Stewards of the Mysteries of God

One of our best known biblical interpreters offers essays and sermons meant to assist preachers in their interpretation and explication of biblical texts. Often neglected in preaching, the Old Testament is a particular focus of attention, but only in the context of the wholeness of Scripture. Questions addressed in this volume include the following: How does one approach and preach the Old Testament at Easter? What are the contemporary issues or dimensions in preaching the Ten Commandments? And how does the preacher hold the Old Testament and the New Testament in proclaiming God's word to the church? In this collection, attention is given to preaching about the ministry and on particular occasions, such as funerals, baccalaureates, ordination, and in Advent and Christmas as well as before Holy Communion. ""I have long admired the way in which Patrick Miller combines insightful biblical scholarship with love for the church and its ministry. The two are beautifully wed in this book where Miller vividly reminds us of all we have to gain by reincorporating regular preaching from the Old Testament into our ministries, and in which he models how to do so with integrity, authenticity, and (always) theological depth."" --Nora Tubbs Tisdale, Professor of Homiletics, Yale Divinity School ""Patrick Miller's passion for the Bible and church is on full exhibit here, together with his unrivaled erudition and his great theological sensibility. In this book he faces the hard and complex issues of biblical interpretation and preaching. Readers will be impacted and transformed by the force of his argument and advocacy. There is good reason he is reckoned to be the premier interpreter of our generation. His own sermons included here attest to the wise practicality of what he teaches."" --Walter Brueggemann, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary ""Patrick Miller began his career as a preacher and during his academic years he has been regularly in the pulpit. . . . In his practice as a teacher he never lost sight of the purpose of the interpretive discipline--discerning the Word. Now he has given us this rich harvest composed of instruction about and illustrations of the way through the text to the sermon. It will benefit and inspire everyone--students, teachers, and preachers alike."" --James Luther Mays, Professor Emeritus of Hebrew and the Old Testament, Union Presbyterian Seminary Patrick D. Miller is Professor of Old Testament Theology Emeritus at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is former editor of Theology Today and author of The Ten Commandments (2009) and many other works.