Intro to Preaching

I am utterly astounded. 

This past Tuesday our preaching class started our first round of sermons.  Each week 7 classmates will get in the pulpit of the chapel and preach–many for the first time ever.  We have some restrictions on our sermons; gospel selection, time restraints, confined to the puplit, etc.  Our fellow classmates will critique our sermons and our delivery. 

I was expecting to hear some great sermons and some not-so-great sermons on this first round.  But I am utterly astounded at the confidence and professional delivery I witnessed from even the first-timers!  Not to mention some engaging sermon material, a couple of chuckles, some great personal stories and 7 unique pulpit personalities.  I can easily imagine each and every one of these promising preachers leading their own flocks.

Congratulations Seminarians!  You did a great job!

These will be some tough acts to follow! 

 

Prophet Soup

I hate P-Soup! 

Not really.  There isn’t a soup I hate (except maybe borscht).  But right now my brain is swimming with prophets; visions, laments, temples being torn down and people being plucked up, winged creatures that burn lips with red-hot coals, baskets of fruit and plumblines.  Pre-exilic, exilic and post-exilic. Northern Kingdom or Southern Kingdom. So much of the same thing said in so many different ways.  How does one keep them straight!  Well, obviously I’m not there yet.  I just took my “Prophets” exam and I think I just failed my first test…as in, I have never failed a test before, but this one, maybe.  I filled my brain bucket and it all just sloshed around in there and I tried to dump it on the test and it just came out like soup.

But in that soup pot are 3 nice meaty nuggets….

• God hates ritual without righteousness.  (speaks for itself).  Read Amos.
• Aand what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)
• God is loving and benevolent and forgiving and God wants YOU in relationship. Read 2nd Isaiah (try chapter 55).

 But other than that, all is going well.  I am struggling towards my final in NT Greek next week.  There again, I just hope to pass.  I am enjoying the preaching class and look forward to future classes with all of my professors.  Which reminds me….

Time to register for Spring classes already!