In his brief, astonishing novel Waiting for the Barbarians, South African author J.M. Coetzee imagines a town on the frontier of a nameless Empire, in a state of continual hostilities with its “barbarian” neighbors. As the story’s climax nears, the main character—a fallen functionary of the Empire—goes for a sunset walk outside the walls and […]

I like every season of the church year when we get to it, but I think I like Advent best of all. It is a season that emerged out of the culture and geography of Western Europe, not the Mediterranean world. It is not observed in the Eastern Churches. In the Western church calendar Advent […]

Like every listener, I bring expectations and assumptions to the preaching I hear, which greatly influence how I respond to sermons.1 So, permit me to lay those out for you, so you know where I am coming from. Preaching is theocentric or christocentric rather than anthropocentric. God is the star of scripture; we are not. […]

Please click on any of the name links below to jump directly to that preacher’s sermon manuscript for Advent 1C. Rev. Kim Beckmann Rev. Melissa Bills Rev. Antonio Cabello Rev. Erik Christensen Rev. Jon Dumpys Rev. Michael D. Fick Rev. Julie Eileen Ryan * * * 1. Rev. Kim Beckmann Grace to you and peace […]

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 This passage from 1 Thessalonians, the oldest book in the New Testament, was written by Paul to the people of Thessalonica after he had left that little community and moved on. Paul emphasizes his strong ties with these new believers in many ways. He repeats the word “you” over and over again […]

Within the realm of Christian theology (both as academic discipline and as reflection that fuels the life of the church), a great deal depends on the intellectual frameworks that are brought to bear on particular issues. As in the sciences, the same data can give rise to differing conclusions depending on the analytical framework to […]