Preacher to Preacher

From Dan Copp
Clergy Development Director

As I write this I am experiencing some wonderful fatherly feelings . . . in just a few days I will be walking our “baby,” Megan, down the isle to be married. It seems like just yesterday Megan was our little girl running up to us as she was learning to talk and excitedly describing things in her own sweet language. Like the time one Lent/Easter season as Megan was learning the story of Jesus at church, we sat her down in front of the television at home to watch a children’s video that told the story in wonderful animation. Vicki and I watched Megan from the kitchen as she sat alone on the carpet right in front of the television intently caught up in the story. Her face expressed profound sorrow when she saw how Jesus was treated. She slouched and seemed to lose her breath when the stone was rolled in front of the tomb. As the stone was rolled away and Jesus’ resurrection was depicted Megan jumped up and ran into us exclaiming “Jeduh id AYIVE!” (Parent’s interpretation: “Jesus is ALIVE!”). In those moments we watched our little girl experience the sorrow and celebration of the Lent/Easter season. We have watched her become a wonderful young woman living in the forgiveness and resurrection hope of Jesus.

This Preacher’s Magazine is intended to resource you and your church as you celebrate the upcoming Season of Lent/Easter. Traditionally, Lent spans 40 days, not counting Sundays. Lent culminates in Holy Week with Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday) and Good Friday, concluding the Saturday before Easter Sunday. The first day of Lent is Ash Wednesday, the seventh Wednesday before Easter Sunday, a somber day of reflection as the people of God embrace mourning and sorrow at the death that sin brings into the world. Today, Lent is usually a time of encouraging our people to fasting and praying as we reflect on the consequences of sin and death, considering how our lives may be more conformed to the image of Christ, and a growing anticipation towards Easter Sunday. Lent is an intentional time of preparation for celebrating the profound hope of the Resurrection. Our hope and prayer is that Preacher’s Magazine and online resources (www.preachersmagazine.org) will help inspire and equip you to proclaim the message.

Our preaching resources for Lent/Easter 2010 come from Dr. Ernest Peets, Jr., pastor of the New Life Church of the Nazarene in Smith’s Parish, Bermuda. Rev. Georgia Patton provided Lent and Palm Sunday sermons. Georgia and her husband, Chris, serve as co-senior pastors at the Cuyahoga Falls Church of the Nazarene in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Our Easter sermon was written by Rev. Edward Frost, senior pastor of the Londonderry Church of the Nazarene in Hudson, New Hampshire. Rev. Bob Yates provided sermons for the remaining Sundays after Easter. Bob is the senior pastor of the United Church of the Nazarene in Orlando, Florida. In addition to the sermons for Lent/Easter, Dr. Corey MacPherson, Director of Spiritual Development/Chaplain at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts, submitted an article based on his doctoral research: The Use of Internet Sermon Resources: A Study in Christian Preaching Among Nazarene Pastors in the United States. Corey presents us with information provided by pastors like yourself—an article you will not want to miss reading.

I want to close by inviting all of our clergy (Ordained and District Licensed) to plan to participate in PALCON 2010. You can register at www.nazarenepastor.org. I look forward to seeing you on one of our campuses!

May 11-13 TNU, Nashville, TN
May 17-19 ONU, Bourbonnais, IL
June 1-3 MNU, Olathe, KS
June 8-10 ENC, Quincy, MA
June 28-30 SNU, Bethany, OK
June 6-8 MVNU, Mount Vernon, OH
July 19-21 PLNU, San Diego, CA
July 27-29 NNU, Nampa, ID
August 23-25 AMBROSE, Calgary, AB, CANADA