A Path Strewn with Sinners
The gospel of St. Mark, by Wade Johnston’s own admission, had always been a “challenge” for him; indeed, even his “foe” (vii). Mark always seemed in a hurry, leaving out so many details in his ...
No Loopholes. Just Blessings!
Weary no doubt from dealing with challenging and messy marriage situations in his congregation, my long-ago-sainted father was heard to quip that dealing with such situations in Old Testament times surely must have been much ...
A Cleansing of the Heart
Dear Brothers, Is it true that legalists take God’s law more seriously than the typical Christian? Well, that’s at least what the legalist wants others to believe. They love it when others are impressed by ...
Now, That is Amazing
Dear Brothers, If someone would ask us the two most challenging places for us to preach, many of us would list the seminary chapel and the congregation where we grew up. A key challenge in ...
The Stronger Man
Dear Brothers, Is this the kind of experience a supervising pastor would plan to give his vicar on his first day of training: allowing that student pastor to hear respected church leaders insinuate that the ...
Double Privilege
Dear Treasure Filled Jars of Clay, There was no smoke. No blaring trumpets. No sound of God's voice thundering from heaven. Yet as the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee spoke in Capernaum's synagogue, the ...
Stoop to Sandal-Level
Dear Brothers, There's an element of last Sunday's gospel that a preacher would highlight if speaking to fellow preachers. "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I ...
Preach the Word – January/February 2000
Volume 3, Number 3 Read More What One Year of Preaching Taught Me Reflections of a first year preacher in the ministry. What does it mean to "Preach the text?" Where are the best illustrations? ...