Author: Administrador

Nathan Aaseng I’ll never forget standing among a crowd in a tunnel as the University of Minnesota marching band strode past, row after row of drums thundering, on their way to the homecoming football game. The noise was so deafening that the rhythm seemed to commandeer my circulatory system, until my heart was pulsating along … Continue reading “Preaching to Angels”

David Lose Dear Working Preacher,   This passage is so familiar it’s almost dangerous. I mean, we all know the moral of Jesus’ famous story “The Good Samaritan”: love your enemies. After all, that’s what happens here. A man is traveling on a dangerous road when he’s attacked by bandits, robbed, and left for dead. … Continue reading “Who Is My Neighbor?”

Patricia Tull A Look Ahead: During September, leading up to the Feast Day of St. Francis, a growing number of congregations adopt the alternate lectionary Season of Creation. Throughout August, Working Preacher will host essays treating Year 3 Wisdom Series of these readings, featuring creation texts from Job, Proverbs, and Psalms, and passages from Luke … Continue reading “Giving Gardens”

David Lose Dear Working Preacher,   I think the word “useful” has gotten a bad rap. At least in the church. I’m not sure what it is, but I think we’re afraid that if you’re really faithful, you don’t care about whether things — like going to church, reading the Bible, praying, etc. — are … Continue reading “Mary, Martha, and the Search for a More Useful Faith”

David Lose Dear Working Preacher,   Here’s my simple suggestion for preaching this Sunday: do what Jesus did. That is, teach your people how to pray.   A short story gets at why. A local St. Paul congregation my colleague Rolf Jacobson attends has a “prayer partner” program. Maybe your congregation does, too. They pair … Continue reading “Teach Us to Pray”

David Lose Dear Working Preacher,   It’s not about the money. Not in this parable or in life.   Let’s start with the parable. Jesus doesn’t warn against money, wealth, or material abundance. He warns against greed, about the insatiable feeling of never having enough. And the parable he tells illustrates this. The farmer’s problem … Continue reading “What Money Can and Can’t Do”

Theodore Hiebert Editor’s Note: Each week in August WorkingPreacher.org will publish commentaries that correspond with the readings for Season of Creation 2013: Series C (Wisdom in Creation). A full listing of worship resources (including liturgies to accompany the readings) can be found online at http://seasonofcreation.com/worship-resources/. The living ocean drives planetary chemistry, governs climate and weather, … Continue reading “The Living Ocean: Season of Creation Week 1”

David Lose Dear Working Preacher, I suspect that you, like I, know at least one person who doesn’t need to read the Bible because he or she already knows what’s in it. Maybe it’s a friend or coworker. Maybe a neighbor or family member. Maybe it’s even a member of your congregation! If you dare … Continue reading “The Heart of the Matter”

Kae Evensen I was talking with my friend Nadia Bolz-Weber about why we need four gospels. We talked about how the gospels are embodied, real, and so much so that you fall in love with them in that same way that you fall in love with the people around you. We love the gospels because … Continue reading “The Four Gospels: My (Quirky and Beloved) Neighbors”

Monica Jyotsna Melanchthon Editor’s Note: Each week in August WorkingPreacher.org will publish commentaries that correspond with the readings for Season of Creation 2013: Series C (Wisdom in Creation). A full listing of worship resources (including liturgies to accompany the readings) can be found online at http://seasonofcreation.com/worship-resources/. I cannot help but begin this reflection with mention … Continue reading “Born Wild: Season of Creation Week 2”