Preaching the Renunciation of Evil and the Way of Love
“As I write this I am sick to my stomach from the horror of what is happening to the people of Ukraine. The images and stories of the violence being wrought against her citizens reveal a blatant, outrageous defiance of God’s commandment to love our neighbors. The situation is so astoundingly, stunningly horrific that it is difficult to find words to preach or pray. Whenever I am at a loss for how to respond as a follower of Jesus Christ and the Way of Love, I go back to the beginning: baptism.”
Two Powerful Words + Three Easy Strategies To Write Sermons in a Busy Season
Because sermon crafting by its very nature is a creative endeavor, and because ministry by nature is unpredictable, sermon prep won’t always go according to plan. There is much we can’t control about the process. But there is much more we can! We increase the odds dramatically that sermon prep will go according to plan when we do this one thing: show up. And we can increase our odds of showing up by making it as easy, hospitable, and worthwhile as possible.
Lenten Preaching Themes (& how to discern your own seasonal themes)
Discover how to create a theme for a preaching season. Having done the hardest work of all in finding a message for the season, you’ll narrow your focus from the start. There will be far less decision-making and time spent looking for that germ of an idea. Plus, your exegesis time will be shortened because you’ll head into it with the theme mind, allowing you to focus on just the resources you need, decreasing the time spent on fruitless rabbit trails.
Ash Wednesday & Lent Quotes for Preaching and Reflection
Do we really need Lent this year? Do we need—yet another—season of withdrawal, discipline, and abstention? Haven’t we been living in such a season for the last two years? Since the global pandemic began, we have been deprived of birthday meals, wedding gatherings, and the comfort we receive from expressing our collective grief at funerals. We’ve missed out on meals at restaurants, concerts and plays, hugging our friends, sitting at our favorite coffee shops, and receiving consecrated bread and wine. What does Lent have to teach us that the last two years haven’t?
For God's Sake: A Lenten Sermon Series
Lent is the time when we face our sin unflinchingly because God yearns for us to be re-integrated into our original wholeness, so that we love completely. For your inspiration or adaptation, I’ve crafted a Lenten sermon series that focuses on the ways we dis-integrate ourselves from the body of Christ, and God’s corresponding call to be re-integrated as One. Each sermon offers a focus text, a point of disintegration, and God’s corresponding call to re-integrate us.
Make Space for Preaching: 4 Steps to Move Non-Essentials Off Your Plate
When preachers delegate effectively, they get out from under the tasks others could do, freeing them to focus on their essential task of preaching. Read on for practical suggestions to create more space for preaching in your ministry.
Preach Specifically: Dignity Is in the Details
Language changes and, as a result, so does our culture. If we want to be part of changing the narrative, we can improve the specificity of our language. We can tell better stories with more informed word choice.
The Season of Epiphany: Sermon Ideas and Series (RCL and NL)
What a glorious way to begin each new year by immersing ourselves in the unfolding revelation of Jesus as God-in-the-Flesh! Preparing those sermons will be a lot easier when you’re not starting from scratch but fit each into a narrative arc that carries through. To help, I’ve created two themes for the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), Year C, and two for Narrative Lectionary (NL), Year 4. They can be used as sermon series or as inspiration for stand-alone sermons. Whether you preach every Sunday this Epiphany or less often, these ideas will give your preaching a big jump start, saving you time, effort, and energy.
At-Home Christmas Retreat for Preachers (2021)
Thank you for bearing witness in your life to the perpetual presence of God-with-Us. With our gratitude, you are invited to download your free, at-home Christmas retreat to help refresh your spirit. Crafted to be flexible, you can choose to engage the retreat for 90 minutes, three hours, or six. I pray it cultivates your awareness of and gratitude for Joy-with-Us, this Christmastide and always.
A Sermon Message for Christmas and 2022
If you’re feeling at a loss about how to preach into this weary world, perhaps you can simply help listeners feel the problems we face together. Without denying any part of their pain and complexity. While also holding up the grace of God.