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What About the Blind and the Lame? - Reflections on 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10

It is occasionally necessary to look closely at the omissions that appear in the lectionary collector’s choice of texts. In this Sunday’s text, there is a small series of verses that have been left out: 2 Sam.5:6-8. To be sure, they are certainly odd and troubling lines, difficult to translate and understand. And yet, there is something about those omitted verses that are intriguing and potentially important. Hence, I will focus my attention there in the essay and see why they may be worth a second look.

A New King? - Reflections on 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13

The story about the astonishing choice of David—8th son of 8 sons of the shepherd, Jesse—is rightly focused on here, since David will become Israel’s undisputed greatest king, despite his wanton and cruel behaviors later in his life.

No King for You! - Reflections on 1 Samuel 8:4-20

Strangely, I am thinking of that classic “Seinfeld” episode about the “Soup Nazi,” who only sells soup to those who follow the strictest of protocols. Of course, Elaine does not do so, and he bellows at her, “No soup for you!” In a similar fashion, Samuel, the chief priest and prophet of Israel is confronted by a restive people who demand a king for them.

The Harshness of a Prophetic Call - Reflections on 1 Samuel 3:1-10, 11-20

From June through August, the enterprising and imaginative pulpiteer has the chance to give to her congregation a careful look into a truly great writer’s insights into the dangers of power, the zeal and trouble of single-minded religion, and the dark and dismal actions of politics as they are played out against the backdrop of an emerging Israel, moving to a full nationhood out of a scattering of hill country tribes.

Preaching and Transformation Workshop April 16, 2024

On April 16, 2024, the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence at SMU sponsored an in-person workshop entitled “Preaching and Conflict Transformation.” This event, co-led by homiletician Dr. Joni Sancken and conflict transformation expert Dr. Regina Stoltzfus, was designed to equip preachers with the tools and wisdom needed to address conflict from the pulpit. It focused on the idea that while conflict is an inevitable part of life, it can also be a powerful vehicle for sanctification and growth, both for individuals and communities.

Must Reads Classics – Peculiar Speech: Preaching to the Baptized by William Willimon

In this episode of Must Reads Classics, Dr. O. Wesley Allen, Jr. interviews Bishop William Willimon - the Dean of Duke Chapel and professor of Christian Ministry at Duke University, about his book “Peculiar Speech: Preaching to the Baptized.”

Holy, Holy, Holy - Reflection on Isaiah 6:1-13

Because for Isaiah, contemplating and experiencing the awesome YHWH, as well as witnessing those terrifying seraphim flying about and screaming “holy,” the encounter with YHWH is no intellectual event, but an event that alters his understanding of his role as YHWH’s prophet, a role that appears to him to be one of enormous difficulty, not to mention one rife with scary implications.

May 14 2024, Lunch and Learn with Dr. McKenzie

Dr. McKenzie served as a speaker at the latest Office of Enrollment Management “Lunch and Learn!” an event for prospective Perkins students.

Opening the Old Testament

John C. Holbert, Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics Emeritus, Perkins School of Theology, earned his B.A. degree from Grinnell College, the M. Div. from Perkins and a Ph.D. in Old Testament Studies from SMU.

Must Reads, Episode 28, with Karoline M. Lewis, featuring “Preaching the Word"

Welcome to another episode of Must Reads where the Reverend Dr. Karoline M. Lewis, the Marbury E. Anderson Chair of Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dr. Lewis discusses her book “Preaching the Word: Contemporary Approaches to the Bible for the Pulpit.”

The Spirit’s Real Power - Reflections on Ezekiel 37:1-14

The issue of the day is the power of God’s spirit, and the marvelous Ezekiel text focuses directly on that very point.

Spirituality and Greed - Reflections on Acts:15-17, 21-26

In the seemingly simple need to select another disciple to replace the fallen Judas, Luke spends a significant textual time, not to mention a superb literary artistry, on the task.

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