Awesome
The Dead Sea and the River of Life
by Justin Rossow The following sermon is based on the vision recorded in Ezekiel 47:1-12. Revelation 22:1-7a and John 4 were also used in worship that day. We often think of metaphor as using something we know to help us understand something we don’t know. While that may often be the case, it’s hardly a […]
Heading in the Right Direction
Metaphors shape the way we think. Metaphors shape how we make decisions. Metaphors allow us to experience one thing in terms of something else. The following is a sermon produced by a student in a course I teach on metaphor theory. The assignment was to put the basic elements of metaphor theory to use in […]
Mark Sermon Structures
By Justin Rossow In 2015 we preached through the Gospel of Mark between January and Easter. And it was *awesome.* Looking back over so many weeks in the same book of the Bible, following the same story line, preaching on the Gospel Lesson week after week after week, I am deeply grateful for the training […]
Fostering Hearing God’s Word Together, Online
By Justin Rossow Part of any preaching ministry is fostering hearing ears and receptive lives. Scripture invites us to ruminate on God’s Word, to steep our hearts, minds, and daily lives in His promises. In today’s Social Media culture, preachers have unprecedented tools for supporting the mutual conversation of the saints in the weekly lives […]
Hope for the Future and a Bright Red Nose
By Justin Rossow Of course the hood on his sweatshirt is up: the young African American man in the Walgreens line in front of me looks like he is doing his best to fit a stereotype. Late teens, early twenties; jeans below the hip; six inches of stylish boxers showing above a wide, leather belt; […]
My Prodigal Father: A Story to Upset the World
by Michael Zeigler, Pastor, Epiphany Lutheran Church, St. Louis, MO In Luke 15 Jesus tells the story of a prodigious, extravagant, reckless, and—in the eyes of some—wasteful father. Of course, the story itself is fictitious; as Jesus was inclined to do, the Lord just made it up. Nevertheless, this story has the ring of truth. […]
Avoiding The Lutheran Meat Grinder
By Justin Rossow The proper division of Law and Gospel is one of the essential elements of Lutheran theology, and therefore of Lutheran preaching. But when good theology gets turned into rote practice, the result can be hazardous to your spiritual health. You can get a handle on the definitions of Law and Gospel relatively […]
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