Preaching in the Moment (Aug/Sept/Oct 2008)

Most sermons are written days (okay, hours) in advance, but whether or not you're preaching from a manuscript, your preaching should still be "in the moment," in that it speaks to the culture and circumstances of your hearers. What political debates are raging? Has a recent tragedy rocked the community? What elements of pop culture are people attuned to? These articles address how such issues and contextual clues should impact our preaching, and how to do it most effectively.

In This Issue

  1. Preaching as the Spirit Moves

    articles Preaching as the Spirit Moves

    Throughout the history of the church, preachers have used epiclesis, the invocation of the Holy Spirit, as a clear sign that the spoken word is impotent without the blessing of…

  2. Preaching to Contemporary Culture

    articles Preaching to Contemporary Culture

    Every morning we wake up, it's 2008. We can wish it was 1952. We may long for the good old days. But like it or not, God has ordained that our preaching will be leveraged against…

  3. Politics and the Pulpit: Preaching at the Intersection of Church and State

    articles Politics and the Pulpit: Preaching at the Intersection of Church and State

    As I write these words, Jeremiah Wright, the former pastor of Barack Obama and fiery prophetic preacher of Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago, is front page news across the…

  4. Using The Web For Sermon Preparation

    articles Using The Web For Sermon Preparation

    I remember sitting in front of  a little Macintosh computer in the parsonage office, a small 900 square foot dwelling in rural Tennessee, trying to figure out what to preach. …

  5. A Good Friday Orientation: Preaching in the Aftermath of Tragedy

    articles A Good Friday Orientation: Preaching in the Aftermath of Tragedy

    On April 16, 2007, thirty-three lives were violently lost on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, where as I serve as a United Methodist pastor. That Monday was…

  6. Ministering to People in Crisis: Don't Just Stand There!

    articles Ministering to People in Crisis: Don't Just Stand There!

    What do you say or do when people's lives are falling apart? Feeling put on the spot may be uncomfortable, but as clergy and leaders, it is our role to have words and actions…

  7. Lectionary vs. Sermon Series: Does it have to be one or the other?

    articles Lectionary vs. Sermon Series: Does it have to be one or the other?

    For a minute I thought I would have to run for the portable defibrillator! LeeAnn Inman, who had just recently joined our staff as the Minister of Spiritual Formation, looked like …

  8. Preaching out of Pain

    articles Preaching out of Pain

    Renowned author Henri Nouwen used the book In Memoriam to tell the story of his mother's death and his consuming grief. Somebody asked Nouwen, “Why do you do this? Why are…

  9. The Burning Bush behind the Pulpit: Preaching through Self-Doubt

    articles The Burning Bush behind the Pulpit: Preaching through Self-Doubt

    Preaching is a unique discipline that can be shaped or fashioned in the context of one's personality and rhetorical ability. No matter how gifted one is in delivering the word of…

  10. Shopping for the Glory of God

    articles Shopping for the Glory of God

    Updated for Christmas 2012 with printable sheet of wallet cards—see download below! Soon Christmas inventory will fill store shelves. Long before Halloween or Election Day, …