- 1. Working Preacher/Sermon Brainwave Preaching Workshop
2. 3. I was at Barnes and Noble today studying and working on a
sermon for Thursday and agirl sat down at a table next to me. She
said hello and asked me what I was doing...andbeing the fool that I
am I said..."Working on a speech for a class"...then feeling that
alltoo familiar kick in the conscious not to be ashamed of the
Gospel and I said, "Well,actually, it is a sermon--something like a
speech that pastors give to give witness to God..." She said, "Oh,
I see, cool." Then she brought all of her stuff, sat down at my
table inthe chair across from me, grabbed my notebook with my notes
to look at, andsaid..."Ok. Im listening..." And then I preached the
word...the text: John 3:14-21. YES,THIS REALLY HAPPENED. What did
[I] re-learn today? Our pulpits are truly not inthe fronts of
churches or high and lofty ivory towers; dare we even say the
serpentraising institutions and mindsets, of which I am surely a
part, that have misused andimprisoned texts like John 3:16 with
false glory and condemnation. Nay brothers andsisters, our pulpits
are and always have been in the world, and they are there in
everynew and unexpected place of darkness calling us to point to
Christ and to shine thepenetrating, life-giving light of the Gospel
of God. The God who loves the worlddeeply. The God who makes all
things new...creates out of nothing...brings hope out
ofdespair...the God who constantly restores and reorders how we
understand power andwitness...Yes, our God, the great I AM who is
revealed in Christ on the cross...the Godwho has called us each his
beloved children...and the God who has freed us to live thatvery
identity in the world. "This is my commandment: love one another."
Silly God. 4. Sunday of Pentecost 5. The Holy Spirit in the Gospel
of JohnJohn 14:8-17 [25-27]15:26-2716:4b-1120:22 6. The Farewell
Discourse 7. 15:26-27 When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to
youfrom the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from theFather,
he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you
have been with me from thebeginning. 8. A witness As are we 9.
Leonardo da Vinci 10. summoned, called to ones side, esp. called to
ones aid Advocate1a) one who pleads anotherscause before a judge,
aHelperpleader, counsel for defense,legal assistant, an
advocateComforter1b) one who pleads anothersAidercause with one, an
intercessorAssistantIntercessor 11. Johns PentecostWhen it was
evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of
the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the
Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace be with you.
20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then
the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them
again, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.
22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are
forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.
12. John 20:22 Anita Blythe Genesis 2:7Then the Lord God formed man
from the dust of theground and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life. 13. Breath of GodAdam and the Breath of GodNadine
Rippelmeyer 14. John 1:9-13The true light, which enlightens
everyone, was coming into theworld. 10 He was in the world, and the
world came into beingthrough him; yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept
him. 12 But to allwho received him, who believed in his name, he
gave power tobecome children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood
or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man,but of God.
