Craft of Preaching

“By what authority?”

Well, there’s a good question.

Authority is the question of the day. Or, is it a question of the past?

We live …

Whoa.

Has it really been a year since my last contribution?

Good thing not much has happened in the past year :-)

For me these past months have been …

This past week I presented at an amazing conference held in Waco, Texas, called “Nevertheless SHE Preached.”

A grassroots event, dreamt by …

During my years of active ministry in the parish, I had many opportunities to preach on Matthew 18, the Gospel for last week (Matthew 18:15-20) and for …

“How often should I forgive, Jesus?” Of course, Jesus’ response to Peter’s question doesn’t really provide an answer but rather …

What does durable faith mean in times like these?

The Apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 7, “we walk by faith, not by sight,” come …

For many churches, this coming Sunday is the start of the fall schedule, a return to the programming and activities that create the hum of the church which …

Before the cross became equated with salvation and a symbol for a religion, it denoted something too often overlooked in our theological machinations. It …

Saying “I love you!” to a crowd does not make any individual feel loved. Most assume it is meant more for others in the group rather than for …

The tension between, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" and "But who do you say that I am?" is the homiletical tension of this Gospel text. It …

Everyone knows, practically every day, the cost of a gallon of gasoline at the local pump. What we may not recognize so constantly are its hidden costs, …

It’s good to be back, Dear Working Preachers. Yes, it is always good to come home after an extended trip, but it’s good to be back writing this …

Listen to the accompanying podcast for this sermon series. The podcast covers each of the eight sessions.

In perhaps his most famous sermon, Martin Luther …

A recent State Farm commercial depicts how a shift in context can dramatically change the meanings of words: “Is this my car?!”—with joy, …

I hope we can all agree that it’s misguided to take Matthew’s story about Peter walking on the water and turn it into a sappy morality tale …