Broken hearts

The technical name for it is Commotio cordis. It simply means a shot to the chest (or, literally from the Latin, "agitation of the heart"). Medical experts describe it as a "concussion to the heart that leads to ventrical fibrillation when the chest is struck during a critical moment between heartbeats." A national registry records 224 fatal cases of Commotio cordis from 1996-2010. It's the No. 1 killer in U.S. youth baseball.

A deadly shot to the heart. As I was reading about Commotio cordis, I kept thinking that, spiritually speaking, everyone we preach to this weekend has taken at least one brutal shot to the chest. A divorce, a death, a prodigal child, the loss of a dream—the possibilities are limitless. The holiday season often exposes these broken hearts to even more pain. Preacher, you have an amazing opportunity to offer Christ's hope, his healing balm, to these beaten-up hearts. Preach Christ. Preach the cross and resurrection. Identify sin and offer grace. And then let go and let God do his part to bring healing.

This week to help you in your preaching efforts we offer the following:

• Featured Sermons: The Life Made Manifest By Steve Fuller & Later On, We'll Conspire By Bryan Wilkerson
• Featured Illustration: School Bus Driver Stops to Save a Life
• Preaching Skills Article: Ramping Up Your Christmas Preaching
• Video: Advent: Introduction

In Christ,

Matt Woodley
Managing Editor, PreachingToday.com
mwoodley@christianitytoday.com

P.S. Don't forget to check out our Holiday pages filled with preaching resources for Advent, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

Matt Woodley is the pastor of compassion ministries at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, Illinois.