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Emphasis Preaching Journal

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Commentary

Communicating God's Love

Guest column

Illustration

Emphasis Preaching Journal

To think you have a... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Thanksgiving Day - A -- 1999
To think you have a disease so despicable, so revolting that you could only live with others who had
David Letterman has a regular... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Thanksgiving Day - A -- 1999
David Letterman has a regular routine as part of Late Night with David Letterman: The Top Ten
Bea had given most of... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Thanksgiving Day - A -- 1999
Bea had given most of her professional life to a small rural school.
Gratitude is the heart of... -- Luke 17:11-19 -- Thanksgiving Day - A -- 1999
Gratitude is the heart of this story of the healing of ten lepers.
The poem Footprints inspires and... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - A -- 1999
The poem "Footprints" inspires and encourages many people who are going through a difficult time.
In the Sisters of the... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - A -- 1999
In the "Sisters of the Great Lakes" exhibition, artist Diane Quillen, a Saginaw Chippewa Indian, pre
In a PeanutsI... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - A -- 1999
In a Peanuts comic strip Charlie Brown is talking to Linus and asks, "Do you ever think much
If you wanted to know... -- Matthew 5:1-12 -- All Saints Day - A -- 1999
If you wanted to know what the Communists stood for, you'd read the Communist Manifesto; if y
You are all sons of... -- 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - A -- 1999
"You are all sons of the light and sons of the day." Alexanderos Papaderos was a theologian and educ
Karen was driving her Girl... -- 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - A -- 1999
Karen was driving her Girl Guides home when suddenly Angela began to cry.
Scientists are certain that Mount... -- 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - A -- 1999
Scientists are certain that Mount Rainier in Washington will erupt again some day, causing enormous
I shy away from believers... -- 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - A -- 1999
I shy away from believers who make predictions about the Lord's return to earth.
Could you send me two... -- Matthew 25:14-30 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - A -- 1999
"Could you send me two hundred dollars?
We do not know just... -- Matthew 25:14-30 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - A -- 1999
We do not know just where the investments were made for the slaves who multiplied the five talents a
What would you do if... -- Matthew 25:14-30 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - A -- 1999
What would you do if somebody gave the church a large sum of money to use, with the understanding th
Our talents are given to... -- Matthew 25:14-30 -- Proper 28 | Ordinary Time 33 - A -- 1999
Our talents are given to us to be shared, not buried or hidden away.
I have not stopped giving... -- Ephesians 1:15-23 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - A -- 1999
"I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers." Do we remember to give th
The worship service was over... -- Ephesians 1:15-23 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - A -- 1999
The worship service was over. Most of the people had left the coffee hour.
Ben, 46, and Debbie, 41... -- Ephesians 1:15-23 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - A -- 1999
Ben, 46, and Debbie, 41, Walker and their two children, Matthew, four, and Mark, two, of Naples, Flo
I grew up in a... -- Ephesians 1:15-23 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - A -- 1999
I grew up in a small mountain town in Appalachia. My father was a railroad clerk.
Bud shifted in his seat... -- Matthew 25:31-46 -- Christ The King (Proper 29) - A -- 1999
Bud shifted in his seat.
A little girl was born... -- 1 John 3:1-3 -- All Saints Day - A -- 1999
A little girl was born with a cleft palate. She knew from birth that she was different.
Her given name was Mary... -- 1 John 3:1-3 -- All Saints Day - A -- 1999
Her given name was Mary Ann, but no one ever called her that.
Reeve Lindbergh, youngest child of... -- 1 John 3:1-3 -- All Saints Day - A -- 1999
Reeve Lindbergh, youngest child of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, wrote in the New Yorker
In 1957 my special Christmas... -- 1 John 3:1-3 -- All Saints Day - A -- 1999
In 1957 my special Christmas present was a draft notice from Uncle Sam.

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John Jamison
Object: A printed permit of some type, a small bowl, a coin, and an ID card or driver’s license. I have attached a simple permit that you can download and use.

* * *
John Jamison
Object: A box of tissues.

* * *

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

The Immediate Word

Thomas Willadsen
Dean Feldmeyer
Christopher Keating
Mary Austin
Katy Stenta
George Reed
For November 3, 2024:

StoryShare

Frank Ramirez
But Ruth said, “Do not press me to leave you, to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people and your God my God….” (vv. 1-16)
John E. Sumwalt
“Do your loved ones come to you in dreams?”

That was the question I asked in a Facebook post one day after I woke from a startling dream in which I saw my late brother Alan. He appeared in one of those vivid dreams that come just before waking. He looked like he always looked when we saw him at family gatherings, dressed in a familiar plaid shirt and faded blue jeans.

I was shocked at first.

And then Alan smiled, reached out, touched my arm, and said, “How are you John?”

Emphasis Preaching Journal

David Kalas
Young children are often fascinated by the effort to quantify love. As they become conceptually acquainted with the difference between a lot and a little, and as they are exposed to various units of measurement for size and volume and distance, they naturally begin to apply that mentality to all sorts of things, including the most important thing in life: love. They want to be able to measure it. Typically, they want to know how much their parents love them, and they want to try to give expression to how much they love their parents.
Frank Ramirez
Most ancient cosmologies began with some sort of primordial battle between the gods and chaos, and whatever victory was achieved was only temporary. Chaos was always ready to swoop back in. By contrast our biblical history, beginning in Genesis and ending with Revelation, show God triumphant without even a hint of a battle. Chaos is tamed because the Spirit of God moves over the face of the deeps. Revelation demonstrates God’s total control.
Bonnie Bates
Bill Thomas
Mark Ellingsen
Frank Ramirez
Ruth 1:1-18
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Mark Ellingsen
Isaiah 25:6-9

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Call to Worship:

Jesus told us to love God and to love our neighbours as ourselves. In our worship today, let us explore how to love God with every fibre of our being.


Invitation to Confession:

Jesus, sometimes we resent or despise or hate ourselves.
Lord, have mercy.

Jesus, sometimes we fail to love others because we haven't learned how to love ourselves.
Christ, have mercy.

SermonStudio

Stephen P. McCutchan
Ruth 1:1-18
Where you go, I will go ... your people shall be my people and your God my God.
-- Ruth 1:16b

James Evans
Psalm 24 celebrates the orderly reign of God over creation. It presupposes a world that has not been disrupted by tragedy or displacement -- in other words, the world as it was before the exile of Israel in 587 B.C.

From the vision of an ordered universe, the psalmist takes us to the holy mountain for worship. He poses the question, "Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?" (v. 3).

Carlos Wilton
Theme For The Day
In Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God is near at hand.

Old Testament Lesson
Ruth 1:1-18
Ruth And Naomi's Covenant

Patrick J. Rooney
It is one line. A few words cast upon a sea of words. One line that sums up all that this day is about and what it represents. One line upon which every human hope finds its fulfillment. One line in which we place our trust. One line that every man, woman, and child turns to when the losses of this life are more than they can bear. One line when the woman stands sobbing quietly beside the hospital bed of the man she has loved for more than sixty years. One line when the child, her face twisted in grief, stands at the graveside of her father killed in Iraq.
Thomas Peterson
Years ago I had the rare privilege of hearing a lecture in which the question was posed, "Did the angels actually sing to the shepherds on Jesus' birthnight?" Instead of tackling this directly and trying to prove an historical fact, the lecturer asked a secondary question, "Have angels quit singing?" Many testimonies give evidence they have not, he claimed. People still receive guidance from "voices" they call "my angel." People listen to heavenly harmony and find their lives set in peaceful channels. God's messengers travel the earth bringing his assurance and direction still today.
Zan W. Holmes
Jr.
The book of Ruth is one of the world's most beautiful stories of human solidarity in the face of trouble.

Apart from the book of Esther it is the only other book in the Bible to be named after a woman. Therefore it should not be a surprise that the major characters of the book are two women, Naomi and Ruth. A major theme of the book is their common struggle to survive in the midst of a hostile and troubled environment.
H. Alan Stewart
It is a known fact that most people like a party. However, strange as it might seem, most of the people don't want to be the center of attraction. Likewise, many adults, when presented with a thoughtful gift, often exclaim, "You shouldn't have!" Children, on the other hand, seem to enjoy the party whether it is theirs or someone else's party. Children relish the notion of celebration. They never say that they shouldn't have received a gift and they tear it open before they read the card!
Don M. Aycock
These words come as the "commands," "decrees," and "laws" which are given by God for his people. The hearers are told to listen, obey, and then teach them to others. The first hearers of these words were the ancient Hebrews of Israel. They had this word delivered to them as the supreme word by which to live.

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