The Rev. Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad

Denomination: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
Organization: Union Theological Seminary, New York, NY

The Rev. Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad is the Joe R. Engle professor of preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

Barbara Kay Lundblad, received a B.A. in English from Augustana College (1966), the M.Div. from Yale Divinity School (1979), and the D.D. from Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. An ordained minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, she served 16 years as a parish pastor in New York City, as well as campus pastor at Lehman College and New York University. She has taught preaching at Yale Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary, Hebrew Union College, and in the D.Min. program of the Association of Chicago Theological Schools. In 2007, she served as president of the Academy of Homiletics. Her teaching interests include preaching in partnership with the congregation, preaching and social transformation, new forms of preaching, and preaching as an integral part of worship.

Dr. Lundblad's ongoing leadership in the Union community has included being a preacher and worship leader in James Chapel, a member of the Seminary Choir, a participant in the Academic Affairs Committee, an advisor to Lutheran students, and a Faculty liaison to the Poverty Initiative planning group and Advisory Committee. In her leadership beyond Union, she is currently serving as the President of the Academy of Homiletics and is on the Board of the Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn. She has also served as Pastoral Associate at Advent Lutheran Church in Manhattan, as Co-President of The Network for Inclusive Vision (ELCA), and as a member of the local committee for “One Voice” campaign working for full inclusion of GLBT people in the ELCA. She preaches and leads worship regularly at her home church, Advent Lutheran Church, and has preached and lectured at many different congregations and educational centers, both locally and throughout the United States.

Last year, Dr. Lundblad published several sermons in the journal Lectionary Homiletics, and “Prologue, ‘Down by the Riverside,’” in Women’s Voices and Visions of the Church: Reflections from North America (2005); her essays on “Narrative Theory” and “Feminism” were accepted for publication by The New Interpreter’s Bible Encyclopedia of Preaching.

Lundblad is the author of two books Transforming the Stone: Preaching through Resistance to Change and most recently, Marking Time: Preaching Biblical Stories in Present Tense. This recent book is based on the Beecher Lectures which she gave at Yale Divinity School. In addition she has published articles in journals such as Currents in Theology and Mission, Word and World, Journal of Preaching, and The Living Pulpit.

During her sabbatical in 2004, Prof. Lundblad participated in a study trip to Israel and Palestine, sponsored by the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. Her “journey though that beautiful, troubled land marked by many clashing images” and her “deeply moving visits with people in Israel and the West Bank” have undoubtedly only served to enhance the quality of her preaching and teaching.

For over twenty years she has been one of the preachers on the radio program “Day1” (formerly “The Protestant Hour”). She has preached in hundreds of congregations across the United States and has given lectures at many seminaries in this country and Canada, as well as a Lutheran World Federation conference in Buenos Aires. A frequent speaker at the Festival of Homiletics, her 2008 lecture, “Jeremiah, Martin and Me,” challenged preachers to confront the realities of racism in the US, especially in this election year.

She is an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Since coming to Union, she has been part of the Pastoral Team at Advent Lutheran Church on 93rd and Broadway, leading worship and preaching on a regular basis. She is also a board member of Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn.

Day1 Weekly Programs by The Rev. Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad

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Barbara Lundblad: Who Will Feed Them? You.

Tuesday August 01, 2017
In the second of a two-part update to the Day1 Faith & Global Hunger series, Barbara Lundblad says the feeding of the 5,000 is a powerful story in a number of ways. The disciples offered a thoughtful, even compassionate idea for making sure all the people had something to eat. But Jesus had another idea.

Truth and Consequences

Tuesday July 07, 2015
In her anniversary series sermon, Barbara Lundblad notes that John the Baptist, Jesus, and others throughout history, were truth tellers, and it cost them dearly. Even so we must as Christians and together as churches follow their example.

A Hopeful Fanatic

Tuesday September 18, 2012
The Rev. Dr. Barbara Lundblad examines Jesus' teaching in Mark 9 that his disciples are to act as children, revealing that Jesus was a hopeless fanatic about opening up the kingdom of God to those who are ignored or denigrated.

Closing the Great Chasm: Faith & Global Hunger Part 2

Tuesday June 15, 2010
In part 2 of our special series, "Faith & Global Hunger," Lutheran pastor and professor of preaching the Rev. Dr. Barbara Lundblad explores the biblical foundation for the call of God to help those in poverty.

Two Very Different Banquets

Tuesday July 07, 2009
The Rev. Dr. Barbara Lundblad, Lutheran minister and Joe R. Engle professor of preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York, offers a compelling comparison between Herod's ghastly banquet--at which John the Baptist was beheaded--and Christ's feeding of the hungry crowd.

Baptism-Shaped Life

Sunday January 07, 2007
The Rev. Dr. Barbara Lundblad reminds us that after the waters of baptism have dried we are called to a life of prayer through which we come to know the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

In the Temple

Sunday December 31, 2006
The Rev. Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad calls us to pause and consider the youth in our midst and to reflect on the twelve year old Jesus in the temple.

When Pentecost Ends Too Soon

Sunday May 15, 2005
The Rev. Barbara K. Lundblad is a professor of preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and formerly pastored an ELCA church in New York.

Footprints on the Earth

Sunday May 08, 2005
The Rev. Barbara K. Lundblad is a professor of preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and formerly pastored an ELCA church in New York.

I Will Not Leave You Orphaned

Sunday May 01, 2005
The Rev. Barbara K. Lundblad is a professor of preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and formerly pastored an ELCA church in New York.

Far More Than Bingo

Sunday March 23, 2003
The Reverend Barbara K. Lundblad is a professor of preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and formerly pastored an ELCA church in New York.

What the Mighty Might Learn

Sunday February 16, 2003
The Reverend Barbara K. Lundblad is a professor of preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and formerly pastored an ELCA church in New York.

Torn Apart Forever

Sunday January 12, 2003
The Reverend Barbara K. Lundblad is a professor of preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and formerly pastored an ELCA church in New York.

Who Is This?

Sunday March 24, 2002
God with us in the broken places. God with us in the spaces filled with fear. God with us in the very heart of suffering.

Trusting the Wind

Sunday February 24, 2002
The wind blows where it will. You cannot pin it down or explain its coming. "I will not leave you orphaned," said Jesus. Rest today in that promise. And may the Spirit catch us off guard and surprise us into believing what we cannot see.

Come and See

Sunday January 20, 2002
The Rev. Barbara K. Lundblad in a sermon on the world and Martin Luther King JR.

Could This Be the Year for Figs?

Sunday March 18, 2001

Simple, Yet Not So Simple

Sunday February 18, 2001

Today

Sunday January 21, 2001

I Will Give You Rest

Sunday July 04, 1999

Personal, But Never Private

Sunday June 06, 1999

I Will Not Leave You Orphaned

Sunday May 09, 1999

Transforming the Stone

Sunday April 04, 1999

Bad Farming

Sunday July 26, 1998

It Isn't Practical

Sunday June 28, 1998

Living in the Postscript

Sunday April 26, 1998

Who Will Roll Away the Stone?

Sunday March 30, 1997

It's Not About Bingo

Sunday March 02, 1997

A New Kind of Authority

Sunday February 02, 1997

A Strong Sense of Place

Sunday January 05, 1997

Will the True Bible Family Please Stand Up?

Sunday June 30, 1996
Rev. Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad explores the many beautifully assembled familes found in the Bible.

Matthew and the Matchbox Car

Sunday June 09, 1996

Moving and Standing Still

Sunday April 28, 1996
Rev. Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad reminds us that the journey of faith moves slowly and God is ever present in our ordinary as well as our extraordinary days.

Articles by The Rev. Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad

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ON Scripture: Too Much Salt or Not Enough? What Jesus Says About Americans and Their Super Bowl (Matt. 5:13-20, Isa. 58:1-9) By Barbara K. Lundblad

Monday January 30, 2017
As we head into Super Bowl weekend, Barbara Lundblad says Jesus chose two images on purpose. To be salt and light means to be shaped by the ancient, life-giving law of God.

ON Scripture: Don’t Ask Jesus to Say The Table Prayer (John 17: 6 – 19) By Barbara Lundblad

Monday May 11, 2015
If you ask Jesus to pray the table prayer, you need to be ready to keep your eyes closed for a long time; at least if he prays like he did in John 17. Jesus’ table prayer goes on for twenty-six verses! This isn’t 'God is great. God is good. Let us thank God for our food. Amen. Let’s eat.' Besides, when Jesus prays in John 17, they’ve already eaten the meal!

ON Scripture: Stories and Letters from Prison (Philippians 2: 5 – 11) By Barbara Lundblad

Monday March 23, 2015
Who is God in Holy Week? Did God require Jesus to go to the cross as a sacrifice for our sins? Was everything neatly planned out – the donkey exactly where Jesus told the disciples it would be? Did Jesus have no choice but to do God’s bidding? Do we hear the crowds singing glorious praise or will we hear 'Hosanna!' for what it means: 'Save us?' On this first day of Holy Week our question is not only 'Who is Jesus?' but also 'Who is God?'

ON Scripture: A Strange Summer Vacation (Romans 13: 8 – 14) by Barbara K. Lundblad

Monday September 01, 2014
Should we set aside Paul’s words as totally naïve and unrealistic given the summer headlines? In all these tragedies, mistrust and hatred of neighbors fanned deadly conflicts in Iraq and Gaza, Syria and Ferguson.

ON Scripture-The Bible: A Hard Word to Hear This Winter (Isaiah 58:1–9a) By Barbara Lundblad

Monday February 03, 2014
God’s questions are addressed to a community of faith. Our answers are not only personal but communal. We can do much more together than alone and what we do together involves both assistance and advocacy. We not only share blankets with neighbors sleeping in the cold; we advocate and agitate for more affordable housing. We not only serve hot meals to cold guests on a Saturday; we write to our elected leaders to advocate for food stamp funding.

ON Scripture-The Bible: Dr. Barbara Lundblad on Luke 4: The Abortion Debate

Wednesday January 23, 2013
This is a memorable week: on Monday the inauguration of President Obama on the holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., and on Tuesday the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court. Some people will celebrate all three with thanksgiving. Others will find nothing to celebrate – especially the decision of January 22, 1973 that struck down state laws banning abortion.

ON Scripture-The Bible: Barbara Lundblad: A Different Kind of King: John 18: 33 - 37

Wednesday November 21, 2012
“What is truth?” Pilate asked, and the question is left hanging in the air. Was he being sarcastic or was he searching for answers nobody else had given him? The answer was not a philosophical proof or a creedal proposition. Truth was the person standing in silence before Pilate.

ON Scripture: Barbara Lundblad on Mark 16:1-8: Beyond Fear and Silence

Wednesday April 04, 2012
In this week's ON Scripture lectionary resource, the Rev. Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad explores Mark's account of the resurrection, and what it tells us about how we tell the story.

ON Scripture: Barbara Lundblad on Exod. 14:19-31

Wednesday September 07, 2011
We haven’t had any clear victories to sing about since September 11, 2001. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were ambiguous from the start and drag on to this day. Thousands have been killed, both soldiers and civilians. While many cheered the death of Osama bin Laden, his death has not turned sorrow into joy or filled an empty place at the table. What song shall we sing now?

ON Scripture: Barbara Lundblad: Teaching Jesus (Matt 15:21-28)

Wednesday August 10, 2011
In this week's ON Scripture lectionary post, Barbara Lundblad writes, "Jesus was converted that day to a larger vision of the commonwealth of God. Jesus saw and heard a fuller revelation of God in the voice and in the face of the Canaanite woman. The woman’s truth is evident in the way Matthew tells this story."

Video by The Rev. Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad

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The Rev. Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad (Part 2) - Faith and Hunger Conversations with Peter Wallace

Tuesday June 15, 2010
The Rev. Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad sits down with Day1 host Peter Wallace for her second Faith and Global Hunger Series conversation and focuses on the responsibility of Christians to confront issues of social justice, what priority the bible and Jesus gave issues of poverty and hunger, and why there are such divergent views on the importance of these issues. The Faith and Global Hunger Series is a special series of broadcasts by Day1 in support of the Millennium Development Goals.

The Rev. Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad (Part 1) - Day1 Conversations with Peter Wallace

Tuesday June 15, 2010
The Rev. Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad sits down with Day1 host Peter Wallace for the third Faith and Global Hunger Series conversation and focuses on the responsibility of Christians to confront issues of social justice, what priority the bible and Jesus gave issues of poverty and hunger, and why there are such divergent views on the importance of these issues. The Faith and Global Hunger Series is a special series of broadcasts by Day1 in support of the Millennium Development Goals.

The Rev. Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad - Day1 Conversations with Peter Wallace

Friday January 15, 2010
Day1 host Peter Wallace sits down with friend and frequent Day1 guest Rev. Dr. Barbara K. Lundblad and discusses matters ranging from her current work to the future of the church and the media's obsession with sexual politics in Christianity.

Healing the Infirmity of Spirit - Barbara Lundblad on 30 Good Minutes

Saturday November 21, 2009
Barbara Lundblad, Professor of Preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, reflects on God's call to create communities that are welcoming to people with disabilities. "Hopefully our churches are as welcoming as city buses," she says. "People with disabilities can be our best teachers if we're paying attention."

Conversation with Barbara Lundblad - 30 Good Minutes Interview

Saturday November 21, 2009
Lillian Daniel and Daniel Pawlus in conversation with Barbara Lundblad about forming welcoming communities for people with disabilites. She says, "When you receive the bread or the cup from someone in a wheelchair you're suddenly aware that that person is there. I think we could do much more. Somebody told me not long ago that 93% of households that include a person with a disability are unchurched."