Craig Barnes
Preaching Jesus Christ in Times of Conflict
The church is striving to fulfill its mission in a day of polarization, fragmentation, and divisive conflicts. This is not only true of the societies around the church, but also within the church itself. And amid all the cacophony of competing claims to truth, and blaming others for our problems, the preacher stands offering the Word of God. This workshop will explore biblical and Christological affirmations about the mission of the church in times of conflict.
Emily Bisset
Preaching Salvation: An Exploration
An understanding of salvation generally comes through preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We often assume that through worship practices and understandings of Christian faith and life, people are able to articulate what salvation actually means. However, many Christians, including preachers, struggle at this. Talk about salvation unfortunately is often reserved for Holy Week and Easter. By contrast, we best understand salvation in the context of Jesus’ life and Scripture as a whole. Together with the Holy Spirit we will revive theological words and bring them to life, in ways that invite our people for our congregations to deeper faith and joy.
Laura de Jong
Dream Deaths: The Comfort and Challenge of a Surprising Saviour
Our sanctuaries are filled with people who have experienced the death of a dream. Life hasn’t turned out the way they had hoped. A career move didn’t pan out. The relationship ended after six dates. The story of Jesus is a story of dreams dying. Jesus wasn’t who people expected. He challenges our expectations (and possibly our preferences) of what it looks like to be in relationship with God. In that challenge is a comfort. At the very point where our plans go awry, God meets us with an invitation to experience a truth greater than anything we could imagine: there is life after death.
Mark Jefferson
Rhythm and Algorithm: Preaching Jesus Christ in a Digitally Scripted World
In an AI-generated world, what does it mean to preach Jesus Christ faithfully? Rather than reducing Christ to a moral example, a political symbol, or a religious slogan, this session considers how preaching can bear witness to his living presence, crucified solidarity, and risen authority. Using Scripture, the Black preaching tradition, and reflections on technology, participants will experience how rhythm, cadence, breath, testimony, and embodied witness can counteract the dulling effects of digital culture. This workshop will provide practical strategies for preaching Jesus Christ with clarity, courage, and creative vision.
Eliana Ku
Preaching Jesus Christ with Hospitality
What might hospitality mean for preaching Jesus Christ in a complex world? This workshop engages biblical texts such as the Emmaus story using a hermeneutic of hospitality. Participants will practice questions with attention to visible and hidden voices, strangerhood, layered belonging, and the many world’s people carry into worship. Our session will also model a hospitable way of preparing sermons through communal interpretation. A sermon-preparation guide and concrete prompts will help participants read Scripture dialogically. A posture of hospitality helps preachers listen more carefully to Christ and the world.
Paul Scott Wilson
Jesus and the Old Testament
Is the Old Testament an optional collection of stories and laws, as some folks in the pews may think? Or is it God’s way of preparing humanity for the coming saving actions of Jesus Christ? Preachers will find their faith deepened and their preaching enhanced with some simple practices that honor how the two Testaments read, interpret, and enrich each other. The same God is in both. We will discuss prophecies of Christ; biblical types, patterns, echoes, or people that foreshadow or anticipate Christ; the cross and resurrection as fulfillment of prophecy; and Easter as the confirmation that all God’s promises will be fulfilled in time.