Daniel Fusco

What would you say to your congregation after a shooting that took the life of one of your church members? That was the situation facing Pastor Daniel Fusco and the congregation of Crossroads Community Church in Vancouver, Washington. Although he acknowledged that life is oftentimes devastatingly messy, Fusco also wanted to give his congregation hope through his sermon "How God Works Through Tragedy." As the master of acronyms, he turned the word "tragedy" into a redemptive sign, with each letter pointing to the truth that Jesus is real. As Fusco concludes, "[W]e need to trust, we need to repent, we need to accept, we need to grieve, we need to embrace, we need to defeat, and we need to yearn. We do it together."

Daniel Fusco

In connection with the Featured Sermon this week, Pastor Daniel Fusco also shares some tips with us about preaching on suffering in his article "Getting Honest About Suffering." The last line sums it up well: "The message 'everyone suffers' is hopeless. The message 'everyone suffers but Jesus is real' is transformational!" May Fusco's words challenge us to move our sermons from hopeless to transformational.

Charlie Dates

If you missed last week's Featured Sermon, "When Good Things Happen to Bad People," be sure to check it out. It's based on Psalm 73, a psalm of lament. In times of suffering and tragedies, we need to hear these lament psalms preached—and preached well. But the lament psalms are not always the easiest to preach, and that's why I'm excited that Pastor Charlie Dates has written this helpful article, "Preaching the Lament Psalms." Dates shows us the importance of the lament psalms for our hearers and then gives us three quick tips for preaching the lament psalms.

Also, check out these new resources:

• Featured Illustration: The Hoarder Next Door
• Featured Video: Faith Refocused - Faith: what is it, really? This fun, informative animation will help you refocus on the word "faith" and better explain its true meaning.
• Featured Sermon: "How God Works Through Tragedy" by Daniel Fusco
• Featured Skills Article: "Getting Honest About Suffering" by Daniel Fusco
• Featured Skills Article: "Preaching the Lament Psalms" by Charlie Dates

Andrew Finch
Associate Editor, PreachingToday.com
afinch@christianitytoday.com

Andrew Finch is the Managing Editor for PreachingToday.com.