susan mcgurganMay 122 minThe Eye of the Homily ~ Rev. Jim SchmitmeyerCan I Get an Amen?: A Survey of Homiletic Strategies that Engage the Listener “Did you see that?” “Did you notice the look on his face?”...
susan mcgurganMar 179 minTaking Risks: First Person Preaching ~ Susan McGurgan First person preaching is an approach that takes one of the characters from the Bible, from Church History, from the communion of Saints...
susan mcgurganOct 13, 20213 min"It’s About Time: A reflection on homily preparation" ~ Susan McGurgan In 1940, my Uncle Ray, a young Methodist pastor, was named interim pastor of a thriving community in Kansas, an assignment that usually...
susan mcgurganApr 6, 20214 min"To Manuscript or Not to Manuscript..." ~ Dr. Susan McGurgan This article was published in "Preach" Magazine, which alas, had a short publication run and no longer exists. Since there is no one to...
susan mcgurganMar 22, 20213 min"Hunter, Athlete, Soldier, Savior" ~ A blog post about Priesthood, shared by Fr. Jim Schmitmeyer I had a brother who wasn’t from my family. We worked a ranch down by the border where the rain clouds aren’t ever seen. Ol’ Rocko got...
susan mcgurganFeb 11, 20213 minThe Transfiguration & "Generic Homilies" ~ Richard Eslinger As we approach the Feast of the Transfiguration, it may serve us well to revisit “generic homilies.” Texts in multiple attestation...
susan mcgurganFeb 5, 20214 minRemembering Santa~ Dr. Susan McGurgan Reflecting on the Paschal Mystery in the Time of CovidDuring the pandemic, pastors who may have preached a dozen funeral homilies over the course of typical year, are now presiding over...
susan mcgurganFeb 5, 20215 minThe Torn Veil ~ Fr. Jim Schmitmeyer Preaching in the Time of Covid In “Preaching as a Social Act,” Don Wardlaw offers a homiletic schema that includes three over-lapping spheres: the world of the Bible,...
susan mcgurganJan 20, 20214 minThe Bible in One Hand, Headlines in the Other: A Reflection Exercise ~ Dr. Susan McGurganIn 2013, Pope Francis spoke to the Holy See Diplomatic Corps, saying, “One of the titles of the Bishop of Rome is Pontiff-- that is, a...
susan mcgurganJan 18, 20214 minPreaching in Three Dimensions ~ Fr. Jim Schmitmeyer God’s Word offers space to explore, not lessons to bore. Keeping an eye out for the three-dimension properties of a biblical text enables...