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Discarded Art and Furnishings, Part 2: Respectful Disposal
Get PDFThis article discusses options for respectfully disposing of sanctuary art and furnishings, including re-homing, working with local historical societies, and auctioning pieces
Congregational Exegesis: Toward Shared Proclamation
Get PDFRecognizing that theological diversity is a reality in many mainline churches, this thesis considers the value of exegeting the congregation to gain knowledge of the congregation’s lived and local theology. That knowledge is then used to write and preach four sermons with the intent of helping both the listener and the preacher deepen their understanding of Jesus. An additional focus is on the challenge for the preacher to make clear and bold theological claims. Using an Action-Reflection method of research, interactive exegetical tools, questionnaires, surveys and a personal preaching journal, this project is carried out by a minister in a new call within a United Church of Canada congregation
Preaching Hope: Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction as Conversation Partners with Scripture
Get PDFThis thesis treats young adult science fiction and fantasy as a conversation partner with scripture, particularly but not limited to themes of apocalypse, revelation, and end-times, for the purposes of preaching God’s love and hope in a chaotic world. Included in this conversation is The Hunger Games trilogy, Divergent trilogy, A Wrinkle in Time, The Last Battle, and Warm Bodies. The dominant themes discussed are prophecy, sin/evil/repentance, resistance, and the Great Battle. This work provides a voice for preaching difficult themes, including end-times, in a world of fear and darkness. It particularly offers an example for preaching the timelessness of Advent and the end-times Advent points to
Proclaiming Jubilee: Preaching that Sets Women Free
Get PDFIn Luke 4, Jesus outlines his mission: to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and free the oppressed. Yet the marginalization and oppression of women have been structurally normalized throughout history, both in secular society as well as Christian culture. Through historical, cultural, biblical, exegetical, hermeneutical, and homiletical analysis, this study posits that a jubilee homiletic is a crucial part of embodying liberation from textual interpretations that have prioritized those who are privileged, so that women may reclaim scripture as a source of freedom
There is a Word: Using a Queer Hermeneutic Toward Liberative and Prophetic Biblical Preaching
Get PDFPreaching to, for, and about LGBTQ people is too often characterized by ambivalence, homophobia, and microaggressions couched as speaking truth in love. And yet, the biblical text includes themes, images, and stories with liberating and prophetic messages for LGBTQ people that include and affirm them within the body of Christ. This thesis argues that preachers can proclaim a liberating, prophetic word for the LGBTQ people within their congregations by using a queer hermeneutic, the intentional and conscious interpretation of the biblical text using the experience, information, and knowledge about LGBTQ people as the lens through which to bridge the world of the biblical text and the world of the contemporary church. Through a qualitative study of affirming sermons and surveying LGBTQ hearers’ experiences of affirming sermons, this thesis shows preachers how to use the marginalized perspective of LGBTQ people in their reading and interpretation of the Bible to make their preaching more liberating and prophetic
Murmuring Met with Mercy and Grace: An Examination of the Pre-Sinai Wilderness Wanderings Traditions
Get PDFWhile various OT and NT authors may employ the wilderness wanderings traditions for their own purposes, the traditions themselves generally present the Israelites in a negative light. This negative presentation is primarily due to the murmuring motif. This essay revealed the stereotyped verbs and collocations of the motif in addition to the variety of forms the murmurings can take, a prominent form being an accusatory question. When the stereotyped verbs and collocations do not occur, it is the presence of an accusatory question with stereotypical content and language regarding the Israelites’ life in Egypt and their exodus that signals the murmuring motif. The motif must be limited to the murmurings only and must exclude any responses from the addressee(s) that may be present in the text. When this is done, the final form of the pericopes in which the motif occurs can be more effectively evaluated. This essay has shown that the murmuring comprises one element of the two recurring patterns in the wilderness wanderings traditions, Pattern A and Pattern B. The murmuring motif must always be viewed as negative and hostile, and as an act of open rebellion against the LORD. The failures of the Israelites are on full display in the pre-Sinai, Pattern A, wilderness wanderings texts as they time and time again murmur against the LORD; however, it is in the midst of these failures that the mercy and grace with which the LORD meets their murmurings is magnified
Discarded Art and Furnishings, Part 1: Repurposing
Get PDFThis article presents suggestions for repurposing discarded sanctuary art and furnishings
Harvesting Hope: Biblical Preaching with People of the Land
Get PDFThis project seeks to customize generic preaching skills to better serve rural Midwest churches in a time of great transition. “What seeds are we planting that our harvest will be hope in Jesus Christ? Does the Word of God affect our response, and are we transformed by that change, so that hope becomes part of our faith DNA?” Seeking to encourage prophetic visioning, preacher, leaders, and members to live into God’s ongoing new creation. Harvest is a major theme in rural communities and biblical narrative, a metaphor of grace and judgement. Preachers are encouraged to glean the faith stories of the members and leaders of their congregations. Those faith stories then become evidence of our participation in God’s works. Linking harvest and hope, these Spirit filled narratives inspires a more purposeful theology of hope and realized eschatology. There are few contemporary resources focused on preaching for decentralized rural congregations. Congregational and regional contextual understandings, together with transitional preaching resources develop unique tools for this distinct community. Seldom do people of the land receive honor and respect for their persistent faithfulness. Lifting those up in worship especially in sermons, becomes a celebration of God filled moments. If we do not celebrate the small dailiness of authentic Christ centered discipleship, we lose heart and hope.
Personal, congregational, and community narratives are interwoven with scripture and theology. Using less familiar scripture texts encourages a wider view of God’s present activities. The decentralized status of these congregations is grieved. Yet a new hope arises in participating in God’s kingdom here and now, rather than waiting for the kingdom to come. Rituals and congregational values assisted in evaluation of responses to the sermons and the sermon series. Survey results from 2014 and 2019 were integrated suggesting a new vision of the core mission theology for one congregation. Intentionally seeking response to sermons encouraged greater discernment within both congregations and motivated this preacher to greater reliance on God’s truth. There is value in intentional listening to contemporary faith stories. Life experiences of the faithful are then laid beside biblical narratives pointing to God’s ongoing activity. Use of specific discernment tools for evaluation of a community’s diverse preachers will nourish preachers’ skills and theological language
Missional Discipleship Within the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria
Get PDFThis thesis considers how the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria might function as a missional church enabling discipleship in Nigeria
Reaching the Diaspora: Streamed Worship and Preaching in the Lutheran Church of Australia, Cultivating Koinonia and Ecclesia
Get PDFStreamed worship has been happening in the Lutheran Church of Australia since 2013. Who is it reaching? Where is it reaching? Is it connecting them to community and the church? Is the preaching reaching the people who gather outside of the physical church buildings? Is there anything we can do to improve the reach, the connection and the sense of belonging to the wider church even when living remotely or kept away from regular worship by illness, disability or work commitments? This exploratory case study seeks to find these answers and more and then to offer ways forward for the building up of the church through streamed worship