The message of this closing scene in Matthew is that any and everybody is called to make disciples any and everywhere. With no excuses, no postponements of justice, and no obstacles that God can’t do something about.
We don’t have to huddle in a room for fear of our circumstances and wait for the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is not an event we wait for. It’s one in which we participate. Every moment is Pentecost.
Like the stained glass triptych, the Ascension in Luke’s account highlights three panels that all depict stages in the story of the same Savior.
Covid19 has caused The Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence at SMU to pivot, but has by no means stopped us in our tracks. Here is an update on our work this spring.
Jesus’ Commencement Address holds out the promise of a God who doesn’t just wave from the porch and wish us luck, but who lives and works in our hearts and in our homes.
We continue, throughout our lives, to ask and re- ask the basic questions of “Am I on the right track in life?” and “How can I know God in my life?” The answer Jesus gives is both simple and profound. “I am the Way.”
The Good Shepherd is not an image intended to comfort children. It is an image intended to inspire the faith of adults in difficult times. It is an image meant to counter forces that would isolate them from each other and undermine their faith in Christ. It’s an image tailor made for times like these.
When preachers ask people to identify with Thomas, they are inviting them to recognize that we do not all experience the resurrected Christ in the same way or at the same time, but that Christ comes to us nevertheless. Thus we can experience the resurrection even in our current circumstances.
Christian preachers this week stand at the entrance to the empty tomb and preach to those within it. What is it we all need to hear?
Whatever tomb we are in this Holy week, it is not empty of God.
When any crisis comes my way, I know I have the choice: hide from it in fear or face it with confidence and faith.
The Preacher’s Bible Handbook, edited by O. Wesley Allen Jr., (Westminster John Knox Press, 2019) is an indispensable aid for busy preachers.
Our experience in life is unpredictable from day to day. We wake up in the morning and we are not entirely sure what combination of good news and bad news the day will bring.
© SMU Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence
