Day1 Articles Archive

Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: The Truth of Stories

The Rev. Frederick Buechner
Organization: Frederick Buechner Center
Denomination: Presbyterian Church (USA)

In our blog post every Monday we select a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday, and pair it with a Frederick Buechner reading on the same topic. Next Sunday we will celebrate Palm Sunday. Here is this week’s reading from the gospel of Mark 15:2-5:

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Preaching that Connects Creation Care to Climate Change

Science for the Church
Organization: Science for the Church

...only 4 percent of evangelical Protestants who attend religious services regularly remember hearing “a great deal” of sermons discussing climate change, while 20 percent said some of the time. About 13 percent of mainline Protestants and Black Protestants said they heard sermons on climate change quite a bit. What’s more, congregants say they talk about climate change with other churchgoers even less than they heard messages about it from the pulpit...

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Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: Salvation

The Rev. Frederick Buechner
Organization: Frederick Buechner Center
Denomination: Presbyterian Church (USA)

In our blog post every Monday we select a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday, and pair it with a Frederick Buechner reading on the same topic. Next Sunday, we will celebrate the Fifth Sunday in Lent. Here is this week’s reading from the gospel of John 12:24-25:

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How Do You Know What to Say Yes To and What to Say No To?

The Rev. Margaret Marcuson
Organization: Marcuson Leadership Circle
Denomination: American Baptist Churches USA

Life in ministry can feel like a barrage of requests and needs. Everyone wants a piece of you. And as you look around, you see so much that needs to be done. You’ve got to get to the hospital to visit someone. There’s a board meeting on Tuesday. And people are saying, “We should be doing (fill-in-the-blank).” Or, “We used to do (fill-in-the-blank), and we should start that up again.” Or, “you should visit (fill-in-the-blank).” Not to mention the denominational commitments and requests.

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Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: Grace

The Rev. Frederick Buechner
Organization: Frederick Buechner Center
Denomination: Presbyterian Church (USA)

In our blog post every Monday we will select a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday, and pair it with a Frederick Buechner reading on the same topic. Next Sunday we will celebrate The Fourth Sunday in Lent.  Here is this week’s reading from the book of Ephesians 2:1-9:

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Making 100 TikToks as Ministry

Jean Carlos Diaz
Organization: New City Church
Denomination: Not available

I’m by no means an expert on TikTok. God knows I watched a bunch of videos from people who say they are. Like many of you, I’m just doing ministry and learning every day. But by taking this journey, I’ve grown as a leader and I’ve grown my community. On average, I reach 10x more people per post (TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube combined) than I do in person. After making 100 TikToks as part of my ministry, here’s what I’ve learned...

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Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: Foolishness

The Rev. Frederick Buechner
Organization: Frederick Buechner Center
Denomination: Presbyterian Church (USA)

In our blog post every Monday we select a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday, and pair it with a Frederick  Buechner  reading on the same topic. Next Sunday, we will celebrate the Third Sunday in Lent. Here is this week’s reading from the book of 1 Corinthians 1:18-25:

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The Playfulness of God

Ophelia Hu Kinney
Organization: Reconciling Ministries Network
Denomination: United Methodist Church

Play is how we first made sense of the world into which we were born. It was how we explored ourselves and our worlds, our divine outer and our divine inner realms. Unless we change and become like children, right? Then perhaps we will find our hands cupped and overflowing with the kingdom of God. Above this mycelium, Above the vast and rich traditions of playfulness that buoy and connect our cultures is what is visible on the forest floor of our existence.

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Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: Abraham, Sarah, and Laughter

The Rev. Frederick Buechner
Organization: Frederick Buechner Center
Denomination: Presbyterian Church (USA)

In our blog post every Monday we select a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday, and pair it with a Frederick  Buechner  reading on the same topic. Next Sunday, we will celebrate the Second Sunday in Lent. Here is this week’s reading from the book of Genesis 17:1-7, 15-17

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The Father God who is no God-Father

The Rev. Dr. Walter Brueggemann
Organization: Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, GA
Denomination: United Church of Christ

In the course of a family household, there are characteristically two most demanding, most rewarding relationships: the relationship of marital partners and the relationship of parent and child. In Fences, the groundbreaking and oft-adapted play by August Wilson, Troy is the main character. He is a steady, reliable Black garbage collector who does his work every day, loves his family, and seeks out chances for small gains. In the play, Troy has a tangle with both of these primary relationships...

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Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: Noah

The Rev. Frederick Buechner
Organization: Frederick Buechner Center
Denomination: Presbyterian Church (USA)

In our blog post every Monday we select a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday, and pair it with a Frederick  Buechner  reading on the same topic. Next Sunday, we will celebrate the First Sunday in Lent. Here is this week’s reading from the book of Genesis 9:8-17

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Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: Denouncer of Piety

The Rev. Frederick Buechner
Organization: Frederick Buechner Center
Denomination: Presbyterian Church (USA)

For special days in the Christian calendar, we post an additional reading from the Revised Common Lectionary and pair it with a Frederick Buechner reading on the same topic. Today we mark Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent with a reading from the gospel of Matthew 6:1-5

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The Hidden Secret of Winter Trees

The Rev. Susan Sparks
Organization: Madison Avenue Baptist Church, New York, NY
Denomination: American Baptist Churches USA

The day I walked out to look up at the trees was dim and dreary. The trees, leafless and bare, formed an almost lace-like pattern against the gray winter sky. To a brief passerby, they probably appeared lifeless, dead even. I think we all know how that feels. Sometimes everything in life can feel and look bare and brittle, lifeless, even dead. However, there is way more going on under the surface than we realize...

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Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: Transfiguration

The Rev. Frederick Buechner
Organization: Frederick Buechner Center
Denomination: Presbyterian Church (USA)

In our blog post every Monday we will select a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday, and pair it with a Frederick Buechner reading on the same topic. This coming Sunday we will celebrate Transfiguration Sunday. Here is this week’s reading from the Gospel of Mark 9:2-9:

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If You Get Tired, Learn to Rest, Not to Quit

The Rev. Margaret Marcuson
Organization: Marcuson Leadership Circle
Denomination: American Baptist Churches USA

Most of the ministry leaders I speak with are tired. It’s been a long four years. Many of you started the pandemic already tired. It’s hard to take time to rest when you feel the weight of the church on your back. It’s hard to take sabbath when Sunday is your busiest day. I’ve been thinking about Sabbath time, as part of the chapter on time in the book about sustainable ministry that I’m working on. Here are some thoughts I’ve had so far...

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Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: Waiting for Christ

The Rev. Frederick Buechner
Organization: Frederick Buechner Center
Denomination: Presbyterian Church (USA)

In our blog post every Monday we select a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday, and pair it with a Frederick  Buechner  reading on the same topic. Next Sunday, we will celebrate the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany. Here is this week’s reading from the book of Isaiah 40:31:

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Ed Rosado: Relational Fitness: The Secret to Happiness

Science for the Church
Organization: Science for the Church
Denomination: n/a

Our ability to connect with God and with others affects us in physical and emotional ways. Have you ever noticed how you feel when you enter a circle of like-minded people and connect with them? Our willingness to embrace kingdom values by engaging with our neighbors helps us see the world in new and unexpected ways. It reinvigorates us, gives meaning and purpose to our lives, and strengthens our resolve to relational fitness. Thus, our best interest is to develop new ways to engage those around us...

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BOOK REVIEW: Greg Garrett amplifies James Baldwin’s prophetic call from ‘Go Tell It on the Mountain’ to ‘The Welcome Table’

David Crumm
Organization: n/a
Denomination: n/a

“This collection at the Schomburg is incredible!” Greg said in our interview about his Baldwin book. “I want to keep learning about—and from—James Baldwin for the rest of my life. So, looking at these manuscripts—especially those about the play, The Welcome Table, that he was working on at the end of his life—allowed me to see how...

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Frederick Buechner Sermon Illustration: The Law of Love

The Rev. Frederick Buechner
Organization: Frederick Buechner Center
Denomination: Presbyterian Church (USA)

In our blog post every Monday we select a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday, and pair it with a Frederick  Buechner  reading on the same topic. Next Sunday, we will celebrate the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany. Here is this week's reading from the gospel of Mark 1:21-26:

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Cultivating Leaders for a Digital Age

Ryan M. Panzer
Denomination: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Church Anew
Organization: Church Anew - A Ministry of St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Eden Prairie, MN
Denomination: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Digital age leadership is about deepening the interpersonal connections that create trust. In our congregations we ought to be asking how we might carve out more opportunities for stories of our lives, for stories that form our faith. The more we create spaces to exchange these stories, the more we model how to bring this practice beyond the walls of the church. And that, more than any promotion of self care, more than passionate calls to slow down, more than any leadership development program, is how we will cultivate Christian leaders for a digital age.

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