About

Posts by :

Resurrection

Resurrection, in practical terms, means bringing something that is dead back to life. As Christians, resurrection means being “regenerated,” that is, beginning a new life, through Christ’s resurrection. We are dead people, people who can’t raise ourselves up to good deeds, bringing nothing but evil and death into the world; but when Christ resurrects us through his resurrection, we stop being dead people and come back to life. We are, in a spiritual sense, zombies! We have been given a new life that is different from the old. But unlike zombies, who are shadows of their former selves, our former…
[Read More]

What is Christmas?

A few years back, Sesame Street put out a Christmas special called “Elmo Saves Christmas.” Elmo meets Santa Claus and is granted three wishes. So for his first wish – he wishes for a glass of water to prove that the wishes are real. He gets his glass of water, and then the next day he’s so excited about Christmas that he wishes it could be Christmas every day. It turns out to be exciting at first, but all that celebrating really wears people out, so Elmo realizes that maybe having Christmas every day isn’t the best idea, and he…
[Read More]

Teaching Congregation Guidelines

There are many small mainline churches across the country that see their mission as “bringing up the next generation of pastors.” It’s a great way to make good use of a small church budget that can’t support much more than a part-time pastor in a call that is more likely to appeal to someone just out of seminary. However, this often turns into a cop-out, a reason not to change and adapt to a changing community, a reason not to do evangelism or address the problems that have led to a budget unable to support more than a part-time pastor….
[Read More]

What is Church?

This week I’m preaching on the importance of going to church. As a pastor, this is a somewhat self-serving sermon, but I think I’ve gotten up enough courage to preach the sermon that needs to be preached no matter if it’s self-serving or not. What’s more important is that it’s God-serving! Society tells us that church is no longer necessary, and for many people church is in fact damaging. Self-preservation tells us to don’t do things that are unnecessary, and to avoid doing things that are harmful. Thus, going to church falls low on many people’s lists of things to…
[Read More]

Teaching Practical Theology

“Preaching, teaching, and pastoral care are complex in their own right, and courses in these areas must help students acquire the language and skills involved in these ministries.” – Richard Osmer, Practical Theology Theological education as it stands does not primarily help students acquire these skills. The Master of Divinity program in general, it seems, is and has been focused on acquiring academic knowledge instead of practical ministerial knowledge and skills. Curriculum tends to focus on knowledge of the Bible, Christian History, and theological concepts. Granted, these things are important – but how important is knowing theology if you can’t…
[Read More]

Henryville and March2Recovery

Tornado recovery work has continued to be a major part of my ministry. You can read about my continued role in this article from the Courier Journal.

GA Pedaling Pilgrimage

If you didn’t get a chance to see it live, check out the video of Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons riding a tandem bicycle with Sweaty Sheep to the stage at General Assembly! Sweaty Sheep had a great ride in from Louisville to Pittsburgh, and I was blessed to be part of the trip. You can read more about it in this article.

Welcome!

Thanks for taking a look at my website to learn more about me. If you’re looking for a sermon, click here or on one of the links at the top or left of your screen. On that screen, just click the notepad icon to download a manuscript or click the clapboard icon to watch the sermon on the web. You can also click here or on the “about” link to read a short bio.

Publicity Re: Henryville Tornadoes

As a supply preacher for Henryville Community Presbyterian Church and Mount Lebanon Presbyterian Church, I have been featured in two news articles since the tornadoes which hit Henryville and other locations early in March. The first story, from the PC(USA) News Service: Tornado Survivors Band Together to Aid Community The second story, from the Courier-Journal: Young Seminarian Plunges into Real-Life Trauma Recovery

Resumé and PIF

My PIF can be viewed on the CLC. My PIF number is 100020705. My resumé is also online! It is essentially an abbreviated version of my PIF with links to this page and the sermons I’ve posted. You can view my resumé at http://re.vu/alexscottbecker

«< 15 16 17 18 19 >