'Foolish' stories of Jesus
critical today, Lundblad tells preachers

Barbara Lundblad

A noted Lutheran preacher who teaches preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York City urged her clergy audience to preach about the particular stories of Jesus "in all their foolishness and staying power, with all their earthiness and specificity. Let the stories sing and speak for themselves."

Appearing June 11, Barbara Lundblad, an author and associate professor of preaching at Union, told her Preaching Days audience at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia that seminarians embarking on a preaching career increasingly find themselves in the midst of people having diverse cultural backgrounds and different ideas of religion. In such a climate it can be easy to "stifle" telling the particular stories of Jesus because they seem too foolish. But she added that in a pluralistic age where many practice a kind of "live and let live" tolerance, telling the particular stories of Jesus well becomes more, not less, important.

"Who will tell the stories of Jesus if we do not?" Lundblad said. She said the many passages found in Matthew this Pentecost season are rich with such "foolish" story-telling opportunities. Lundblad was the second of three keynoters addressing a Preaching Days 2002 theme of "The Foolishness of Preaching." About 100 pastors were on hand.

Lundblad noted that thanks to the writings of influential African American theologians like James Cone, preachers today can see Jesus themselves and help others to see Jesus in ways not evident "when we were growing up." She described also the "peculiar pluralism" of the gospels with their "disparate voices." Rather than struggling to determine "which version (or voice) is correct," she urged her listeners to see the richness in the differences "as a blessing, a chance to look at what each voice tells us."

In a chapel sermon preceding the lecture, Lundblad preached on Matthew 1: 1-16, discussing the "foolish" and "irregular" nature of the family tree genealogy leading to the birth of Jesus.

Speaking of today, she said it is a "confusing time for the church, filled with irregularities." It is a time when "most are ordained by bishops and some are not. The irregularities depend on where you stand. Some gays have been removed from the roster and some are not. Some who have been removed continue to serve congregations. Some people are ordained irregularly."

Lundblad reminded the worshipers that God "blesses the most foolish family tree" featuring the lowest and oddest individuals. When irregularities "threaten to tear us to pieces," it is helpful to remember how the Book of Matthew ends with the comforting words of Jesus, "I am with you always to the end of the age."

Preaching Days began June 10, led by the Rev. Thomas G. Long, Bandy Professor of Preaching at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. Preaching Days concludes June 12 with the appearance of the Right Rev. Charles Bennison, Jr., Bishop of Pennsylvania in the Episcopal Church. The event sponsored each year by the seminary's Academy of Preachers, is intended as a continuing education experience for preachers from an assortment of backgrounds.