Preaching as Prophetic Calling: Sermons That Work series XII (Sermons That Work, 12) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0819218936 ISBN 13: 9780819218933

Verlag: Morehouse Publishing, 2004

Inhaltsangabe

Preaching as Prophetic Calling is the twelfth in a series of books devoted to presenting examples of preaching excellence from parishes throughout the Episcopal Church.

This volume addresses the difficult and essential area of preaching a prophetic word. What does a prophetic sermon look like without being shrill, and without being filled with “musts,” “oughts,” and “shoulds”? This collection of sermons includes examples of prophetic preaching that are visionary and that speak in ways that offer radical comfort as well as radical challenge.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Roger Alling is president of the Episcopal Preaching Foundation and director of the Foundation's Preaching Excellence Program. Co-editor of the Sermons that Work series, he lives in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.

David J. Schlafer is a noted homiletician and speaker and co-author of the Morehouse series Sermons That Work. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland.

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PREACHING AS PROPHETIC CALLING

By ROGER ALLING, DAVID J. SCHLAFER

Church Publishing Incorporated

Copyright © 2004 Roger Alling and David J. Schlafer
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-8192-1893-3

Contents

INTRODUCTION: The Range of Riches in "Prophetic" Preaching
1 Focusing Specific Issues of Prophetic Concern
2 Framing Spacious Visions of Prophetic Ministry
3 Preaching Paul Prophetically
Epilogue: Jesus the Prophet Rhonda Smith McIntire
Acknowledgments

CHAPTER 1

Focusing Specific Issues of Prophetic Concern

CELEBRATING SIGNS OF HOPE

COMMUNITY SERVICES

A Table in the Wilderness

Psalm 78:14–20; Romans 8:35–39; Matthew 14:13–21Proper 13 AAmanda Rutherford May

THE LAND AROUND the Sea of Galilee is hardly a wilderness. It is rich andfertile country with beautiful hills and valleys and some trees. Yet Jesusspeaks of withdrawing to "a lonely place." The words translated "lonely place"in Matthew's Gospel literally mean "a place that is like a wilderness." Thewilderness—a place of quiet, of stillness, of barrenness—a place that is wildand open, a place where we come to terms with ourselves and with God.

The wilderness experience of the people of Israel was the most formative in theOld Testament. After having been led out of slavery in Egypt by Moses, theIsraelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years. Forty years of movingtoward the Promised Land, forty years of trusting in God, trusting in God toprotect them and to guide them, trusting in God to satisfy their hunger and toassuage their thirst. In the wilderness they experienced hardship and freedom,and they longed for comfort and slavery. They were tempted to worship other godsand to turn back to the life from which they had been redeemed. But God lovedhis people. He taught them, fed them, and cared for them. Finally when they wereready, God led them to the Promised Land.

The story of the loaves and fishes is the story of another wildernessexperience. After Jesus was rejected in his own city of Nazareth, the disciplesbrought him the news that John the Baptist had been executed. For all of them itwas a time of failure and fear. They left Nazareth and crossed the Sea ofGalilee to a "lonely place"—a wilderness where they could again come to termswith themselves and with God. But when they arrived, the people of Galilee, likethe Israelites of old, had gathered to experience God, to escape from theslavery of sin, and to seek the Promised Land, the kingdom of God proclaimed bythe Messiah. Jesus taught the people, as God had taught the Israelites in thewilderness. He cast out demons and healed the sick, as God had cared for theIsraelites in their wanderings. But as the day lengthened and the people beganto be hungry and restless, even the faithful wondered: "Can God prepare a tablein the wilderness?"

On that day in Galilee, there were only five loaves and two fishes, a meal forone to feed a crowd of five thousand men, besides the women and children. Jesustook the offerings, blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples tofeed the people. In the Exodus, God fed the people of Israel with manna and withquails, enough for the whole company each day. But on that day in Galilee, thepeople were fed and there was food left over—more than enough for all to share.Like the Israelites of the Exodus, the people of Galilee and the disciples whohad sought out "a lonely place" experienced God in their midst, a loving andfaithful God who prepared a table in the wilderness with food and drink inabundance.

I have had the privilege for the last eight years of serving as the executivedirector of Episcopal Community Services. This agency provides services to thepoor in San Diego and Riverside Counties, including:

• early childhood education and care

• drug and alcohol rehabilitation, education, and prevention

• housing for battered women and their children, and for women who havethemselves been offenders

• emergency assistance

• services and housing for the homeless mentally ill

• employment for the homeless and for foster youth entering the workforce

• housing for those who are homeless and suffering from AIDS

• chaplaincy to all of our programs

With five hundred employees and forty locations, our programs serve aboutthirty-five hundred clients each day.

ECS is a place where we experience wilderness. Those who come to us arephysically, mentally, and spiritually in the wilderness of their lives. Somehave nowhere to sleep; some have no food; some are mentally, physically, orspiritually ill. Many are addicted or abused. All are poor. Many have beenseparated from families and friends for years. Some are separated from God. Likethe Israelites of old, they wander, looking for the Promised Land, trying torely on God's providence, yet asking the question, "Can God prepare a table inthe wilderness?"

Bob had enjoyed a successful career. As a young man he had graduated fromStanford, then completed an MBA at Harvard. He had become a marketing executivein a succession of companies, with a significant income, a house, and a brightfuture—bright, until the clouds started to form. He was unable to perform at hisusual high standards and eventually didn't go to work at all. His companyterminated him. He found himself unable to search for a new job. As money gottighter and tighter, his wife left him, defeated by his undiagnosed disease. Boblived in his house for two years, spending all his savings, until the bankforeclosed, the utility companies cut off services, and his friends desertedhim.

As he will tell you, one day he was carrying a bucket of water from his swimmingpool to the bathroom to flush a toilet, because the water had been turned off.He said to himself, "Bob, this is crazy! And if this is crazy, you must be crazytoo!" Shortly thereafter he was forced out of his house and was forced to livein his car. When his car was finally repossessed, Bob found himself homeless andliving on the street. For Bob it was the wilderness, a time of powerlessness,desperation, fear, and loneliness. He could not overcome the situation, and hecould not escape. It was all he could do to survive.

Eventually Bob found his way to the ECS Friend-to-Friend Clubhouse, where hecould shower and eat and talk to others who were mentally ill. Bob suffered froma form of clinical depression so severe that at times he could not function.After he was diagnosed and the appropriate medications were prescribed, Bobbegan to return to a shadow of his former self. He started by working at the ECSDowntown Work Center for minimum wage. He then joined the ECS staff, working asa counselor at the Friend-to-Friend Clubhouse. From there he became the managerof the Work Center. But he was still too fragile, and he sank into depressionagain. It was a low point for all of us who had great hopes for Bob's recovery.But, he returned to his job at the Clubhouse and slowly has been restored tohealth. About three years ago, he accepted a new job at his old salary scale,doing marketing on the Internet.

On his last day at the Clubhouse, Bob gathered together the members to tell themhis story and the good news. Now those who are members of the Friend-to-FriendClubhouse are homeless (or nearly homeless) and mentally ill. They hear voices,they are depressed or manic, they are paranoid or...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Morehouse Publishing
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2004
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0819218936
• ISBN 13: 9780819218933
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 145
• Herausgeber: Alling Roger, Schlafer David J.
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar