Pulpit

UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 28 | OT 33 | Pentecost 23
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Christ the King Sunday
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Thanksgiving
34 – Sermons
80+ – Illustrations / Stories
24 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
24 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

The Immediate Word

Mary Austin
Christopher Keating
Dean Feldmeyer
Thomas Willadsen
George Reed
Katy Stenta
Nazish Naseem
For November 16, 2025:

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Coffin
Another natural disaster has flattened a number of coastal communities. Despite the weather and major television station warnings, and government disaster preparations, the dystopian destruction nightmare of Luke 21 has decimated another community. Also, it is reasonable to believe that this is not the last year for hurricanes, Tsunami’s, wildfires, mudslides and tornados. They will occur again. However, as weary citizens are interviewed in one group of people with the background of homes in rubble and streets still draining flood waters, they will not leave. This is their home.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez

Isaiah 65:17-25 and Isaiah 12

StoryShare

John E. Sumwalt
“The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD. (v. 25)

A week after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, country singer Toby Keith — who died Feb. 5, 2024 — wrote a patriotic ballad titled “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.” It was filled with populist fighting rhetoric that matched the mood of a nation shaken by the shocking death and destruction of that day.

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: A blood pressure monitor. It is actually called a sphygmomanometer, and is pronounced “sfig·mow·muh·naa’·muh·tr”.

* * *

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:

The Church of Christ

Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

The local community

Those who suffer

The communion of saints


These responses may be used:


Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.

SermonStudio

Stephen P. McCutchan
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
-- Isaiah 12:3

John W. Clarke
No reading of Luke is complete without coming to realize that Luke is concerned that the world understands that Jesus is the hope of the world and that any teaching that leads away from that fact is a false teaching. No matter what, no matter when, Jesus will be there to give us life.

Scott Suskovic
Whoever does not work should not eat!
-- 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NLT)

Wow! Kind of takes your breath away, doesn't it? Not a lot of ambiguity in that rule. "You don't work, you don't eat." For a religion based on grace, it seems a bit unyielding.

Mark Ellingson
Freedom is such a lovely word, a compelling image. What is freedom? How would you define it? What does it mean to you? Webster's New World Dictionary defines freedom as being exempt from control or from arbitrary restrictions. Freedom is said to be the ability to choose or determine one's own actions.

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