Eric Elnes shares his understanding of the place of the sermon in the worship service and advocates for broadening the focus of worship from the sermon to the entire worship service.

"As a preacher, I see my role more as an interpretive guide than a lecturer." ...

Anthony Bailey advocates for the recovery of a biblical view of darkness as the place in which we are most vulnerable and available to the work of God in us.

"To step into the darkness means one loses one's control, one surrenders control ... You are at the mercy of God and it is there that God will do...

Yvette Flunder argues for the necessity of being authentic in preaching into contentious situations and the importance of trusting God in those times.

"There are times when you have to stand in a truth, stand  in an emotion, and trust God for the outcomes." ...

Anthony Bailey emphasizes the importance of paying attention, weaving elements of everyday life into the texts to create a sermon that speaks from a particular context.

"You know what? God is good, and the Spirit of God can make a beautiful buffet out of our most broken message," said Bailey. ...

Richard Jensen talks about the "indwelling" nature of preaching and proclamation.

"I just think we have not been radical enough in [our understanding of] what God intends to do with us," said Jensen. ...

Paul Scott Wilson makes the distinction between teaching and proclamation in sermons and explains the need for both elements in a sermon.

"We've become better teachers in our preaching, but we haven't necessarily become better proclaimers of the gospel," said Wilson. ...

Lauren Winner encourages preachers to consider sermons as an act of pastoral care for the community and reminds preachers to be mindful of the needs and emotions of congregants in preparing for their sermons.

"I would encourage all of us to think about preaching not only as proclamation ... but also as...

Tom Long offers tips for preaching Matthew, the featured gospel in Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary.

The structure of the Gospel of Matthew, according to Long, "is a rhythm between teaching and action, so, Jesus teaches and then there's ethics or a kind of deepening of the teaching ... I think that's...

Bishop Michael Curry discusses honesty and genuineness in the pulpit.

"You know what I really look for? Somebody who's just plain real," said Curry.

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Lauren Winner describes the sermon writing process as an act of wrestling and a component of spiritual life.

"I open the Scriptures and I don't just read them, I don't just have quiet time, but I actually wrestle with them on the page," said Winner. ...