Sharing the Practice -- Winter Contents

The Winter issue, the last of 2007, is in the mail. Here is a listing of the articles and reviews -- author, title, reviewer.

The focus of the articles in this issue is preaching.

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Articles

• Preaching Re-Imagined, Doug Pagitt 3
• "Is There any Sorry Like My Sorry?" Jerry Gladson, APC 5
• Paul Tillich as Preacher, Courtney Wilder, 8
• Writing Our Way Home in Teaching, Preaching, and Soul Tending, Kent Groff, APC 11

Reviews

• John Killinger, Enter Every Trembling Heart, William Tuck, APC 20
• John Killinger, God, the Devil, & Harry Potter, William Tuck, APC 20
• John Killinger, Ten Things I Learned Wrong from a Conservative Church, William Tuck, FAPC 21
• James Nieman and Thomas Rogers, Preaching to Every Pew, William Tuck, FAPC 21
• Jon Meacham, American Gospel, Lawton Posey, FAPC 21
• William Tuck, Christmas is for the Young, John McFarland, FAPC 22
• Paul Kitley, The Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Donald Shilling, FAPC 22
• John Eaton, Psalms for Life, John LaVoe, APC 23
• Eric Elnes, Asphalt Jesus, Robert Cornwall, APC 24
• Scott Thumman & Dave Travis, Beyond Mega-Church Myths, Robert Cornwall, APC 24
• N.T. Wright, Paul, John LaVoe, APC 25
• John Dominic Crossan, God and Empire, Robert Cornwall, APC 26
• Marcus Borg & John Dominic Crossan, The First Christmas, Robert Cornwall, APC 27
• Daniel Karslake, For the Bible Tells Me So, Robert Cornwall, APC 27
• David Gibson, The Rule of Benedict, Robert Cornwall, APC 28
• Timothy Carson, Your Calling as a Christian, Robert Cornwall, APC 29
• Robert Stewart, Ed., Intelligent Design, Donald Shilling, FAPC 30
• Peter Steinke, Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times, David Nash, FAPC 31
• Beth Gaede, ed. When a Congregation is Betrayed, Paul Bauman, APC 31
• Stephanie Spellers, Radical Welcome, Robert Cornwall, APC 32

What Would You Preach?

Colleagues.

WWYP ... that is, "What Would You Preach?"

Many of you know that my father-in-law has been serving a church in South Carolina for the past six years or so. He resigned as pastor of the church when he hit the Big Double O on 4-23-07. His last sermon was on 4-22-07 when he was 99 years and 364 days old. When he finished the worship service, he handed out printed copies of his sermon to the congregation.

I will tell you later what the text and title of his sermon was, but this leads me to think, and I know it has been done before with the pulpiteers of the recent past: What would one preach for one's "last" sermon? What text, what topic would be chosen? What would you say, at 100 years old and after a ministry of 73 years?

Dr. Joe is not through preaching. He is simply not going to serve a church as it's pastor. He is still doing Bible studies and prayer meetings, and is busy being the unofficial chaplain of the retirement center where he lives, visiting folks and praying for them, and giving recognition to their birthdays and anniversaries, etc. He will preach on occasion as a pulpit supply. BTW, he writes all new sermons when he preaches. He does not has a barrel, since he threw all his sermons away many years ago, and does not keep his sermons as such (the "better ones" are printed up and given away) as people ask for them.

Rev. Dr. David W. Nash, FAPC
Pastor, PCUSA (retired)