Sermons On The First Readings

The Old Testament is a rich tapestry that details how God's plan of salvation was being worked out centuries before the birth of Christ. Yet many people in the pews are not as familiar as they should be with the Hebrew scriptures and their profound lessons for modern living. In this penetrating collection of spiritually enlightening messages based on the First Readings from Cycle C of the Revised Common Lectionary, five distinguished preachers unlock the secrets of some often overlooked passages from the Old Testament and the Book of Acts. These sermons for each Sunday and major celebration throughout the entire church year illuminate the wisdom of the prophets, and they demonstrate how relevant their timeless themes of justice and righteousness remain for our 21st-century culture. Each thought-provoking message is filled with compelling stories and illustrations that help readers see how to ""profit from the prophets.""

This essential resource is useful for:
* Fresh homiletical approaches to the lectionary texts
* Inspiring preaching illustrations and sermon starters
* Understanding scripture passages
* Bible study and discussion groups
* Personal devotions and inspirational reading

Mary S. Lautensleger is the pastor of Center United Methodist Church in Concord, North Carolina. Prior to entering the ordained ministry, she served for many years as music minister and parish educator in Lutheran, United Methodist, and Presbyterian congregations in southwestern Ohio. Lautensleger is a graduate of the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati (B.M., M.M), United Theological Seminary (M.A. in theological studies), and Trinity Lutheran Seminary (M.Div.), and she is a D.Min. candidate at Hood Theological Seminary.

Frank Ramirez has served congregations in Indiana and California, and is currently pastor at Everett Church of the Brethren in Everett, Pennsylvania. A graduate of LaVerne College and Bethany Theological Seminary, Ramirez is the author of numerous books, articles, and short stories. His CSS titles include Partners In Healing, Lectionary Worship Aids, A Call To Worship, He Took A Towel, Gabriel's Horn, Coming Home, and The Christmas Star.

Stan Purdum is the pastor of Centenary United Methodist Church in Waynesburg, Ohio. He has served as the editor for the preaching journals Emphasis and Homiletics, and he has written extensively for both the religious and secular press. Purdum is the author of New Mercies I See (CSS) and He Walked in Galilee (Abingdon Press), as well as two accounts of long-distance bicycle journeys, Roll Around Heaven All Day and Playing in Traffic.

Lee Ann Dunlap is the pastor of Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church in Zanesville, Ohio. She is a graduate of Mount Union College and the Methodist Theological School in Ohio.

John Wayne Clarke is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ who currently pastors First Congregational Church in Meriden, Connecticut. He is the author of What Good Is Christianity Anyhow? and A Quest for Silence. Clarke is a graduate of Bangor Theological Seminary and Providence Theological Seminary (Otterburn, Manitoba, Canada).