preaching
Mariann Budde stoked fires of mercy
It’s been said that a sermon should be judged by its impact beyond the moment when it’s preached. In the last month, the bishop’s sermon at the National Cathedral has been making a difference.
How do we preach about a vigilante murder?
As preachers consider their response to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a sermon from the Gilded Age might guide the way.
The meaning of a sermon
I’m sure these faithful people have heard all of these words before. So what is my task here?
The prophetic ministry of the pulpit
Jonathan Augustine makes a strong case for preaching that is both divinely inspired and socially determined.
A pulpit without a context
I asked ChatGPT for a sermon. What it wrote seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere.
Why I came back to the lectionary
My job as a preacher isn’t to change the game. It’s to run the plays well.
Luke Powery preaches through and beyond racism
The Duke Chapel dean writes as if the Holy Spirit makes all the difference for faithful preaching—and anti-racism.
The Word made grotesque
If we want our sermons to resemble real life, says Charles Campbell, we might take a hint from carnival.
What I left out of my mother’s funeral sermon
I told the truth about her but not the whole truth.
Black men I’ve mourned
I’ve preached more than 800 funeral sermons. Many of these deaths have marked me.
How playwright Tetsuro Shigematsu has transformed my homiletics classes
His advice: be yourself, be underprepared, be weird.
What preachers have said in times of national crisis
Melissa Matthes well understands both the political and the religious power of mourning.
A truth-telling child of Southern Methodism
Journalist John Archibald turns the spotlight on himself, his preacher father, and White Christians’ failures.
Preaching Holy Week in the middle of a pandemic—again
Usually it takes courage to preach Good Friday. This year, it will take courage to proclaim “He is risen!” on Easter morning.
Politics, the pulpit, and my pastoral calling
It’s not easy to avoid the perception of a political motive.
Is preaching “all Jesus” or “all me”?
Jerusha Matsen Neal writes for preachers who stand in the messy middle.