(Everything else is details.)
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Dear Preachers,
We're in the home stretch of a busy season. I pray that it hasn't just been busy for busy-ness's sake...or tradition's sake...or even "fulfilling-your-contract's" sake: but for Christ's sake.
When lots of people expect a lot from you, it's easy to get our priorities mixed up. Urgent voices and looming deadlines demand our time, but sometimes distract us from what (or Who) is truly important.
So this week, busy Preachers, we're going back to the basics with a thought-provoking quote and a short video to remind us of our primary call...our first love...job #1 no matter what else is on our plate...the main point of everything we do: Jesus.
May Grace and Peace...and Hope...and Joy...and Love Abound this Advent!
--Rev. Jen Newell, program director
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"Preach about Jesus.
The first fundamental is bedrock: Jesus is the only reason to be in church, so preach about him or his works, but make sure to use his name.
Again and again, I see churches which forget this primary purpose and shrink and eventually die.
In the vernacular, Jesus is our only product! So, when preaching, remember that the sermon is always about Jesus.
The saying attributed to various historic church figures about 'preach the gospel at all times; when necessary, use words' is, quixotically, inapplicable to actual preaching. Words – and specific ones at that – are essential in a real sermon!
Talk about Jesus."
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| --Quote from the Very Rev. Dean Kurt Dunkle, Dean of The General Theological Seminary, The Importance of Preaching: The Beginning Steps
from a presentation sponsored by the Episcopal Preaching Foundation given at the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes on February 21, 2019, in Boston. I found it on the Episcopal Preaching Foundation website.
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| - The passage is Revelation 2:1-7.
- The preacher is Crawford Loritts.
- The video is less than a minute long. If you're like me, you'll need to watch it more than once.
- The message is powerful.
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The Louisa Woosley Preaching Initiative is a grant-funded program of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Our goal is to equip ministers and candidates for ministry to preach compelling sermons to today's diverse and often divided world.
For more information about the initiative and our programs, visit our website.
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