“I believe that the history of Christian preaching shows that preaching is always revived and carried forth on a rising theological tide” (Willimon, Proclamation and Theology, p. 3).
The Subject in Both Senses
“Preaching is about God and by God, or it is silly” (Willimon, Proclamation and Theology, p. 2).
But Other Than That, Be Yourself
“It is proper to repeat that at all hazards there must be life, freedom, power. Do not repress nature, though it must be governed; and do not force nature . . . No one can be in this respect so helpful as an intelligent wife” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 475).
An Objective Gospel
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) The Basket Case Chronicles #176 “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according …
Start By Imagining You Can Preach
“Imagination in preaching is most important and most helpful. I am very ready to agree that it can be dangerous, but imagination, let us not forget, is a gift of God” (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, as quoted in Wiersbe, Preaching and Teaching With Imagination, p. 288).
Not Too Contrived
“Let the speaker see to it that his bearing shall be free, unconstrained, and not ungraceful . . . life and power are far more important than grace; and , in fact, timid self-repression destroys grace itself” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 473).
Surveying the Text: Acts
Introduction: After the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, this book, the book of Acts, represents the pivot of God. In this book, we move from the world of the Jewish nation to the world of the Gentile church. We move from a largely agrarian world to an urban world. We move from God’s work …
Surveying the Text: Ruth
Introduction: The book of Ruth seems like a quaint little story, off by the side of the road, but it is actually a crucial part of the story of the coming Messiah. The fact that these events were recorded long before the arrival of David shows the sense of expectancy that attends this story. The …
State of the Church 2014
Introduction: One of the things that characterizes the writings of the apostle Paul is his regular practice of giving thanks to God for the saints of various churches he was writing to. Not only does he thank God for them, but he insists on telling them that he thanks God for them. The Text: “Cease …
Christmas Eve 2014
As Christmas, we celebrate the great occasion when the infinite Word became a finite baby. Not surprisingly, Christmas time is therefore a time to reflect on this staggering paradox—the one who spoke the galaxies into being is the same one who was held by a woman, cooing at her, not knowing how to speak at …