Author: Administrador

David Lose Dear Working Preacher, I tend to think that our best sermons arise from our questions. Do you know what I mean? It’s often the really challenging passages — the ones that make you scratch your head wondering what the heck it means — that yield the most interesting sermons. (Not without effort, mind … Continue reading “The Power of a Good Question”

Reed Carlson Blockbuster films and scandalous exposé-style books based on the Bible continue to generate millions of dollars. Nevertheless, many pastors and church leaders feel that basic knowledge about scripture seems to be in decline, both in the church and in their wider communities. Curiosity about the Bible is alive and well in our culture … Continue reading “Preaching the Bible to Those Who Have Never Read It”

David Lose Dear Working Preacher, The Emmaus story is one of my favorites. Part of that, as I mentioned the last time this passage came up, is because I think it is Luke’s great promise about Christian worship. Think about the four-part movement of the narrative: 1) the two travelers are met on the road, … Continue reading “Broken Before Burning”

David Lose Dear Working Preacher, By now you know that we at WorkingPreacher.org count on your gifts to sustain our work. If you haven’t yet made a gift, I’d ask you to do that now. And if you’re able to commit to sustaining us through a monthly gift, please know that Karoline, Rolf, and I … Continue reading “Abundant Life Now”

Kae Evensen These past five Wednesday evenings, my colleague Mark Stenberg and I have been leading a confirmation intensive for our confirmation students. We gather at Mark’s home and we talk about the theology. Really. I say this because my husband doubted me last night when I told him that we had talked about the … Continue reading “To Lily, Signy and Angela: Shalom. God’s Peace”

Nathan Aaseng I would love to install a policy that anyone who uses the words “I like” or “I don’t like” in regards to worship must put a dollar in a jar. One of two positive things would happen: We would solve all of our church budget issues for all time, or we as a … Continue reading “Worship Is About More Than Personal Preferences”

David Lose Dear Working Preacher, What’s the difference between a promise and a threat? It’s a simple question, of course, but one with far-reaching implications. Consider: “I will always love you,” is a promise. Clear enough. But what if one says instead, “I will always love you if you love me.” Hmm. There’s still the … Continue reading “Sheer Promise”

Patricia Tull Last weekend I drove with some friends to the Red River Gorge of eastern Kentucky for a wildflower walk organized by Father John Rausch, a Glenmary priest and ecological advocate. He arranged for Dr. Tom Barnes to lead us, the wildlife extension specialist from the University of Kentucky’s Department of Forestry and an … Continue reading “A Walk on the Wildflower Side”

David Lose Dear Working Preacher, We know about loss. Each of us and all of us, personally and deeply. But we don’t talk about it very much. These two clashing realities often do a lot of damage. But this Sunday there is a juxtaposition of sacred text and national holiday that invites us, even begs … Continue reading “Communities of the Spirit”

Adam Walker Cleaveland Worship at the church I serve was a little different a few months ago. Pastors and parishioners were “checking in” to Facebook on their phones as they prepared for worship. The senior pastor did a video check in with his iPad during the welcome. I tweeted prayers while leading the Prayers of … Continue reading “Social Media Sunday: Pull Out Your Smartphones”