Not A Silent Night - A Review

Not A Silent Night

by

Adam Hamilton

A Review

As protestants, we tend to avoid spending much time on Mary, the mother of our Lord.  Yet she is present throughout the gospels - from the months before Jesus’ birth to the weeks and months after his death and resurrection.  Adam Hamilton, pastor of the largest United Methodist Church in the United States, attempts to rectify that omission as he writes this five chapter devotional looking at the life and contribution of Mary to the church.

Writing in reverse chronological order, Hamilton moves back through the Mary’s live and sees how she was involved during the life and ministry of Jesus.  The book is both theological and practical - leaving this reader to ponder events in the gospels that are often minimized but very much present.  Beginning with Mary’s response to the message brought by God’s Son and moving through the role of parenting her son, Hamilton brings to life the emotions, thoughts, and tears Mary must have felt as she lived through the 33+ years of Jesus’ life.

As I approach this coming advent season (December 2014), I hope to use the book as framework for my advent sermons.  I will not preach the book, but it will provide a broad outline that will guide my thinking and planning as we move from the week after Thanksgiving to the last Sunday of the year.  I trust that as a pastor or lay person, others may learn from Mary’s experience as they move through this reverse biography of her life.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

It Is Sunday - And I Am Tired

It has been three weeks since I preached my last sermon. I spent most of one week recouperating from Christmas; four days traveling to Myrtle Beach; four days attending the UM Congress on Evangelism; three days returning home; and one week teaching my first week of classes for the Spring semester. Finally, I prepared and preached my first sermon for the new year. And now I am exhausted.

I know some think preaching is an easy task - but I have discovered in my 9-1/2 years in the pulpit, that preaching is work, real work. It takes time to prepare and it takes time to deliver the message. But there is more - preaching is a spiritual activity and as such it is a perfect target for a spiritual attack.

Though I know it is not true, I sometimes fall under the illusion that preaching is all about me. But the truth is, it is not. Preaching is about Him - not somewhat, not partially, not incidently. Preaching is about Him. Each sermon I prepare, each sermon I preach, should lead my hearers to Him. And when I do that, I should expect to challenged. And when I am challenged, I should not be surprised to feel drained.

Tonight I feel drained.