Proclaiming The Judge Of The Living And The Dead

Back cover: Kai Akagi considers what the speeches in Acts 10 and 17 say about Jesus when they speak of him as a judge. This historical and literary study reveals that Jesus' role as a judge both suggests that he judges with divine authority and expresses his identity as Jewish messiah.

Foreword by Geoffrey Wainwright Doctrinal preaching has fallen on hard times in recent years. Exploring and Proclaiming the Apostles' Creed seeks to stimulate renewed interest in -- and provide useful models of -- Christian proclamation that is truly rooted in the central tenets of the faith. Using the Apostles' Creed as a template for doctrinal, confessional preaching, this book draws together an ecumenical cast of respected biblical scholars and preachers who explain the creed and demonstrate its preaching possibilities. Each of the book's fifteen chapters consists of an essay that explores and illuminates one of the creed's articles of faith, followed by a scintillating sermon that models how that article can be preached as good news today. Contributors: Walter R. Bouman Richard A. Burridge Philip W. Butin Gabriel Fackre David F. Ford Colin Gunton Richard B. Hays Craig C. Hill Scott E. Hoezee Leslie J. Hoppe George Hunsinger Scott Black Johnston James F. Kay Richard A. Lischer Thomas G. Long Lois Malcolm Daniel L. Migliore Richard A. Norris Jr. Steven D. Paulson Cornelius Plantinga Cynthia L. Rigby Fleming Rutledge William M. Shand III Marguerite Shuster Wm. C. Turner Robert Louis Wilken Ralph C. Wood Susan K. Wood Frances M. Young Robin Darling Young

Bigger, stronger, better! Russell Anderson has taken the most original and successful lectionary resource in history and improved on it. He has kept all of the traditional features that have made it a classic, such as: overviews of each liturgical season, commentaries compatible with the Revised Common and Roman Catholic lectionaries (plus Lutheran and Episcopal lections for those gradually converting to the Revised Common Lectionary), an introduction to the featured Gospel narrator (Matthew, in Cycle A), theological reflections for exploring the relationships between the texts, and wide margins for note-taking. Instead of stopping there, though, he has added: a 7" x 10" one-size-fits-all format, a suggested sermon title for each week, a Sermon Angle that briefly explicates the theological theme for the day (sometimes providing two or three of them), and illustrative stories in each chapter. Contained are crisp, tightly written lectionary helps that zero in on the critical themes of the texts, augmented with illustrative materials. The Prayer of the Day suggestions summarize and apply the themes in helpful language. The Reverend Dr. Dennis Anderson President, Trinity Lutheran Seminary Pastor Anderson's ability to relate eternal truths in the language of our 20th century society will enable those informed by his writings to communicate the TRUTH in a way that will gain attention and guide the living of life. The Reverend Dr. Reuben T. Swanson Former Bishop, Nebraska Synod, Lutheran Church in America Former Secretary, Evangelical Church in America Russell F. Anderson is pastor at Holy Cross Evangelical Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska. He received his master of divinity degree from The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and his doctor of ministry degree from McCormick Theological School in Chicago. He has published his own worship and homiletical resources under the banner "Worship Windows." He is married and the father of two grown daughters.

Profound reflections on the cross that help you to meditate on and marvel at the sacrificial love of Jesus. This book can be used as a devotional, especially during Lent and Easter. These profound reflections on the cross from David Mathis, author of The Christmas We Didn’t Expect, will help you to meditate on and marvel at Jesus’ life, sacrificial death, and spectacular resurrection-enabling you to treasure anew who Jesus is and what he has done. Many of us are so familiar with the Easter story that it becomes easy to miss subtle details and difficult to really enjoy its meaning. This book will help you to pause and marvel at Jesus, whose now-glorified wounds are a sign of his unfailing love and the decisive victory that he has won: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) This book can be used as a devotional. The chapters on Holy Week make it especially helpful during the Lent season and at Easter.

Highly respected New Testament scholar Craig Keener is known for his meticulous and comprehensive research. This commentary on Acts, his magnum opus, may be the largest and most thoroughly documented Acts commentary available. Useful not only for the study of Acts but also early Christianity, this work sets Acts in its first-century context. In this volume, the second of four, Keener continues his detailed exegesis of Acts, utilizing an unparalleled range of ancient sources and offering a wealth of fresh insights. This magisterial commentary will be an invaluable resource for New Testament professors and students, pastors, Acts scholars, and libraries.

Throughout history, Christians have found the summary of their faith in the three ancient creeds. The God We Proclaim explores that faith as it is found in the shortest of them: the Apostles’ Creed. The contributors are among Britain’s foremost Christian communicators and teachers. Written with an infectious enthusiasm for theology, The God We Proclaim is ideal for anyone seeking to understand the Christian faith, either individually, or in a church or student study group. It is based on a set of sermons delivered in the chapel of Jesus College, Cambridge, which surveyed the foundations of Christianity. Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957) wrote in her essay “The Dogma is the Drama” that people assume that if churches are empty it is because preachers “insist too much upon doctrine,” or “dull dogma” as they disapprovingly call it. Sayers knew that the opposite is true. “It is the neglect of dogma that makes for dullness. The Christian faith is the most exciting drama that ever staggered the imagination of man—and the dogma is the drama.”

This book proposes new and comprehensive chiastic structures as well as new unifying themes for the often-neglected New Testament letters of 1 Peter, 2 Peter, and Jude. In accord with these structures, which organize the oral performance of these letters in a context of communal worship, the subtitle of the book, "Worship Matters," expresses the letters' main concern. By "worship" is meant not only liturgical worship but also the ethical behavior that complements it for a holistic way of worshiping God. "Matters" refers not only to the "matters" or issues regarding worship in these letters but also to the fact that worship "matters" in the sense of making an all-important difference to Christian living, not only for the original audiences of letters, but equally for their contemporary audience. Accordingly, this book proposes that: 1 Peter exhorts its audience to worship for life, both present and eternal, through the sufferings of Jesus Christ; 2 Peter exhorts its audience to worship in the knowledge regarding the final coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; and Jude exhorts its audience to worship in the mercy and love of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.