Craft of Preaching

Be careful with this one, Dear Working Preachers. The story of Mary and Martha in Luke’s Gospel has been subject to feats of hermeneutical acrobatics …

The Good Samaritan. The ubiquity of this passage in society and in our shared discourse is more than enough to encourage a sermon on another text. A story …

For the first time in my life, this past week I was trolled on Facebook. To be honest, I expected it to happen sooner, but to be totally honest, I never …

There are some tough texts coming up in the lectionary. I’m thinking especially of the Hosea 1 text for July 28th, where God calls the prophet Hosea …

“But first.” Such an expedient and automatic answer, isn’t it? One that we utter without thinking, even, and to so many requests for our …

Mark A. Torgerson’s book Greening Spaces for Worship and Ministry (Alban, 2012) offers numerous case studies of congregations that have incorporated …

Fear. I get it. That seems like the most reasonable response when it comes to witnessing about 6,000 demons being exorcised in front of your eyes. That …

I grew up on a small farm in Eastern North Dakota. In college, I felt a call to rural ministry. I was the rarity, whose first choice was North Dakota. My …

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” (John 16:12). Maybe this is the heart of the Trinity. A heart that knows that …

Happy Pentecost, Dear Working Preachers!

If you have been reading my column these past years or are a regular listener of Sermon Brainwave, you can probably …

I’m in a unique ministry context. My job involves regularly inviting guests to preach for our Sunday morning worship services. We welcome guest preachers …

Preaching the Gospel of John remains a challenge for many, Dear Working Preachers. A number of reasons contribute to the Fourth Gospel’s homiletical …

For over a decade, I’ve been researching the various ways that Bathsheba can -- and has -- been interpreted throughout the centuries. I am convinced …

“Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.”

This past week was the 27^th Festival of Homiletics, thus the tardy post for the column this …

Love is hard. So very hard.

If you don’t think so, just look at what the Revised Common Lectionary does for this Sunday. Rather than tell the truth …