The Pastor's iPod

I thought that if I was going to share with you some good books I was reading that I might as well pass onto you some good sermons I'm listening to as well. Of course I would always recommend that if you've missed a Sunday recently that you check out the sermons from the EAC pulpit available either on our website here, or through iTunes here.

These are just a few of the messages that have been provoking some intense thought as I've gone for evening walks over the past few weeks. Take a listen and let me know what you think.


Bishop William Willimon: The Flag and Cross, Cross and Flag
(July 1, 2001) iTunes Link

Bishop Willimon is a Methodist preacher from Alabama who has had a significant ministry to university students throughout his career as he served for a number of years as the Dean of the chapel of Duke University. This message is a wonderfully poignant rebuke of nationalism in the church from a noted American Southerner on the Fourth of July weekend. Not the person, not the setting one would expect to hear such a rebuke from. The genius of this message though was not how hard hitting it was (and it is) but how subversive it was in getting a congregation to an uncomfortable realization. He starts off with the Gospel (as any preacher should) but walks the listeners through a series of conflicts and resolutions that they cannot argue with that build to the logical conclusion at the end of his sermon. The critique of nationalism simultaneously comes out of left field and is at the same time the most logical extension and application of the teaching leading up to it. A very gutsy (and structurally faithful) message that challenges and surprises.

Pastor Mark Driscoll: Jesus on Money, Idolatry and Comedy
(May 29, 2011) iTunes Link

This is a recent installment in Mars Hill's long running series through Luke. It is Mark Driscoll's take on the well knows and often preached story of the rich young ruler. I personally have a lot of problems with some of Mark Driscoll's theology (nothing that borders on heresy - just that he and I see some significant things quite differently) however I found nothing to object to in this message. If anything this was one of the better messages on this text that I have ever heard. Driscoll is known for being a preacher who doesn't pull punches and in my opinion this is him at his best - faithfully getting to the core of the story and making a difficult call to obedience. I was particularly delighted with his final big idea in the message - the part about comedy. I won't spoil it for you but it was something that I have long believed but never worked to articulate. I'm going to be preaching on Stewardship this fall and I wouldn't be surprised at all if some of the ideas and observations from this message ended up in some of my sermons.

Rev. Steve Kerr: Lizards, Locusts and Loot
(June 6, 2011) Not on iTunes

Steve Kerr was the key note speaker at the biennial district conference of the Canadian Midwest District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada (that's a mouthful!). It was actually his messages and encouragement that inspired me to launch into a series on stewardship this fall - and again, if you take the time to listen to this sermon (and the other one on the district website) you will undoubtedly hear some great ideas that I will unashamedly be stealing come this fall. What you should know first is that stewardship for Steve is not equal to tithing. This is not a message to make you feel guilty about giving (or not giving as the case may be) it's a message about being a good steward of what God has given to you. It's inspiring and convicting all at the same time and I'd highly recommend you listen to it.