Hope in a Minor Key
I. Opening Lyric – The Song as a Sermon “Lord, don’t move this mountain, but give me the strength to climb.<br>Lord, don’t take away my stumbling blocks, but guide me, …
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Blues Christology: Jesus Did Not Sidestep the Blues
James Cone once declared that “Jesus is Black.” By this, he didn’t mean melanin; he meant that Jesus identifies with the oppressed, the disinherited, the crucified peoples of the world. …
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02 – A – RCL – The Rules Done Changed
Isaiah 11:1–10 (KJV) Opening — Naming the Old Rules There are some rules this world will hand you before you even know how to write your name. You learn them …
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The Blues and Eschatology: Hope in the Dirt
Too many sermons hang hope on two hooks. Some promise heaven tomorrow — a mansion over the hilltop, streets of gold, no more crying. Others promise a hookup tomorrow — …
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How Blues Rescues Us From Hollow Celebration
Some preaching can holler loud, hit the right runs, and get folks on their feet… but when you sit down and really think about it, there ain’t much meat on …
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Trouble in My Way: Preaching When the Answer Is Still “No”
Some of you know that old gospel-blues number: Trouble in my way, I have to cry sometimes. Trouble in my way, I have to cry sometimes. I lay awake at …
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Blue Note Preaching
You ever notice the real note isn’t always the one on the page? In the blues, the right note is often in between the notes. Not the clean pitch the …
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The Blues, The Dance, and Preaching
There’s something strange and beautiful about the blues. It’s a music soaked in pain—lost love, long nights, empty pockets, broken promises, unanswered prayers. The blues doesn’t pretend everything is alright. …
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The Moan and the Whoop: Where Blues Meets Preaching
You ever notice it? That preacher starts to rise near the end of the sermon — voice bending, throat tightening, rhythm building. And suddenly, they’re not just talking. They’re singing …
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Sermon is Art Not Lecture
Let’s go ahead and say it: some of these sermons out here sound like lectures. Long on information, short on inspiration. Packed with notes, but no oil. Now look — …
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Why The Psalms and the Prophets Sound Like Blues
If you’ve ever spent real time in the Psalms or the Prophets, you know they don’t sound like the neat, polished songs we often sing in church. They’re raw. They’re …
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Preaching Truth Through the Blues
Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On opens soft, like a prayer hanging in the air: “Mother, mother, there’s too many of you crying. Brother, brother, brother, there’s far too many of …
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What The Blues Teaches Us About Celebration
I’ve been thinking about celebration lately—what it really is, and what I actually do in my own sermons. And I’m going to get back to you soon with more on …
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