The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale
For the last several days, I have been participating in the Toronto Preaching Festival, sponsored by the Lester Randall Preaching Fellowship and a number of local congregations. It’s been a marvelous event, and I highly recommend it to folks both north and south of the 49th parallel.
One of the speakers yesterday mentioned Frederick Buechner, the Presbyterian minister and author who wrote what I still think is the finest book on preaching ever written. Titled simply Telling the Truth
It’s a remarkable book, who lyrical prose, deep insights, and succinct expression make it something you can read in a single sitting. At least I know that when I picked it up, I had a very hard time putting it down. Rather than describe it in detail myself, I’ve decided to put below a short video of Buechner talking about the volume and, in particular, his three descriptions of our life in the world and in God. I highly recommend it for those preaching, and those listening to, sermons regularly…or even irregularly!
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I recently read Buechner’s third memoir, Telling Secrets. It is a marvelously honest and humble account of how helpless he felt around his daughter’s eating disorder and of how his father’s suicide continued to be part of his life. I highly recommend it!