Dear Partner in Preaching, The first line of this week’s reading really grabbed my attention: “As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John….” What I find fascinating is not actually how John responding to all this attention; rather, I’m intrigued by the wondering and perhaps murmuring and even hoping among the people about whether John might be the promised Messiah in the first place. And that got me to thinking: “Are our people still expecting a Messiah?” Or, perhaps more accurately, “Who are our people looking to with...

I love John’s audacity. I know, I know, I said the same thing about Luke just a few weeks ago, but hear me out. Luke is an audacious historian; John is an audacious author and theologian. Take, for instance, how he begins his Gospel: “In the beginning….” Sound familiar? Of course it does. These are the opening words of Genesis: “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth….” (1:1). So think about that for a moment. John is writing his story of Jesus and decides to start by quoting the beginning of Genesis or, really, the whole Bible. It would be kind of like if I wanted to write a novel and decided to begin,...

Dear Partner in Preaching, A word of advice as you prepare your Christmas Eve sermon: keep it simple. I know, I know, there’s a lot of pressure to pull out all the stops. It is, after all, Christmas Eve, almost everyone’s favorite Christmas service with special music, favorite carols, lighted candles, and more. And the church will be full. Or at least far more full than usual. With folks you haven’t seen for a while and all kinds of visitors to boot. And then there is the excitement that accompanies the coming of Christmas. The church has been preparing for it for almost four weeks now, and the culture since just after Halloween. So...

Dear Partner in Preaching, Would you consider, on this Fourth Sunday in Advent, omitting the sermon in favor of a hymn sing? I know that’s a lot to ask, and I’ll explain why in a moment. But first I should say that even if you don’t want to omit the sermon – and, trust me, I get that, even admire it! – at least consider keeping the sermon shorter than usual in order to give more room to the hymns of the season. So…why my advice to privilege singing over preaching this week? Well, let me suggest Luke as my example. Have you ever noticed, that is, how often Luke employs songs in the first several chapters of his story about Jesus....

Dear Partner in Preaching, I was interested to see a brief segment on the Today Show about what values we want to teach our kids. Honesty topped the charts (43%), followed by kindness (29%), a strong work ethic (11%) and a variety of others. What struck me as interesting about this survey was that it lines up pretty closely with John the Baptist’s preaching in this Sunday’s passage from Luke. This is, as you’ll recall, the second Sunday in which we are spending time with John. Last week, Luke introduced us to the adult John the Baptist, taking pains to anchor John’s preaching in the historical context of the day. We noticed that Luke...

Luke 3:1-6 Dear Partner in Preaching, I just love Luke’s audacity! He is, as you probably know, of all the Evangelists the one who identifies most self-consciously as a historian. (Not a twenty-first century historian, mind you, but a first century one!) For this reason, Luke writes a formal introduction to his Gospel, the only one of the four to do so. This also explains Luke’s concern with naming various political leaders on the scene in Luke 2:1ff. and in today’s reading. As a historian, he wants to anchor the events he describes in the larger political and historical scene of the world. And that’s where his audacity comes in....

Luke 21: 25-36 Dear Partner in Preaching, The persistent temptation in preaching apocalyptic texts like the one before us this week is to try to address the question, “When?” As in the disciples’ question earlier this chapter in response to Jesus’ words about the Temple: “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” It’s an understandable question, given that the whole passage is both future-oriented and foreboding. When we read the passage this way, we often look back, naming the destruction of the Temple or some other historical event that prompted this passage. Or we may instead...

John 18:33-37 Dear Partner in Preaching, As I read the Gospel of John – and, indeed, all the Gospels – I am increasingly convinced that I have missed the more radical nature of the message of and about our Lord. Today’s reading offers a perfect example, as of late I’ve come to suspect that I have misread a key, and perhaps central, portion of it. Here’s the verse in question: “Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here’” (John 18:36). For most of my interpretive...

Dear Partner in Preaching, Let’s just admit it up front: apocalyptic passages like this Sunday’s reading are more than a little weird, rather off-putting, and unfailingly difficult to preach to audiences unfamiliar with the genre. Actually, I should probably amend that slightly, as while our folks aren’t intimately familiar with the apocalyptic worldview, they have made its passing acquaintance. It was only a few years ago, after all, that most of us saw billboards or news stories carrying the predictions of Harold Camping regarding Jesus’ imminent return. And then there were articles and even big-budget films based on the Mayan...

Mark 12:38-44 Dear Partner in Preaching, Sometimes our interpretation of a biblical passage turns on the questions we ask of it. In this case, I want to begin with one central question, not simply for the text, but also for you: How do you hear Jesus’ description of the poor widow’s offering – is it praise or lament? To put it another way: Is Jesus holding up the widow and her offering as an example of great faith and profound stewardship, or is he expressing his remorse that she has given – perhaps feels compelled – to give away the little she has left? I’ll be honest, for most of my life, I’ve assumed it was the former. But...