Plain Truth for Plain People: Sermons for the Christian Year from the Wesleyan Tradition

Having studied preaching at a doctoral level and practiced the craft for more than thirty years Brad Estep offers fifty biblically grounded theologically informed and congregationally contextualized sermons centered around the different seasons of the Christian year. In addition to the sermon itself Estep provides additional analysis that revolves around the homiletical structure reasons for effectiveness and usage of illustrative material. This work is designed for preachers who are interested and committed to the craft of preaching. Intended for reflective practitioners Plain Truth for Plain People helps to reveal how and why sermons are crafted in the way that they are. Because of that this book is also of interest to parishioners in the pews. At the top of the list of desirable skills in a pastor is preaching. This work helps provide examples of what that looks like--or more accurately what that sounds like. For several years Dr. Brad Estep was my pastor. I heard his sermons week after week and found myself challenged every time. This book comes from the heart of a pastor the mind of a scholar and the wisdom of a teacher. It should be on every pastors reading list. --Jesse Middendorf General Superintendent Emeritus Church of the Nazarene Executive Director of the Center for Pastoral Leadership at Nazarene Theological Seminary Here is a veritable feast of preaching for the Christian year from a master preacher in the spirit of John Wesley. Brad Estep offers us a book of sermons that is deep in the Scriptures. I highly recommend this book for anyone seeking to bring the Christian calendar to the life of their congregation. --Steven Hoskins Professor of church history and New Testament Greek at Trevecca Nazarene University While there is no magic formula to convert the novice into a mature preacher Brad Esteps collection of sermons shows the way toward thoughtful biblical and engaged preaching that is faithful to the Christian calendar corporate worship and the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. --Bryon McLaughlin Former executive editor Grace and Peace Magazine One of the common exhortations of Martin Luther King Sr.--Daddy King--to preachers filling his pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church was a fervent: Make it plain! Make it plain! In Plain Truth for Plain People Estep offers sermons preaching to plain people some of whom had PhDs and MDs. Over his career he has taken preaching seriously. He has taken pastoring equally seriously. He has known congregants coming desperate for a bit of good news. As you scan read or re-read these sermons you will find your mind saying: Now how did he say that? These are not sermons extracted from filing cabinets or laptops and repackaged as a book. These well-crafted well-preached sermons deserve a second or third hearing... or reading! --Harold Ivan Smith Bereavement specialist international speaker and author of Eleanor: A Spiritual Biography Dr. Brad Estep is one of the top ten Wesleyan preachers of our day. He packs more content into one sermon than most of us can in a six-message series. This is a must read for every pastor dedicated to proclaiming the realities of the Spirit-filled life. --Larry D. Dennis District Superintendent of Florida District Church of the Nazarene Lean into the pastoral prophetic and wise words of the preacher whose sermons unfold in these pages. As you read open your minds to creative theologically deep and edifying sermons. As you are edified you will also discover a collection of sermons that will enhance and shape your own preaching in a way that edifies your flock in your local church context. --Tara Beth Leach Pastor of First Church of the Nazarene Pasadena California and author of Emboldened In Plain Truth for Plain People Estep carefully moves from historical context to present day application. This is a great resource for the local pastor who desires to help their congrega