How can you preach the good news of Easter? Bishop Timothy Clarke, Senior Pastor at First Church of God in Ohio says you don’t have to make the Easter message relevant for people. It’s already relevant, because it’s in the Word of God.  
He drew attention to Isaiah 40:8 (ESV) “The grass withers, the flower fades and the word of the Lord stands forever.” 
In this episode, they discuss everything from Chicago steakhouses, to preaching failures, to how the resurrection narrative stands the test of time. Bishop Clarke offers three specific words of advice for preachers: 
•	Focus on your relationship with God. 
•	Make your family a priority. 
•	Find your voice, vocation and vision. 
He also said “acquaint yourself with the history of the church.” You can also watch Bishop Clarke’s sermons on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbHpOD25TyMnkS0Hldd3zow?

Check out what was referenced on the podcast: 
H. Beecher Hicks, Jr.’s book Preaching Through a Storm: Confirming the Power of Preaching in the Tempest of Church Conflict - https://zondervanacademic.com/products/preaching-through-a-storm

Say it Again! Preaching the Good News of Easter

How do you preach on the genres of scripture? Matt Woodley and Ken J. Langley, Senior Pastor at Christ Community Church in Zion, Illinois explore this topic. He is also an Adjust Professor of Homiletics at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. They also discuss a few COVID-19 preaching challenges, like preaching to a camera in an empty room. 

Ken said “There are different types of literature. Some start once upon a time. Some start the White House issued a statement today. Some start with ‘thus says the Lord.’ He indicated that genre sensitivity in preaching would mean attentiveness to how different types (or forms of scripture) work.” 

When preaching on the Psalms, it’s important to honor the form, and the emotion of the text. Ken draws attention to “the poet’s agonized scream,” from a commentary on the Psalms. This shows how emotion should be prioritized over form, when exegeting some Biblical passages from the Psalms.

Preaching the Genres of Scripture

Charles H. Spurgeon, a Baptist minister from England (1834-1892) has a unique legacy as a preacher. His sermons “often contain subtle and bold references to Christ on the cross,” according to Thomas Breimaijer, author of Tethered to the Cross: The Life and Preaching of Charles H. Spurgeon.  In this episode, Matt Woodley and Breimaier explore Spurgeon’s life and ministry.

 “His upbringing was very much steeped in this rural identity, which is interesting given that he’s known for his preaching in London at the Metropolitan Tabernacle which was the largest protestant church in the world,” Breimaijer said. 

He wrote his thesis “The Cross in the Tabernacle: Charles Haddon Spurgeon & Biblical Hermeneutics” while earning his PhD at the University of Edinburgh, which laid the groundwork for his new book, Tethered to the Cross. He argues that Spurgeon viewed the entire Bible through the lens of the cross of Christ. 

“He preached to thousands of people each week, and through his influence he started a college for pastors,” according to Breimaijer who is a Tutor of Systematic Theology and History at Spurgeon’s College in London, England.

You can buy the book here: https://www.ivpress.com/tethered-to-the-cross

The Life and Preaching of Charles H. Spurgeon

Martin Luther said that “the ears are the organ of conversion.” How do you craft the right combination of words, so that it sticks in the minds and hearts of your listeners? 

The Rev. Canon David Roseberry, an Anglican pastor and executive director of the non-profit, LeaderWorks explores how to make sermons powerful with potent phrases, alongside Kevin Miller. 

Roseberry said “The turn of phrase – the idea of being able to sum up what you’re trying to say in a memorable phrase is really a skill that’s acquired and honed over time.”   

When he started preaching 30 years ago, he used manuscripts. Now Roseberry carefully crafts summary statements, a punchline that listeners can go home with. Sometimes they manifest themselves as puns, that reinforce a big idea from a particular passage of scripture. 

If you were summing up Jonah chapter three, you could say “you can run, but you cannot hide.” Learn more about his ministry at leaderworks.org: https://www.leaderworks.org/about

The Power of the Potent Phrase in Preaching

How can preachers respond to a tense political climate? In this episode, Kevin Miller and Matt Woodley seek to find a way forward, after a divisive presidential election. More specifically, they delve into how pastors can disciple people in Christian citizenship and political engagement after the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. 

Stewart Ruch, an Anglican bishop said “We, as those who treasure sacred symbols, decry the combination of holy and unholy symbols that were employed in ways that undermine the dignity of any human being.”
Miller offers four steps pastors can take, to speak into politics – while maintaining a wise, Christian position: 
•	Honor the many evangelical leaders who have spoken up.
•	Teach more specifically on “how to think about” politics.
•	Speak into the fears that created the feelings of “do-or-die urgency.”
•	Stop reading current political leaders into the Bible. 

Check out what was referenced on the podcast: 
Justin Gibony’s book "Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign's Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement" https://www.ivpress.com/compassion-conviction

Fear, Politics and Preaching: How to Move Forward

How can pastors improve the tone of their preaching? In this episode, Matt Woodley and Dr. Hershael York, Senior Pastor at Buck Run Baptist Church set the record straight. He also serves as the Dean of Southern Seminary’s School of Theology. 

Tone can be communicated through your pace, pitch, volume, and even body language. Sometimes a person’s tone doesn’t match the content, of what they’d like to convey. And that’s often what can be harmful, in a conversation with a spouse, a friend – or in a sermon.
 
Dr. York said “I always need to grow in delivery, passion and getting rid of verbal bridges. Those things are incredibly challenging for me, even after all of these years. I have much room to grow.” 

He warns pastors of preaching the emotion you feel, instead of the emotion of the Biblical text. “Your tone has to match the content of the text,” said Dr. York. Learn more about him on Southern Seminary's website: https://www.sbts.edu/dr-hershael-york-dean-of-the-school-of-theology/

Striking the Right Tone in Your Preaching

How can you preach the grace of the gospel, in a fresh way? In this episode, Kevin Miller and Reverend Ethan Magness, pastor at Grace Anglican Church, a church in Grove City, Pennsylvania. 

Rev. Magness said “Our bond with God has experienced a tragic severing. What we need more than anything is reconciliation with the highest point of reality. What we need is reconciliation with the highest point of reality. We need to be totally made new before God, reconnected, re-established, and loved into loveliness.”  

Magness stressed the importance of cultivating an expectation, and is more than just a moral harangue, or a new plan to improve yourself for God. He said “But instead the heart of the Christian enterprise of preaching is to proclaim someone else besides me, and someone else besides you.” 

He teaches seminarians how to do three things:
1.	Exhume the Biblical material of a given passage clearly.
2.	Show how that Biblical material points to the gospel (the redemption from sin via Christ’s death and resurrection.  
3.	They have to existentially connect with the “rocky horror picture show” of the hearer’s life. 

You can listen to his sermons on Grace Anglican Church’s website:  http://graceanglicanonline.com/resources/sermons/

Keeping Grace Fresh in Your Preaching

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Preaching Today exists to encourage and equip preachers to faithfully and creatively proclaim God's Word so that the church grows up into the fullness of Christ.

Monday Morning Preacher is for preachers by preachers. Each episode focuses on one unique aspect of preaching and explores how preachers can grow in their craft.

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