Preaching Through Time: Anachronism as a Way Forward for Preaching

As preachers who come to the pulpit, before God and before God's people, each and every week, how do we make sense of the text as we live a new moment of its ongoing story? Most options available to the preacher necessitate a hermeneutical step that requires us to preach outside of time in timeless truths, experiences, or realities. But the gospel is the drama of God appearing to and working with and loving God's people in time. Preaching Through Time gives the preacher a timely homiletic for preaching together the times of God's gospel, then and now, while calling God's people to perform their own roles in today's moment of that gospel drama. Anachronism, preaching together the moments of God's drama, is the language event that will get us from text to timely sermon, week by week.

Casey C. Barton is Ordained to Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Covenant Church, and preaches every Sunday at Hilmar Covenant Church in California. He earned a BA in pastoral ministry from Briercrest College; an MDiv and a ThM in preaching from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary; an MTh in Christian ethics and practical theology from New College, University of Edinburgh; and a PhD in Homiletics at Emmanuel College, Toronto School of Theology, University of Toronto.