Festival Blog

Image: "Chesterfield: Church of St Mary and All Saints," Image by Phil McIver via Flickr, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 

And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
[William W. How, “For All the Saints.”]  

We know that Christ has triumphed over death, but on this All Saints Sunday when our hearts may be breaking amidst the long warfare that is life in the …

And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long,

Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,

And hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

[William W. How, “For All the Saints.”]  

When you light a candle, or ring the bell in honor of a dear child of God no longer with us, how do you feel? Does your heart feel brave? Do your arms feel strong? Or do you feel overcome with sorrow and exhausted from fighting it?

All Saints Day is simultaneously a time of great …

Barbara Lundblad's Tuesday lecture, "The Word Isaiah Saw: Anticipating Advent," served up practical tips on how to preach image sermons on the Isaiah lectionary readings this Advent.

Lundblad focused on the Revised Common Lectionary Year A readings from Isaiah for the four Sundays in Advent.

She explained that image sermons rely on taking a single image/metaphor and incorporating it into the worship space in a way that is appropriate for the preacher's context.

For some, that means bringing a tangible …

"Brain Techniques for Preaching without Notes" was a standing-room only workshop led by William Carl III on Tuesday, May 14, at First Baptist Nashville. Carl is president and professor of Homiletics at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

Following are tips adapted from notes provided graciously by #Homiletics2013 participant Meg Hegemann of Columbia, Missouri.

You can also view a presentation by Carl on Vimeo -- thanks to FrSimmons for this tweet.

Carl told a standing-room only crowd:

• If you're …