#preacher's homiletical

[focr]

The minds in God’s hands.

The minds in God’s hands. —A coasting vessel was caught in a trap on the east coast of Scotland. That is a bay, crescent-shaped, in which vessels, in the stress of a storm, take refuge, and are sometimes caught in it. This vessel was beating to get out of the trap. The chances were all against her. As the captain kicked off his sea-boots preparatory to doing battle with the waves, when the boat would founder on the rocks, he thought of his wife, in a neighbouring town, and his little girl. Before the vessel struck he thought of Him who stilled the waves on the Lake of Galilee. He went to his cabin, and he was heard to say, “O God, give us but two points, just two points!” He came on deck, and the wind had shifted just two points. They weathered that strip of land and escaped from the trap into the open sea. Do you believe that? Do you believe that it is God’s world, that He holds the winds in His fists, and the waters in the hollow of His hands? ~ Preacher’s Homiletical

[tmarshconnors]

"It will be a sad day for the church and the world when there is no distinction between the children of God and those of this world."

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was an English Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, to some of whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers."

Born: 19 June 1834, Kelvedon Died: 31 January 1892 (age 57 years), Menton, France

Prolific Preacher: Charles Spurgeon was one of the most prolific preachers of the 19th century, delivering thousands of sermons. His powerful and eloquent preaching earned him the title "Prince of Preachers."

Metropolitan Tabernacle: Spurgeon became the pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London in 1861, where he preached to large congregations. The Tabernacle became one of the most famous churches in England under his leadership.

Published Works: He authored numerous books, including "The Treasury of David," a commentary on the Psalms, and "Morning and Evening," a popular daily devotional. His sermons were widely published and remain influential to this day.

Philanthropy: Spurgeon was also known for his philanthropic efforts. He founded several charitable organizations, including an orphanage and the Pastor's College (now Spurgeon’s College) to train future ministers.

Calvinist Theology: Spurgeon was a staunch Calvinist and held firmly to Reformed theology. His preaching and writings emphasized doctrines such as the sovereignty of God, salvation by grace, and the perseverance of the saints.

[virtuouslibertines69]

"This great affectation of morality that reigns to-day would be very laughable if it were not very tiresome.—Every feuilleton becomes a pulpit; every journalist a preacher; only the tonsure and the little neckband are wanting. The weather is rainy and homiletic; one can defend one's self against both by going out only in a carriage and reading Pantagruel between one's bottle and one's pipe." - Théophile Gautier, Mademoiselle de Maupin

Photo by Daniel Monteiro on Unsplash

[wisdomfish]

The true penitent regards sin not as mere misdirection

The true penitent regards sin not as mere misdirection, or the result of imperfect development, but as the guilty violation of a holy law. A right feeling in relation to sin. The sincere penitent loathes sin, and “grieves for having grieved his God.” Right conduct in relation to sin. He endeavors to forsake sin, and to follow after holiness. The Psalmist in his confession—

Recognizes the evil of sin. He regards it (1). As an unrighteous thing. “Mine iniquity.” Sin is a reversal of true moral relations and order. (2.) As a breach of moral law. “My transgressions.” By his sins he had violated the holy laws of the supreme and gracious Sovereign. (3.) As a defiling thing. He felt himself utterly polluted by his sins, and asks again and again for cleansing. Thus David recognizes the essential evil of sin, and its injurious influence upon human life and character. He does not attempt to palliate its wickedness; but exhibits unmistakably its blackness, and deformity, and blasting power.

Recognizes the sin as his own. “My transgressions … mine iniquity … my sin.” We are prone to try to shift the responsibility of our sins from ourselves to others. We blame the circumstances, in which we were placed, or the temptations, by which we were assailed, or the tendencies which we have inherited, or the training which we have received. But of this we find nothing in this penitential psalm. David feels that the sin and guilt of his crimes were his and his only. “I acknowledge my transgression,” &c. “I have sinned,” &c. His sins appeared so aggravated to him, that he could only express his feeling in this respect by saying that he was born in sin. As Robertson says, “He lays on himself the blame of a tainted nature, instead of that of a single fault: not a murder only, but of a murderous nature. ‘Conceived in sin.’ From his first moments up till then, he saw sin—sin—sin: nothing but sin.” Sin and guilt cannot be transferred from one to another. If I do evil, the guilt is my own. “Every man shall bear his own burden.” The Divinely-awakened conscience ever feels this—confesses this—says, “I acknowledge my transgressions.”

Regards sin as hostile to God. “Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned.” &c. The Most High has no complicity with evil. Sin is ever to Him the “abominable thing which He hates.” He brings good out of evil, overrules evil for the accomplishment of His glorious purposes. Yet He is not the author of evil, but its sworn and uncompromising antagonist. His laws in both the material and spiritual realms are against it; His administration is against it; His great redemption is against it; His essential nature is utterly opposed to it. True penitence feels this, and says, “Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned.” David had sinned grievously against human society; but it was the fact that his offences were wrongs against his God that chiefly impressed and distressed him. All sins against man are sins against God also. You cannot harm your fellow-man without wronging God. “Every blow struck against humanity is a blow struck against God.” A fact this pregnant with solemn suggestions. Thus the confession of this royal penitent expresses the judgments and emotions of the penitent heart to day.

~ Preacher’s Homiletical

[buggie-hagen]

By sheer numerical superiority, lay people are the primary preachers of God's Word in worldly places; they speak out. The notion that the laity is assigned a work of preaching the gospel, though unexceptional, is seldom taken seriously. ~David Buttrick, Homiletic, 226.

[doctordmg]

Structural Homiletics for Today's Preacher from Dr. Dennis M. Golphin on Vimeo.

[thegospelhighways2020]

Back in Sunday February 3rd 2019 But Now is February 4th 2024 I'm Just Going Back in 2019 Words and Names I used to be preaching about believing souls that are in heaven aren't here anymore we got Jesus we got God I know Paul Melvin Joseph Mary John Matthew Mark Luke Judah Elijah Isaiah Jonah Isaac Jacob Ezra Jude Ezekiel Zachariah James Noah Joah Joshua Joe Noel Peter Cain Hoseah Abel Adam and Eve Abraham Levi David Gideon Silas Eli Samson Samuel Ananias Israel Jeremiah Jericho Joel Amos Micah Malachi Caleb Joses Josiah Jethro Asher Jesse Koa Gabriel Shiloh Zacchaeus Julius Phinneas Toby Milo Esau Benjamin Felix Elias Tobias Apollonos Hosea Rufus Barnabas Matthias Thaddeus Jesiah Roman Zion Oren Titus Rhodes Daniel Timothy Nicholas Thomas Simon Last year I said one of the most difficult distinctions in preaching is the one between preaching among the congregation not just at the congregation. Earlier this month I offered up another vital nuance: preaching in the text not merely about the text. Today I want to highlight another one. You gotta love precision. The Framian perspectivalists might smell something here, but rest assured I have no intention of turning these distinctions into some homiletical triad. If you can do it, I’m all ears. Here then is the distinction I want to briefly consider today: preaching from your experience versus preaching about your experience. DANGER LURKS AROUND THE CORNER Amen. Nothing will teach a man to preach like the experience of cross-bearing. Sorrows will bend and break the preacher in ways no techniques of homiletics can. Lord willing, those formations of experience create Christlike pulpiteers. But we need to recognize that experience is a dangerous thing when it comes to preaching. In an evangelical culture that craves authenticity, preachers will be tempted to include many personal anecdotes to connect with a congregation. Over and over, we are told, “You must be transparent. Transparency moves.” And they are right, it does move! Yet, we are preachers of the word, not self. Too many personal illustrations will lead a discerning hearer to say, “It seemed like there was more of Preacher in that sermon than Jesus.”Pray

[musicgoon]

Book Review: The Power of Revival, by Donjin Park

How does the Holy Spirit give power in preaching? In The Power of Revival, Dongjin Park presents an academic study on Martyn Lloyd-Jones, baptism in the Spirit, and preaching on fire.

At just over 250 pages, this book is an outstanding examination of Lloyd-Jones’s Reformed doctrine of Spirit baptism. Park recognizes Lloyd-Jones as one of the most influential preachers of the 20th century, while admitting that his pneumatology especially in regards to preaching, a certain type of "unction" as he would call it, has not been fully explored. Park grounds his work in understanding Lloyd-Jones's position on Spirit baptism as a reappropriation of an older doctrine regarding assurance of salvation and revival within the Reformed tradition.

Understanding the Spirit

The beginning of the book explores Lloyd-Jones's understanding of baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is noted to be distinct from regeneration, and an outpouring that provides full assurance of salvation in the believer. It is dependent on the sovereignty of God and can be repeated. When witnessed in preaching, it provides the preacher and congregation a sense of authority and genuine power. Lloyd-Jones refers to this Spirit-empowered work as "true preaching," and my eyes were opened as to what was possible in my own preaching endeavors.

The middle of the book looks at Lloyd-Jones life and how it guided his theological leanings, interests, and desires. Growing up as a Welsh Calvinistic Methodist most impacted Lloyd-Jones's theology. He differed from Pentecostals by objecting glossallia as an initial physical evidence of Spirit baptism, that the Spirit could be given by the laying on of hands, and that the Spirit is given in a once-for-all event. He still, however, witnessed powerful preaching and experienced revival in his life. This book helped me see that - while differing from Pentecostals - the Reformed tradition has a robust understanding of the Spirit.

Logic on Fire

The end of the book applies Lloyd-Jones's theology of Spirit baptism to his homiletical prowess. He regarded "true preaching" to be "logic on fire" — both exegetical and Spirit-empowered. Park looks at Lloyd-Jones's ten essential elements of true preaching from Chapter 5 of Lloyd-Jones's book Preaching and Preachers, "The Act of Preaching." They are that (1) the whole personality of the preacher is involved in the preaching, (2) a sense of authority and control, (3) freedom, (4) seriousness, (5) liveliness, (6) zeal and a sense of concern, (7) warmth, (8) urgency and persuasiveness, (9) pathos, and (10) power. I am challenged and encouraged to bring this type of preaching into the pulpit.

Park has provided an outstanding academic study that is rich with powerful implications and potent application. I am encouraged to not be satisfied by mere intellectual exercises, but ask for experiential awareness of his presence. I am moved to rely more on the Holy Spirit in my preaching, praying for his power, and impassioned for revival.

I received a media copy of The Power of Revival and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.

[morning-walk]

I just came in from my morning walk.

My devotions led me to this.

It was just a matter of months ago that I had never heard of “zoom” meetings.

Last night I was in another one.

The missions team at a sweet church in the Heartland of Kentucky was asking some very good questions about ministry in Haiti - which I hasten to add is also ministry wherever we are.

God is big like that.

Anyway, one of the participants spoke up and asked why, when speaking of our relationships, I was using the term “Covenant.”

I gave the poor fellow far more answer than he needed.

Preachers are like that.

I digress.

I woke up thinking about that.

Electricians have a vocabulary unique to them. So do bullfighters.

It really boils down to using the vocabulary that fits our learning and living.

There are words that follow our learning.

In my case the language includes theology, exegesis, exposition, homiletic, and the like.

Exciting eh?

Then there is the language that follows our living.

I lean toward encouragement and away from put downs.

Words like grace and mercy come naturally but judgment and condemnation leave a sour taste in my mouth.

If I am really leaning into my living I can find a thesaurus full of hope and joy.

And all that before I get to the conjunctions that tie it all together like love and peace.

I need some form of Google Translate to understand Creole and Lawyer.

For the language you and I speak there comes a Spirit that helps us get it said.

Covenant that!

As our Friend and I were walking in the fog this morning I was telling him how language can be a barrier even within a language. He smiled rather kindly at me before he said....

“Word.”

Your move.

Brother Pat

[barbaramoorersm]

June 28,2020

June 28, 2020

Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary time

2nd Kings 4:8-11, 14-16

The prophet Elisha is given shelter and desires to help his hostess.

Romans 6:3-4, 8-11

Paul speaks of the power of Baptism.

Matthew 10: 37-42

Jesus speaks of commitment and how it unfolds in our lives.

 Jesus’ words, “Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward….” seems to be playing out in the first reading from the Book of Kings. A “woman of influence” offers hospitality to the prophet, Elisha, and she receives a “prophet’s reward”.  In a sense, these Old Testament words remind us of Jesus’ words today.  “Whoever loses their life for my sake with find it”, or in his other teaching, “In giving we receive”.

I believe there has been some misunderstanding regarding sections of our Gospel today.  “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.”  I wonder if those words were the foundation of some of the rules so many of us faced as novices before Vatican II.  The separation from families and their significant moments was painful for many of us. What do you think Jesus meant by those words?  Taking up our cross or giving a cup of cold water to someone in need makes sense to us?  But his words about family and love are hard to grasp.  

This section today follows the text on conflict within families because of Jesus. We understand that reality within families when grudges arise and different values are debated, or when members within our families make choices and choose life styles that are different or new for us.  We understand struggles within families over current political debates.  A scholar named Lewis Donelson has written, “The Jesus’ sayings that are gathered in these few verses (from Matthew) are as difficult and controversial as anything else in the Gospels”. They are what homiletic professors call “difficult texts” and what preachers like to avoid.

Some who will read this reflection today are parents and they understand the unconditional love they have for their children.  Donelson goes on the say, “When we love our daughters and sons, we love them absolutely.”   Perhaps when we examine this text more deeply, the problem arises because the message of Jesus Christ may threaten the values and ideals of every family. Perhaps, the message of Jesus today. requires every family and community to examine its actions and decisions in light of the Gospel.  That is a real challenge for some of us and, an important reminder today for all of us.  It is critical to take the whole Gospel into account rather that picking and choosing one section over another.  To balance this text with the one that calls us to love one another as we are loved by God is an example.

“Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake with find it”. This is the teaching that is at the heart of my reflection today.  I have often said to friends if I was captured by the enemy, I would be an absolute coward and spill all I knew!   As an aside, I once lived with a sister who personally knew several of the women martyred in El Salvador for their love of God and their people.  It happened in 1980, and I know it is still a great sorrow for her. I am humbled by their courage and the tragedy around their deaths.  

Perhaps, today, Jesus is alluding to much more than martyrdom as he speaks in the Gospel.  We have the invitation to “lose our lives” on a daily basis when we put another first; when we speak a word of understanding; when we make an effort not to judge another; when we listen to another; when we try to understand decisions we may not like.  

It is what the “woman if influence” did in our first reading.  She discerned the need of Elisha and in a small way, “lost her life and agenda for him”. But what she found was immeasurable.  Is that what Paul was trying to say to the Romans? Symbolically we are “lost” into Christ at our Baptism, and if we are open, we can “live into a newness of life”.

I believe we as a nation and as a church are being invited to symbolically “lose our lives” by working for and praying for changes that put the vulnerable first.  To understand that men, women and children who externally seem different from us, want the very same things we want.  Love, acceptance, justice, security and respect.  

In our current culture, “loss” almost never means gain.  And at this moment in time, loss is all around us.  Loss of heath, a job, a business, life, dear connections, a loss of perspective and compassion.  The crises our nation and church face are tremendous.  A virus, a pattern of racism,  economic struggles and a loss of credibility are enormous issues.  

But for Jesus, some “losses” have the power to bring new life.  Have we ever experienced that reality?  I know I have.

[focr]

The world in God’s hands.

The world in God’s hands. —In the Fiji Islands a man-of-war was overtaken by a storm. The commander, instead of trusting to the anchor, got up steam and plunged right into the hell of waters that seethed around him. The vessel, after moments of suspense, began to make headway, and soon rose and fell on the waves of the open sea. We, too, are going ahead. We have a tremendous propelling power, not the gates of hell will prevail against it. When a man gets into a moody state about the outlook in the world, he should go and take a night’s sleep, and let God look after His own world. What did these fishermen take our Lord for? They forgot; they should have remembered their sailing orders, which were bound to be carried out. ~ Preacher’s Homiletical

[fatherfunston]

Brow of the Hill Near Nazareth, 1886-1894 James Jacques Joseph Tissot, 1836-1902

St. Paul’s Bulletin Art Reflection for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, February 3, 2019

Growing up, I was given the gift of a relationship with the work of British comedy troupe Monty Python. With parents who were fans, I can remember watching their work from a relatively young age. One of my favorite scenes from their 1979 film Life of Brian is a moment when the titular character, who experiences a life parallel to Jesus’ in the Gospels, finds himself playing a prophet to avoid capture by Roman soldiers. 

To maintain his front, he begins to spin platitudes familiar to Christians “Consider the birds…” (Luke 12.24), but he isn’t a particularly gifted orator. The crowd turns on him, really over an issue of poor timing. “Have the birds got jobs!? He says the birds are scrounging!” they say. “He’s having a go at the flowers now!”

Homiletics is a weird business. Congregations give a preacher a block of time to speak about the deepest aspects of faith, life and our world. In scriptural traditions, part of that work is to explicate and contemporize passages of holy text. It’s a holy responsibility and trust, but it’s fraught with Life of Brian-esque danger as well.

As a preacher, it’s helpful to hear/see Jesus getting some sermon feedback. This week we see Jesus give his first a sermon: “I’m the fulfillment of Isaiah’s promise,” he says to the people of his home synagogue. They respond: “Wait… don’t we know this guy? Maybe we can get some special treatment!” Which reminds me of another Life of Brian moment…

Jesus has some thoughts: “I’m not here exclusively for you. Just like the prophets Elijah and Elisha, my ministry is to others.”

In our bulletin art, French realist James Jacques Joseph Tissot illustrates what happens next: “When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff.” (Luke 4.28-29)

What a mess! I love how confused Tissot’s interpretation is . . . you can’t even see where Jesus is! It’s like a Where’s Waldo puzzle! (I still haven’t found him!) Tissot’s visualization is helpful to me because it shows me how the ultimate resolution might have happened: “But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.” (Luke 4.30) They are so incensed that Jesus is able to blend in and leave town.

In ministry we get much more feedback on our homiletical work than anything else. I appreciate your thoughts, especially when you are challenged. The Gospel is difficult and Jesus’ claims to be the fulfillment of scripture are as hard now as they ever were. If you’re not being poked and prodded, I’m not doing my job.

Still, I am glad that we haven’t yet found ourselves on top of Manhattan Hill on a Sunday morning . . .

[globalworship]

A GLAD OBEDIENCE: Why and What We Sing (new book by Walter Brueggemann)

The Christian practice of hymn singing, says renowned biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann, is a countercultural act. It marks the Christian community as different from an unforgiving and often ungrateful culture. It is also, he adds, an "absurd enterprise” in the midst of the hyper-busy, market-driven society that surrounds us. 

In this helpful and engaging volume, Brueggemann discusses both why we sing and what we sing. The first part of the book examines the Psalms and what they can teach us about the reasons that corporate song is a part of the Christian tradition. The second part looks at fifteen popular hymns, including classic and contemporary ones such as “Blest Be the Ties That Binds,” “God's Eye Is on the Sparrow,” “Once to Every Man and Nation,” “Someone Asked the Question,” and “We Are Marching in the Light of God,” and the reasons why they have caught our imagination.

“To know why we sing,” Brueggemann writes, “may bring us to a deeper delight in our singing and a strengthened resolve to sing without calculation before the God ‘who is enthroned on the praises of Israel’ (Ps. 22:3).

From the publisher’s website at https://www.thethoughtfulchristian.com/Products/0664264646/a-glad-obedience.aspx

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Get a free 42-page PDF, which includes the contents and Chapters 1 and 2, at https://www.thethoughtfulchristian.com/Content/Site115/FilesSamples/344739AGladObed_00000028797.pdf

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Two reviews:

“If I had the resources, I would give a copy of this book to every preacher in the country as a model for how to unpack the biblical, theological, and homiletical resources in the church’s treasury of hymns. When rampant abuses of power may tempt us to the silence of “weak resignation,” Brueggemann eloquently shows us why we must keep singing.” –Mary Louise Bringle, past president of The Hymn Society in the U.S. and Canada

“Through a study of the Psalms and hymns, Walter Brueggemann calls the church to its primary doxological vocation—singing praise to God! At a time when many congregations have lost their singing voice, this book invites us to the joyful, even subversive, gift of song that tunes up for God while turning down the volume on other cultural gods. Read this book and you’ll be made glad and discover why and what we should sing, but even more, you’ll discover a deeper, fuller life grounded in the covenantal music of God.” -Luke A. Powery, Dean of Duke University Chapel and co-general editor of Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship

[wisdomfish]

Any philosophy, though championed by the most brilliant intellects, that tends to lure the soul from Christ, that puts anything in the place of Him, or depreciates in any way our estimate of His glorious character, is false and full of peril.

~ Preacher’s Homiletical [ref. Colossians 2:8]

[buggie-hagen]

A preacher's own patterns of speech are singular, as distinctive as a fingerprint. Quoted prose material will have its own syntax and cadence. Therefore, in a sermon, when we switch from our own oral patterns to the prose material, congregations will have to adjust to a different syntax--if they can. The result will be that a congregation will not hear the first quoted sentences very well (if at all), and that, when we swing back to our own speaking style, a similar blanking out may occur. ~David Buttrick, Homiletic: Moves and Structures, 144.

[divinityclergy]

Are All Preaching Suits Black?

This is a question many people ask today. However, those used to attending service or versed in homiletic traditions, know full well that not all preaching suits are black. However, the dark color is a very common sight among the ordained, giving the layman an impression that most servants of God only wear black.

Nothing further from the truth. Preaching suits can come in several colors, with some denominations establishing more limitations than others.

What do colors mean? Different colors in preaching suits have specific meanings. Some are tied to the relative position of the wearer within the church or during a service, others have more to do with specific occasions or events.

If you attend church every Sunday, as we all should, chances are the preacher delivering the sermon will wear a purple preaching suit under his church vestments. Purple, the color of patience and trust, usually designates a position within the church. Bishops usually wear the purple of the office to signify their rank. However, in many churches, only the highest-ranking bishop is allowed to wear purple. Everyone else must wear black so there is a clear distinction.

Another color we might see is cardinal red. This is more common among Catholics and methodist denominations, but many religious leaders in other Christian congregations will also wear the pentecostal red.

During formal ceremonies, like weddings and some holidays, many pastors and bishops choose the white that represents the purity of baptism. This color is not normally used in public so don't expect to see many preachers dressed in white.

Black is worn by most members of the church. It is the primary color and it has a meaning that is deeply ingrained in the Christian tradition. During the early days of the church, priests sought to differentiate themselves from the more colorful and mundane attire worn by laypeople. Black was simpler and less ostentatious and served as a daily reminder of their duty to serve a higher power.

Today, one can find clergy robes and vestments that exquisitely balance religious fervor with beauty. However, most priests will agree that wearing black makes things easier for them. Earning the respect of a fresh audience is always easier when keeping your attire simple and clean as it does not distract from the words we say, and it provides an air of dignity most people find difficult to ignore.

Also, if most of your preaching suits are black, you don't have to worry about what you are going to wear during service.

Keeping your dress code simple also boosts the effect you cause when you choose a more visually distinctive preaching suit or clergy shirt as your circle or congregation will tend to notice it, causing a far greater impact.

There are skilled makers dedicated to crafting high-quality preaching suits for all occasions. The garments created by Divinity Clergy Wear are all made with the best fabrics and incredible attention to detail, keeping the right balance between beauty and the dignity of the office. Visit their website or give them a call today to find the right outfit for your collection.