John T. Pless

John Pless offers thoughts on preaching for your midweek Lent sermons.

This post contains notes on orders of service, texts, and hymns for your midweek Lent services.

With this special essay from Prof. John Pless' 2017 Lenten Preaching Seminary, we are excited to offer an introduction to a Lenten series on the penitential psalms. Throughout the week, more resources will be made available to help you prepare for Lent.

‘What’s so great about Christmas?” That is the question which the preacher must answer!

The Holy Spirit is fixated on Jesus and it is the Spirit’s mission to bring us to faith in Him for He is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Him.

Under the lordship of the crucified and risen Emmanuel, our existence is one of blessedness. Blessedness means we are not under the condemnation of the Law, but the benediction of God’s favor here in time and, hereafter, in eternity.

Advent draws us to the Lord who comes. We might even say that Advent really does begin in creation as the Father through His Eternal Word breathes His Spirit over the depths of darkness and calls into existence that the culmination of things that are not.

Franzmann walks alongside of readers of the Gospel according to Matthew like a sharp-eyed and knowledgeable tour guide pointing out features of the evangelical landscape which invite and provoke deeper reflection and, in turn, cannot but help make preaching more interesting and robust.

Professor John T. Pless has organized an incredible Advent series on the Apostles' Creed for you! Included here are texts, themes, and an order of service for your midweek Advent services.

It is in the midst of a world marked by empty and deceptive hopes that have broken hearts and lives that we are sent to deliver the promise of a future that has as its last chapter the resurrection of the body to eternal life with the Lamb who was slain but is alive forevermore.

We give thanks to the Lord for His victory over death and the grave both for those who are now with Him in glory and for ourselves even as we press forward in faithfulness awaiting the Day when our eyes will see Him.

Whether you are a Christian or not, you cannot escape the significance of the Reformation. It is an important chapter in western history; yes, in world history.

[Luther's] Catechism is at home in the evangelical pulpit, guiding and shaping what the preacher says so faith might be created and love given direction.

Good reading is an ingredient for good preaching. Here are a few books –most of them relatively new- which you might want to put on your summer reading list.

Evangelical preaching of the Lord's resurrection is not merely an apologetic proposal to believe; that the tomb was empty and Jesus was really raised from the dead. Rather, the preaching of the Resrrection is from the reality of the vacated grave and Jesus appearing bodily to His disciples and others.

Jesus' cross is for dull shepherds and bright magi. It is for the whole world. It is for you.

Christmas wrecks all attempts to penetrate God's hiddenness and seek him out in Heaven. He comes to us clothed in our humanity.

Past, present, fututre converge in Advent. The historical coming of the Lord Jesus in the flesh, born of Mary to suffer and die for the world's redemption is indicated by having the Palm Suday account read on the First Sunday in Advent. All of the church year revolves around the cross.

The following is the third installment of an adaptation of John T. Pless' Advent Preaching Workshop. In it you will find an order of service, suggested hymns and readings, and notes for sermon preparations.

The following is the first installment of an adaptation of John T. Pless' Advent Preaching Workshop. In it you will find an order of service, suggested hymns and readings, and notes for sermon preparations.

The following is the second installment an adaptation of John T. Pless' Advent Preaching Workshop. In it ou will find an order of service, suggested hymns and readings, and notes for sermon preparations.

Five ways the preacher can plan for the long-term.

Caleb Keith is once again joined by Drs. Jim Nestingen and John Pless for a special recording in Bergen Norway.

Advent accents preaching, making known that it is the Lord who comes to bring salvation, to proclaim this in all the earth.

On this episode, the fellows are once again joined by Dr. Nestingen and Prof. Pless. This time, we tackle listener questions about doctrine and the differences between Norwegian and German Lutheranism.

The Thinking Fellows are joined by Dr. Jim Nestingen and Rev. John Pless to talk about their new book titled The Necessary Distinction.