Preaching Creation

The human race, along with the animals and plants that make up the creation of God, face a difficult future due to the multiple ways that the ecosystem on which they all depend is currently under stress. Temperatures are rising along with the oceans. Rain forests are falling along with the polar ice caps. Questions of the environment are now front and center in any catalog of concerns. Those who are called to preach need to include in the subjects of their sermons these environmental issues. Our Bible contains significant resources, often overlooked, as bases on which powerful environmental sermons can be preached. This book introduces the subject of preaching and the environment, offering close looks at important biblical passages that address the cosmos of God, and presenting sample sermons founded on those passages. The book calls for preachers both to name the vast problems we face and to offer the hope of the gospel of God to address them.

How can we proclaim justice for God's Creation in the face of global warming? How does fracking fit with "the earth and its fullness are the Lord's?" Creation-Crisis Preaching works with the premise that all of Creation, including humankind, needs to hear the Good News of Jesus' resurrection in this age in which humanity is "crucifying" Creation. Informed by years of experience as an environmental activist and minister, Leah Schade equips preachers to interpret the Bible through a "green" lens, become rooted in environmental theology, and learn how to understand their preaching context in terms of the particular political, cultural, and biotic setting of their congregation. Creation-Crisis Preaching provides both theoretical grounding and practical tips for preachers to create environmental sermons that are relevant, courageous, creative, pastoral, and inspiring.

How can we proclaim justice for God's Creation in the face of global warming? How does fracking fit with "the earth and its fullness are the Lord's?" Creation-Crisis Preaching works with the premise that all of Creation, including humankind, needs to hear the Good News of Jesus' resurrection in this age in which humanity is "crucifying" Creation. Informed by years of experience as an environmental activist and minister, Leah Schade equips preachers to interpret the Bible through a "green" lens, become rooted in environmental theology, and learn how to understand their preaching context in terms of the particular political, cultural, and biotic setting of their congregation. Creation-Crisis Preaching provides both theoretical grounding and practical tips for preachers to create environmental sermons that are relevant, courageous, creative, pastoral, and inspiring.

"As the global climate crisis worsens, many churches have sought to respond by instituting a movement to observe a liturgical season of creation. Scholars who have pioneered the connections between biblical scholarship, ecological theology, liturgy, and homiletics provide here a comprehensive resource for preaching and leading worship in this new season. Included are theological and practical introductions to observance of the season, biblical texts for its twelve Sundays in the three-year lectionary cycle, and astute commentary to help preachers and worship leaders guide their congregations into deeper connection with our imperiled planet"--Publisher description.

Discover the whole Bible story. Though the Bible is the perennial best-selling book, many people don’t know where to begin. Open the Bible in 30 Days is a comprehensive and engaging tool that gives you an overview of God’s Word. Colin Smith opens the Bible in three stages: the Old Testament where we meet God the Father, the Gospels where we learn to trust Christ the Son, and the New Testament letters where we discover life in the Holy Spirit. Open the Bible in 30 Days can be used individually or alongside “Open,” an online guided journey through the life-changing story of Scripture. Grab a copy of Open the Bible in 30 Days and visit openthebible.org to get started.

Creation-Crisis Preaching equips preachers and activists to stand at the crossroads of church and society where they can weave a prophetic and pastoral voice that speaks to the ecological crises of our time. The discipline of homiletics will be enriched and better equipped to speak to the contemporary questions of the ecological crisis by focusing on environmental justice issues, particularly those involving women and the issue of shale gas drilling (fracking). Pastors and activists will learn how to create messages that address environmental issues with forthrightness and imagination.

In Postcolonial Preaching, HyeRan Kim-Cragg argues that preaching is the act of dropping the stone of the Gospel into a lake, making waves to move hearts and transform the world wounded by colonial violence. The ripple effect serves as a metaphor and acronym to guide to preaching that takes postcolonial concerns seriously: Rehearsal, Imagination, Place, Pattern, Language and Exegesis (RIPPLE). Kim-Cragg explains each “ripple” in this approach and exercise of creating and delivering sermons. The author delivers fresh insights while drawing on some traditional homiletical perspectives in the service of a homiletic that takes the reality of racism, migration, and environmental degradation seriously. Moreover, Kim-Cragg demonstrates the postcolonial sermon in action by including annotated homilies. This book contributes to the very first wave of the application of postcolonial scholarship in preaching. Given the continuing extent and influence of colonial worldviews and legacies, this approach should become a staple in preaching over the next generation.

Sidney Greidanus's previous two preaching books -- The Modern Preacher and the Ancient Text andPreaching Christ from the Old Testament -- have received wide acclaim. Preaching Christ from Genesis offers more of Greidanus's solid, practical homiletical fare. Packed with unique features, Preaching Christ from Genesis uses the latest scholarly research to analyze twenty-three Genesis narratives presents the rhetorical structures and other literary features of each narrative discloses the message for Israel (theme) as well as the author's likely purpose (goal) explores various ways of preaching Christ from each narrative offers sermon exposition and commentary in oral style suggests relevant sermon forms, introductions, and applications Including helpful appendixes -- "Ten Steps from Text to Sermon," "An Expository Sermon Model," and three of the author's own Genesis sermons -- this volume will be an invaluable resource for preachers and Bible teachers.