Your Faith Has Made You Well

This is the third sermon for the third year -the last sermon I will submit for the ACTS D.Min in Preaching program. Based on Mark 10:46-52, the story of Bartimaeus, the sermon explores the meaning of faith. You can read a manuscript of the sermon here. For a sense of what I was trying to accomplish and how I think it went, you can and my Reflection Paper here.

"Stumble Into Life"

Sermon 2 takes on the topic of hell -a rare subject at a place like Plymouth Church! I preached this sermon, entitled "Stumble Into Life," on September 30 2012. It's based on Mark 9:38-50. You can read the sermon here.

"The Other Side of The Story"

And here it is: the first sermon for my thesis! As part of Plymouth's summer sermon series on the life of King David, I offered this sermon on the story of Bathsheba. The sermon is trying to accomplish at least two things: to serve as an example of Florence's testimony model of preaching, and to address a serious social justice issue -sexual violence and our silence around it.

For more on my thinking, you can read my Reflection Paper here. A sermon manuscript is available here, and my Parish project Group's thoughts on the sermon can be found here.

Thesis Proposal

The third and final year of my Doctor of Ministry work is well underway. Between now and May of 2013, I will research, write, revise and defend a thesis on the potential of Anna Carter Florence's model of preaching as testimony for connecting effectively to the religious liberals in my congregation.

You can read the thesis proposal here.  Stay tuned for updates, and wish me luck!

"Learning to Lay My Weapons Down: Exploring the Practice of Vulnerable Preaching "

Today I submitted my integrative paper for 2011-2012, bringing to a close the second year of my Doctor of Ministry coursework.

You can read my final paper, summing up my second year project, here.

In Good Company

This is not a sermon for my 2nd year Doctor of Ministry project--hence, no video--but it captures a lot of what I have been trying to do this year. In terms of content, the sermon relies on personal vulnerability in some pretty obvious ways. In terms of delivery, I used no notes but was also careful NOT to memorize the sermon. As a result, I think my delivery sounds freer, more relaxed and more natural. (So, in one sense, it may be better that I don't have video; the high quality audio makes it easier to notice the sometimes subtle but very real differences in the character and quality of my voice)

The sermon is based on Mark 1:40-45, Mark's account of Jesus healing a leper. You can read the manuscript here, and listen to the sermon here. (Click on the link; click again when it says "download." The sermon begins at the 5:45 mark).

"Any Kitchen Table Will Do"

This is the third and final sermon for the second year of my ACTS Doctor of Ministry degree in preaching through Chicago Theological Seminary. This sermon was preached on January 15, 2012 at Plymouth Church. The text was 1 Samuel 3:1-21, and I was preaching on a Sunday that Plymouth sets aside to honor the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.





You can read the sermon manuscript here, and look at the notes I had in front of me while preaching here. For a sense of what I am trying to accomplish, start with my second year Learning Covenant, then the Parish Project Group's Response Form, in which they evaluate the sermon, and finally my Reflection Paper, in which I try to tie it all together.