Um…this is what I like to call those interesting, awkward things we do when we speak in front of a group. Whether we are like preaching, speaking in a Sunday school class, or leading a training session, we all have what I call “The ‘Um’ Factor”.
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Peace – it sounds like such a nice word, but what does it really mean? What does peace really look like? How do we preach peace – especially every year at Advent?
These are just a few questions that went through my head as I was preparing to preach last week.
Below is the sermon I preached last week, Dec 9th, on the second Sunday of Advent.
Title – Yeah Right!
Texts – Isaiah 11:1-10, Matthew 3:1-12
Focus – Peace takes work
Function – To challenge
Other information:
Size/style of congregation – average 150 in attendance on a Sunday, Pastoral Style
Spirituality – Head
Advent themes – Hope, peace, joy, and love (some churches focus on peace first and then hope).
My position – Associate Pastor – preaching as a “second chair”
Technique – I like to “weave” the text with present and real life issues and situations, even if it is a line or two here and there.
Other – Some of the organizations listed are particuar to my congregation and surrounding city
Enjoy:
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Although I no longer serve as pastor of a congregation, invitations to preach come my way from time to time. The latest instance was yesterday when I helped a Presbyterian congregation surprise their pastor with the opportunity to worship among them, free of leadership responsibility. The occasion was the thirtieth anniversary of her ordination and the tenth anniversary of her ministry in that place. Not knowing what the lectionary for the day was, I was pleased to learn that they were accustomed to hearing their pastor preach from it. I love the tussle with scripture that pushes me to stay grounded in its teaching while saying something useful about its bearing on our lives today.Â
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The current issue of the Leadership in Ministry Workshops newsletter (Summer 2007) is now available. Download the newsletter (.pdf, 10 pages) here: limsummer07.pdf. (This is an “interactive” document, so look for tags to websites and features).*
ISSUE CONTENTS:
*Be sure to download the document (Right-click and “Save as….”) to your computer. Some computer settings may block your ability to access the attached resources and documents on the newsletter if you try to read it from the server. To access the website links be sure you are on-line.
In a previous post (“Communion Rantâ€) we talked about the penchant of certain preachers for “explaining†communion. Some argue that it is necessary because, they reason, some people in the congregation, and especially visitors and the recently unchurched, do not understand the meaning of the ritual.
Here are two pieces that help address our penchant for cognitive “understanding†and how it is related to matters of faith, and the counterintuitive ways in which faith is acquired and needs to be inculcated.
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