Mission Yearbook: Pastor explores preaching with a sacramental imagination

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Worship & Music Conference leaders prepare the communion elements before a 2023 worship service at Montreat Conference Center (Photo by Rich Copley).

The Rev. Dr. Dave Davis recently gave preachers in and around the Synod of the Covenant plenty to think about through a webinar that helped participants weave the sacraments more fully into their sermons.

Davis, pastor of Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, New Jersey, offered his “Preaching from Font to Table” talk as part of the synod’s monthly preaching webinars. His talk is available here.

Davis has been teaching this material as an elective at Princeton Theological Seminary for a couple of years. “This is a conversation about preaching on the occasion of the celebration of one of the sacraments,” Davis said, “and also how a deeper understanding of the sacraments can provide imagery and a theology for our sermons, a more robust relationship of Word and sacrament.”

When he asks seminary students to come up with a quality sermon they’re heard or are aware of on either of the sacraments, they sometimes have difficulty, Davis said, adding, “I’d like to invite you to join me today in reflecting on your own preaching life in respect to the sacraments.”

Dr. Nora Tubbs Tisdale, who taught Davis and many other preachers, argues in “Preaching as Local Theology and Folk Art” that pastors ought to be exegeting congregational life as well as biblical texts. “She suggests early on in that book that one can observe sacramental furniture as a reflection of the church’s relationship to the sacraments, especially when the sacraments are not being celebrated” on a given Sunday as part of worship, Davis said.

Davis grew up in a church where worship leaders pushed the communion table “against a far wall in the chancel” on Sundays when the Lord’s Supper was not being celebrated. But other faith communities take a more visible approach. Davis visited Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church outside Annapolis, Maryland, where he was shown a prominent baptismal font bolted to the floor, rendering it unmovable for any event. 

Pinnacle Presbyterian Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, features a large window with a view of a wadi that fills with water when it rains. The water then “goes right into their baptismal font. It’s a very powerful image,” Davis said. Church leaders told Davis the font has a leak that can’t be fixed, “and so baptismal water was always leaking into the nave of the sanctuary, which I think is a cool image to work with,” he said.

He noted that author and priest Barbara Brown Taylor calls preachers “detectives of divinity,” and Notre Dame theologian Mary Catherine Hilkert in her book “Naming Grace” identifies the preacher’s task as helping “the listener see what Christians know: that the whole world and life itself is charged with the very grandeur of God,” Davis said. “What we are called to do with our sermons is help people see the world as God intends, bearing the very grandeur of God.”

Preaching is a corporate act, and Dietrich Boenhoeffer put the preacher’s task like this in his “Worldly Preaching”: “I preach because the church is there, and I preach that the church might be there. Church preaches to church.”

Davis sometimes uses the phrase “bringing the world to bear on unsuspecting biblical texts” when preachers employ the lectionary to aid their preaching. With that approach, “it’s amazing how contextual your preaching can become and how relevant the living Word becomes,” Davis said. The sacraments can also be brought to bear on unsuspecting biblical texts as “a way to unleash understandings of scripture in new ways and make it relevant on the occasion of baptism and eucharist,” he said.

“I don’t want you to think I’m perfect at this,” Davis said. “I went back and looked at some of my sermons in preparation for today, and I was doing exactly what I am now calling out.”

Davis mentioned BEM, the Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry document the World Council of Churches first published in 1982 and reprinted many times after that. BEM gives “the clearest outline of the theological fenceposts of each of the sacraments,” Davis said, employing a term favored by his professor, Dr. James Kay. “That’s how I understand these various ways of approaching the Lord’s Supper.”

Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Dayna Oliver, Grant Management Office, Presbyterian Life & Witness
Jacklyn Walker, Administrative Project Manager, Center for Repair, Presbyterian Life & Witness

Let us pray:

God of the old and the new, the great and the small, thank you for the warmth of your love and the inspiration of your Spirit. May you continue to bring new life into your churches, that we might proclaim in a myriad of ways the wonders of your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Justice must be for all, human rights activist says

In a searing message at the United Nations, human rights activist Malala Yousafzai expressed deep disappointment in the continued plight of women and girls, especially in places where oppression and war are all too common.

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Malala Yousafzai, co-founder and executive chair of Malala Fund, speaks during the United Nations observance of International Women's Day 2026. (UN Photo/Evan Schneider)

The 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner was one of the special guests at a U.N. observance of International Women’s Day that coincided with the first day of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70). 

Much of CSW70, in which a Presbyterian delegation participated, was focusing on the theme of  “ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls.”

However, “true justice does not defend the humanity of children in one place and ignore it in another,” Yousafzai said. “It is not selectively applied. It does not claim that our rights are dependent on where we were born or what is politically safe for the people in this room.”

She was among a handful of speakers and performers featured during the event emphasizing “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.” (Watch here.)

This “is about appreciation of the talents and energies of women and girls everywhere, their courage, their resilience, their contributions and their leadership,” said Sima Bahous, executive director of U.N. Women. “It is about bravery and determination, about our refusal to accept a pushback against gender equality, whether in our communities, online or in the work of these United Nations.”

Yousafzai is known for making bold statements and being a trailblazer. At 17, she became the youngest Nobel laureate, an honor bestowed upon her for championing the right of every child to receive an education and for challenging the Pakistani Taliban’s oppressive tactics, such as blocking the education of girls.

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Presbyterians in New York for the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women gathered at the office of the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations. They are engaging in advocacy and learning about important issues this week. (Photo by Rich Copley)

“For a long time, I believed that my voice could make a difference, that things would change. But today, I stand here heartbroken,” she said. “Never have I seen so many children suffering from war and violence, injured and dying at the hands of unaccountable leaders. I am devastated for families in Iran whose daughters left for school and did not return home, for parents in Gaza who buried their children beneath the rubble of their classrooms, for Afghan girls living under the brutal Taliban regime for nearly five years.”

In an attempt to erase girls from public life, the Taliban has “controlled courts, the police and public institutions, and they have used their power to abuse women and girls,” Yousafzai said. “Girls cannot go to secondary school or university. Women cannot go to work, leave their homes without a male chaperone or even speak in public. The list goes on and on — no sports, no nail polish, no singing no reciting poetry. 

“Women and girls cannot be treated by a male doctor and are not allowed to train to become doctors themselves,” she said. “In Afghanistan today, it is legal for a man to beat his wife or daughter.” 

Yet, the world has responded by looking away or by excusing or mischaracterizing the abuses of the Taliban instead of recognizing their actions as crimes under international law.

“This is not culture. It is not religion. It is a system of segregation and domination,” she said, stressing the need to stop atrocities from happening for another generation. “It is not enough to grieve for those who are suffering. We must move from sympathy to accountability.” 

Later, the audience heard brief remarks by Sunbul Reha, a singer and musician from Afghanistan. Previous speakers and performers, including Yousafzai, stood behind her on stage as she spoke.

“I know what it means when a girl's voice is silenced,” she said. “I have lived it. Too many of our sisters around the world face daily fear, insecurity and violence … Our bodies are being violated. Rights that took generations to win are evaporating before our eyes, and still, I remain hopeful,” the college student said.

She went on to note that women have not given up. “Women continue to speak up for their rights, and young people everywhere refuse to give up the fight. We are undaunted. We will not stop. We have hope.”

Darla Carter, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Life & Witness (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Michael Gehrling, Manager, 1001 New Worshiping Communities, Presbyterian Life & Witness
John DiSpralto, Kitchen Assistant, Stony Point Center, Presbyterian Life & Witness

Let us pray:

Your gift of living water gives us new life. We thank you that this new life can be shared wherever you call us, O Lord. We pray that all who drink receive the living water you offer. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Presbyterians lift up young adults, justice at gathering

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The Rev. Dr. Cornell Edmonds, pastor of the Church of the Covenant, chats with the Rev. CeCe Armstrong. (Photos by Rich Copley)

While welcoming a plethora of guests to his church for International Women’s Day, the Rev. Dr. Cornell Edmonds noticed that some young people were shy to stand up and be recognized, so he took a little extra time to nudge them to their feet.

“Rise,” without hesitancy, said Edmonds, who leads the Church of the Covenant in New York. “Like dust, we hope for you to rise because you are our hope, our salvation.” 

Edmonds was lifting up the young adult portion of a joint delegation who represented the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Presbyterian Women (PW) at the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70).

The joint delegation, which reflects a concerted effort by Presbyterians to attract young adults to serve alongside delegates over the age of 30, gathered at the church for a joyful service featuring a sermon by the Rev. CeCe Armstrong, a Moderator of the 226th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). There also was a reprise of the line dancing that she led at the General Assembly in Salt Lake City, with the Electric Slide bringing the New York congregation and guests to their feet for some brief fun at the close of service. 

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Young people rise to their feet during a service at the Church of the Covenant in New York, ahead of the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

The gathering, which was attended by an in-person crowd as well as many church supporters in distant locales, was the last Presbyterian event before CSW70 started at U.N. Headquarters, with a theme that focused on ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls.

Both Edmonds’ and his wife, Barbara, have backgrounds in law and look forward to welcoming the Presbyterian delegation and various leaders of PW and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations each year.

During brief remarks and introductions of dignitaries and other guests, Barbara Edmonds quoted Fannie Lou Hamer, who said, “When I liberate myself I liberate others.” 

Barbara Edmonds also highlighted various ills that need confronting in today’s world. 

“As we gather, we're mindful that we live in challenging — but I always say hopeful — times,” she said. “Rev. Dr. King always reminds us of the three evils that we're confronted with: militarism, racism and sexism, and all forms of injustice, and I emphasize all forms of injustice and economic exploitation. These realities continue to call people of faith, courage, compassion and action, and that's why we're here, right?”

Later, Armstrong took to the lectern to give a sermon on who needs Jesus.

The answer? “Everyone needs Jesus,” she said. “Everyone can have a piece of what Christ has to offer. You can have your heart's desires, but you must admit that you need Jesus.”

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/embed/6OUm2qH8-7I

Jesus’ willingness to help marginalized people falls in line with the need to eliminate discriminatory policies, practices and laws in today’s world, Armstrong said. “That’s what we’re here to learn.”

She also stressed the importance of sharing your testimony in order to show people that they, too, need Jesus. “Friends, let's just be truthful. Sometimes, your life, your story, your testimony, is the only Bible people will ever read.”

In addition to giving her sermon, Armstrong expressed thanks for being able to participate in CSW.

“I am really beyond grateful to be here for CSW70, for this is my first one ever, but it won't be my last, and to further the theme of this gathering for and by women,” she said. “I’m sure that our work together, ensuring and strengthening the access to justice for all women and girls, will be beneficial to generations to come.”

Darla Carter, Communications Strategist, Presbyterian Life & Witness (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Yesenia Ayala,  Associate, Financial Aid for Service, Presbyterian Life & Witness

Let us pray:

God of grace, we pray that we might be your hands and feet and voice to people who are seeking you. Guide us by your Holy Spirit to create spaces of grace for those you have claimed as your own. Amen.

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Living into Right Relations: Orange Shirt Day and National Truth and Reconciliation 2026

Reconciliation and Indigenous Justice News from The United Church of Canada Orange Shirt Day and National Truth and Reconciliation 2026 [Image credit: ID 22674444 © Dreamstime]   Today, September 30, 2026, we remember the thousands of children taken to residential institutions over a period of 150 years. We remember their parents and the people of their communities that were left behind. This year’s United Church of Canada worship resource prepared by The Rev. Tony Snow for Orange Shirt Day includes liturgical responses to signal our commitment to taken action to support healing and reconciliation: Oath to Become a Witness to ReconciliACTION We stand as Witnesses to ReconciliACTION With humility and resolve, we pledge: 1. To Learn We will seek understanding of Indigenous histories, cultures, and perspectives. We will educate ourselves on the truths of colonization and its ongoing impacts. 2. To Listen We will center and amplify Indigenous voices, stories, and teachings. We will approach these with respect and an open heart. 3. To Act We will respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Calls for Justice. We will advocate for systemic change and work toward decolonization. We will support Indigenous-led initiatives. 4. To Acknowledge and Reflect We will recognize our roles in these processes—past, present, and future. We will strive to be good ancestors, leaving a legacy of justice and equity. 5. To Stay Accountable We will welcome discomfort as part of growth and accountability. We will hold ourselves and others to the principles of ReconciliACTION. We make this commitment as witnesses to Truth, supporters of ReconciliACTION, and guardians of future generations. So it is, and so We will strive. Sisters in Spirit [Image credit: Canva]   On October 4, 2026, the annual Sisters in Spirit vigils will take place across the country to remember Indigenous women, girls, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community who are missing or known to have been murdered.  As the Native Women's Association of Canada observes, Sisters in Spirit “has grown into a nationwide movement that refuses to let silence or inaction prevail. Each vigil adds to a chorus of voices demanding truth, justice, and safety for Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people.”  Facebook Website Email Instagram YouTube

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Three Stories of Reconciliation in the World

Stories of Reconciliation Supported by the World Communion Offering The World Communion Offering supports reconciliation work locally and around the globe. Micah 6:8 tells us to love kindness. See how the World Communion Offering is putting that into action. Philile Dlamini is a young adult determined to change the world. Walter Mack is someone trying to make his home community a better place. The Rev. Justin Meyers is forging new relationships through ecumenical partnerships. All three of these people have incredible stories of reconciling work in the world. Read Their Stories Thank you for generously supporting the World Communion Offering.   If you have any questions, reply to this email or call us at (800) 728-7228, Ext. 5047.

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