Thomas G. Long
Stolen goods: Tempted to plagiarize
A student in one of my preaching courses was struggling terribly. The sermons he preached in class were plodding, disorganized and weakly supported exegetically and theologically. He was aware that he was not meeting expectations, and was frustrated and embarrassed. But then, in his final opportunity to redeem himself in the course, he surprised us all by preaching a stunning sermon, profound and lyrical. It was good—too good.
Middle East peace: Mark 16:1-8
If Mark’s ending creates discomfort and uncertainty, it is partly due to our knowledge of how the Easter story is told in the other Gospels.
Palm Sunday (Mark 11:1-11)
The two disciples must have imagined a grander and nobler role for themselves than donkey detail. For this they left their fishing nets?
The life force (Ephesians 2:1-10)
As much as we might like to make the faith about spiritual enlightenment or ethical ideals or the broad love of God that inspires tolerance, the fact of the matter is that the gospel is at root a rescue story.
Name-dropping: Hebrews 5:5-10
It is not pain and violence that God desires, says the preacher of Hebrews. It is human life as God created it to be, summoned it to be.
Reality show: Mark 9:2-9
Do not look for this mountain on a Bible map. It juts out not from the topography of Galilee, but from the topography of God.
Dancing the Decalogue
The Ten Commandents are prefaced not by an order but by a breathtaking announcement of freedom.
Teaching vacancies: A crisis in practical theology
When the longtime professor of preaching at Bethsaida Theological Seminary retired, no one at the school could have predicted the ordeal that lay ahead....
Empty tomb, empty talk: Easter Sunday, April 15 Luke 24:1-12
On a Sunday morning in a certain city church, the Gospel lesson had been read and the minister was about to begin the sermon....
Gospel sound track: Sunday, April 1 John 12:1-8
One Saturday afternoon, my wife and I escaped to the movies....
Surprise party: Sunday, March 25 Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
Maybe it’s just my imagination, but has the parable of the prodigal son become something of a bore lately? I know, I know, this is one of the most beautiful stories of grace in the Bible....
Breaking and entering: Sunday, March 18 (Luke 13:1-9)
In the little Georgia country church of my childhood, there was a story the older folks loved to tell again and again, laughing over it and savoring it and embellishing it....
Passionate preaching
By Hughes Oliphant Old, The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church (Vol. 1: The Biblical Period; Vol....