Easter Sermons from Sam Wells and Adam Hamilton

Need some Easter inspiration? Here are two very different kinds of sermons that both communicate the Easter message. I, of course, don't advocating plagiarizing these sermons. Preach your own sermon, but sometimes a phrase or sentence from another sermon will help get the creative juices flowing. I was struck by Sam Well's phrase, "safely dead." That's an evocative image. What things might we assume are "safely dead" that we'd rather not see resurrected?

If you use something from these sermons in your own, be sure to give these guys credit.



Sam Wells, "Rolling Stones," Preached at Duke Chapter on Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011.  The sermon starts at 34:11 and runs for 18 minutes.




Adam Hamilton, "Easter: The Resurrection," preached at Church of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, April 24,2011.

Question of the week: What preachers do you like to listen to?

Last week we talked about listening to one's own sermons for the purpose of self-evaluation. Today, we're visiting about listening to other people's sermons for personal and professional edification. I've made it a practice to listen to other people's sermons for a while, now. It helps with my own creativity. It keeps me thinking of ways to improve my own sermons. Perhaps most importantly, it feeds my soul.

Here are three preachers I've listened to recently - who do you like to listen to?

Adam Hamilton - Dr. Hamilton is the founding pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas.

You can stream or download both audio and video at his church's website and on Itunes.

The sermon below is a sermon he preached a few weeks ago that combines a first person monologue (something we've discussed recently) with a normal sermon. I don't know what I think about combining the two, but it gives you an idea of what we were talking about previously.



Richard Kannwischer is the Senior Pastor at St.Andrews Presbyterian Church in New Port, Beach, CA. I visited with Dr. Kannwischer a few months ago for a D.Min. project. He was gracious and kind and had a wealth of wisdom for the task of preaching. I benefited greatly from that conversation and from listening to his sermons.

The video below is the only one I could find in a video format, but audio of his sermons can be streamed/downloaded from both his church's website and on Itunes.

Easter Sermon 04/04/10 St. Andrews Presbyterian Church from sapres on Vimeo.

Julie Pennington-Russell is the senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Decatur, GA. Julie was my pastor in Waco, TX when I was in seminary.

The sermon below is one she gave to the students and faculty of Logsdon Seminary in Abilene, TX. Audio of her weekly sermons can be streamed and downloaded at her church's website.

Seminary Chapel September 24, 2009 from Logsdon Seminary on Vimeo.