The year of the COVID pandemic was a time like no other in modern history. A historical pandemic, a racial reckoning, a tense and bitterly divided political election, an insurrection at the capital, and the Texas record freeze created a year that will be long remembered. Preachers were charged with making some sense of what was happening and at the same time giving hope that the community would make it through this time together. Through a year of homilies based on the Catholic readings of Sundays and Feast days, Father David Garcia connects the stories of this historic year to the light of Scripture. The homilies weave human experiences with Hispanic culture and traditions as well as moral lessons and Catholic spirituality. Pandemic Preaching helps inspire all who have been through this difficult time with powerful stories and sound theological reflection. At the same time these writings challenge us to learn the lessons of this unique and difficult year for ourselves.
The year of the COVID pandemic was a time like no other in modern history. A historical pandemic, a racial reckoning, a tense and bitterly divided political election, an insurrection at the capital, and the Texas record freeze created a year that will be long remembered. Preachers were charged with making some sense of what was happening and at the same time giving hope that the community would make it through this time together. Through a year of homilies based on the Catholic readings of Sundays and Feast days, Father David Garcia connects the stories of this historic year to the light of Scripture. The homilies weave human experiences with Hispanic culture and traditions as well as moral lessons and Catholic spirituality. Pandemic Preaching helps inspire all who have been through this difficult time with powerful stories and sound theological reflection. At the same time these writings challenge us to learn the lessons of this unique and difficult year for ourselves.
‘Superbly written, utterly Bible based. . . Do not hesitate!’ Archbishop Justin Welby What are we supposed to think about the coronavirus crisis? Some people think they know: ‘This is a sign of the End,’ they say. ‘It’s all predicted in the book of Revelation.’ Others disagree but are equally clear: ‘This is a call to repent. God is judging the world and through this disease he’s telling us to change.’ Some join in the chorus of blame and condemnation: ‘It’s the fault of the Chinese, the government, the World Health Organization...' Tom Wright examines these reactions to the virus and finds them wanting. Instead, he invites you to consider a different way of seeing and responding – a way that draws on the teachings and examples of scripture, and above all on the way of living, thinking and praying revealed to us by Jesus.
As we witness the mounting illness and death toll of the coronavirus, the messages of the Old Testament prophets offer comfort and truth. They call us to repentance and affirm God’s faithfulness. Doman Lum crafts twenty-one sermons which preach the good news of God’s love. The story of the great pandemic involves the impact of COVID-19, President Donald Trump, the murder and killings of African Americans, and the 2020 presidential election. The Old Testament prophets and contemporary biblical theologians share spiritual insights, faith, and trust. Lum encourages the reader to become involved in the public response, the public health programs, and government responsibility to cope with this health crisis as citizens of the United States. This book features the reading of Scriptures, profound and thoughtful sermons, and pastoral prayers. It is for the individual, family, community, and nation who seek spiritual counsel in the midst of the pandemic.
In this book, Jeremy Kim criticizes current Korean and Asian American homiletical strategies for their lack of a theological point of view on social suffering. He argues that preachers must develop an alternative theological-homiletical viewpoint on social suffering, one that has pastoral and prophetic approaches. These two approaches offer people a refuge and a voice, not only in the church community but also in the larger social community. Thus, the author suggests that preachers adopt the biblical lament, highlighting its dual tasks of compassion (the pastoral dimension) and resistance (the prophetic dimension). The author, who is a non-Western Asian American preacher, also incorporates East Asian philosophical and hermeneutical research on ren, a positive element of Confucianism, into his argument. He applies this core concept of Confucianism to the preacher's homiletical strategy toward social suffering. Thus, the author proposes that Korean preachers should recover ren, which contains sincere compassion for others as well as a voice of resistance that reveals unjust social structures as the cause of social suffering and expresses both within Uri (we), the community.
Instead of being a dour task on the checklist, what if the process of homily prep renewed you? Instead of feeling insecure about your message, what if your skills made you confident to preach a consistently clear message of Good News, authentic to you, relevant to your listeners, holding their attention and inviting transformation? Backstory Preaching: Integrating Life, Spirituality, and Craft shows you how. By integrating your life and spirituality with the practical skills necessary for effective preaching, you can move beyond the boredom, stress, or insecurity of preaching so it is no longer you who preach but Christ who preaches in you. By connecting with God in the midst of your sermon prep, the Gospel will be spread deeper and further. God’s joy—and yours—will be made complete.
“We come to know God through His story, through His wonderful works in the history of salvation” (Sacrosanctum concilium, 35.2). Effective preachers do more than retell this story—they make informed imaginative connections that help contemporary listeners engage with these ancient texts. In Preaching the Light of the Word: Enlivening the Scriptural Imagination, scholars and experienced preachers share their wisdom on how Scripture shapes and inspires preaching." Featuring contributions from Fr. J. Michael Joncas, Rita Ferrone, Fr. Donald Senior, cp, Ann Garrido, Thomas Long, Sr. M. Catherine Hilkert, op, Fr. Jude Siciliano,op, and Michael E. Connors,csc, this imaginative collection of essays will challenge the reader to discover: How preachers are to understand revelation and the divine inspiration of the scriptural texts. Sound approaches to biblical interpretation. How to bridge the chasm of years to find meaning for today in these ancient texts. An understanding of scripturally based preaching. How the biblical text informs and inspires preaching and can lead the assembly into a deeper relationship with God.
“So, what am I hoping to accomplish with this publication of my sermons, Preaching in Jamaican Seasons?” Author and cleric Devon Dick hopes that readers will hear the prophetic voice, the therapeutic voice, and the teaching voice in these homiletical formulations and, more importantly, that readers will hear the voice of our Saviour Jesus, the Christ, speaking to our hearts and minds. Revd Dr Dick explains further that this compilation of his sermons is offered so that they may be a source of comfort to persons who are afflicted, confront those who need to change, and challenge all to a commitment to God as revealed in Jesus, the Christ, and empowered by the Spirit. The author’s desire is that these sermons deliver a clear message from God that can be applied to the lived experience; and that when read, they will come to life again, aided by the working of the Holy Spirit, and will not only teach and guide us into righteousness but plant a seed in our lives, knowing that it will accomplish that which God wills, as He gives it the increase beyond anything the author himself could dream of or envision.
Be Equipped to Prepare and Deliver Engaging, Biblical, and Effective Topical Sermons Sooner or later, every preacher will come upon a situation where they need to preach a topical sermon. Yet few are taught to preach topically. Even preachers who are gifted in expositing the Scriptures may struggle to deliver a topical sermon that is engaging, culturally relevant, and true to the biblical text. Worse, many pastors worry these messages undermine confidence in the Bible or its authority, leading to a human-centered rather than a God-focused sermon. But that doesn't have to be the case. In Topical Preaching in a Complex World, Sam Chan and Malcolm Gill answer these objections and chart a path for how preachers can deliver faithful and effective topical messages. First, they address the biblical, theological, and cultural reasons pastors should add topical sermons to their preaching repertoire. Then, they introduce a straightforward, four-fold approach for preaching a topical message and answer important questions like these: How do you approach a topic with the proper interpretative lens? How can you speak to two or more audiences with the same sermon? What should you consider theologically, culturally, and pastorally in your preparation? How do you trace the topic back to Christ? How can you better connect with your audience? Best of all, they help readers craft a message that says something people truly need (and want) to hear! Filled with wit, humor, and wisdom from decades of preaching, this book will equip preachers, pastors, ministry leaders, and students to preach relevant, biblical, and engaging topical sermons. Author Sam Chan says, "Just over a decade ago, I was asked by an organization to speak at their end-of-year dinner. They wanted me to address the topic of being a Christian single, but I had no idea how to prepare and deliver a topical talk. When the night arrived, I preached an old three-point expository sermon and merely changed the ending to include some application on singleness. At best, I got some polite comments afterwards. At worst, people's looks indicated that my biblical talk had little relevance for them. They could not have been less fooled by my disingenuous workaround. I went home vowing never to repeat that poor performance. I felt like the unfaithful servant who had not adequately used what talents had been given to him. As a result, I have dedicated the last decade of my preaching ministry to overcoming and mastering the art of topical preaching. This book is a product of that journey.
Because commentaries are increasingly complex, preachers face the challenge of mastering the results of critical scholarship and merging the horizons between exegesis and a living word for the congregation. In this volume, Thompson offers a guide for preachers, using the results of current scholarship on Hebrews and 1 Peter to enrich the preaching task. He demonstrates that these ancient letters, which speak to believers whose faith has made them aliens and exiles in their own land, offer insights that speak to believers who are aliens and exiles in a post-Christian culture. While the standard commentaries analyze the historical and grammatical issues in detail, this book demonstrates the focus and rhetorical effect of each section, making it accessible for preaching. He focuses on the argument of each letter and its pastoral dimension for the ancient and contemporary audience. Thompson also demonstrates the path from exegetical insight to the focus and function of each pericope for the sermon. Brief sermon sketches demonstrate the relationship between the focus of the text and the focus of the sermon.
