Resources on Frederick Buechner

Frederick Buechner | Day1

Frederick Buechner says the essence of God's law (Psalm 1:2) is a description of the way things are: that whoever does not love abides in death (1 John 3:14).

Psalm 1:2; 1 John 3:14

See more resources like this

Belief, Death, Law, Love

Absalom

Frederick Buechner | Day1

Scripture Meditation or Sermon

Frederick Buechner observes that David, mourning for Absalom (2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33), would have given his own life to restore his son to life. But it takes a God to do that.

2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33

See more resources like this

Absalom, David, Death, Mourning

Ahab, Naboth, and Jezebel

Frederick Buechner | Day1

Sermon Preparation or Illustration, Book Quote

Frederick Buechner's book excerpt can be used to illustrate the story of Naboth's vineyard in 1 Kings 21. Elijah confronted Ahab with God's judgment for his covetousness leading to murder.

1 Kings 21:1-21

See more resources like this

Ahab, Naboth, Jezebel, Elijah (biblical Prophet)

Salvation

Frederick Buechner | Day1

Sermon Preparation or Illustration, Book Quote

Frederick Buechner says that "to love God is to be saved." He compares losing one's life for Christ (John 12:24-25) to being in love: forgetting oneself, denying oneself, no longer being the center of one's universe.

John 12:24-25

See more resources like this

Lent, Love, Salvation, Self-denial

A Magnificent Defeat

Ronald Rolheiser | Grandin Media

Article about Theology

Ron Rolheiser shares Frederick Buechner's take on the story of Jacob's wrestling with the stranger (Genesis 32:24-32). In being defeated, Jacob finds the blessing of love, which can only be received as a gift.

Genesis 32:24-32

See more resources like this

Blessing, Stranger, Jacob (biblical Patriarch), Wrestling

The Sacred Journey: Once Beyond Time

Frederick Buechner | Duke University Chapel

Scripture Meditation or Sermon

In this audio sermon on Matthew 19:16-30, Carl Frederick Buechner reads from his memoir. Buechner describes how he came to be healed from the reality of his father's death through God's gift of holy grace.

Matthew 19:16-30

See more resources like this

Faith, Healing, Grace, Love

Judas

Frederick Buechner | Day1

Sermon Preparation or Illustration, Book Quote

Frederick Buechner on Matthew 26:14-16 about Judas' betrayal and death. What were his motives? Why would he kill himself after? What would have gone through his head during and after the act?

Matthew 26:14-16

See more resources like this

Sermon, Illustration, Judas, Kiss

The Full Extent of Loss

Frederick Buechner | Center for Excellence in Preaching

Sermon Preparation or Illustration, Book Quote

A quotation from Frederick Buechner that uses the metaphor of losing a house in a fire to describe the grieving process of losing a loved one.

See more resources like this

Death, Grief, Suicide, Time

Jairus' Daughter

Frederick Buechner | Day1

Sermon Preparation or Illustration, Book Quote

In this sermon on Mark 5:21-43, Frederick Buechner describes the power of Jesus as "that life-giving power" at the heart of the story of Jairus' daughter; power of new life, new hope, new being.

Mark 5:21-43

See more resources like this

Jesus, Fear, Faith, Jairus

The Clown in the Belfry

Frederick Buechner | Day1

Scripture Meditation or Sermon

This sermon on Psalm 23 by Frederick Buechner celebrates a church's 200th anniversary, reminding them of the "Thou" at the center of the Psalm and of faith—a "Thou" that turns the world upside down.

Psalm 23

See more resources like this

Faith, Faithfulness, Death, Life

Being Afraid of the Light

Frederick Buechner | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Frederick Buechner explains why we fear the light as well as the darkness. The light reveals parts of ourselves we would rather not see nor have be seen (John 3:19-21; Ephesians 5:6-14; 1 John 1:7; 2:8-9).

John 3:19-21; Ephesians 5:6-14 1 John 1:7, 2:8-9

See more resources like this

Death, Sin, Deceitfulness, Light

The Coming Day of Judgment

Frederick Buechner | Preaching Today

Sermon Preparation or Illustration

Frederick Buechner meditates on the bad news and good news of the coming judgment. We will be judged, but the one who judges us will be Jesus, who bore our judgment on the cross.

See more resources like this

Death, Grace, Love, Judgment

God's Law as Descriptive

Frederick Buechner | Day1

Sermon Preparation or Illustration, Book Quote

Commenting on Psalm 1, Frederick Buechner notes that while God's law can't make us human, it can at least keep us honest. However, failure to keep his law puts us at risk of his judgment.

Psalm 1

See more resources like this

Law, God, Morality, Truth

God of the Living

Frederick Buechner | Day1

Sermon Preparation or Illustration, Book Quote

A sermon illustration by Frederick Buechner on Luke 20:37-38 about God being a God of the living. God makes no promises about death; rather, God makes promises about life.

Luke 20:37-38

See more resources like this

Life, Death, Eternity, Promises Of God

It Is Finished

Frederick Buechner | Day1

Scripture Meditation or Sermon

In this Good Friday meditation on John 19:28-30, Frederick Buechner speculates on what Jesus may have remembered as he died on the cross.

John 19:28-30

See more resources like this

Death, Fear, Forgiveness, Good Friday

A Loving Power

Frederick Buechner | Day1

Sermon Preparation or Illustration, Book Quote

A reading from Frederick Buechner paired with 1 Timothy 2:1-6 and used to emphasize the love of God that holds things together and extends even to those who are lost or seem insignificant.

1 Timothy 2:1-6

See more resources like this

Kingdom Of God, Love, Time, Death

Law

Frederick Buechner | Day1

Sermon Preparation or Illustration, Book Quote

Describing the two kinds of law as (1) the way things ought to be, and (2) the way things are, Buechner notes God's law, "Whoever does not love abides in death," is in category two.

1 John 3:14

See more resources like this

Law, God's Will, Love, Death

God So Loved the World

Frederick Buechner | Day1

Sermon Preparation or Illustration, Book Quote

This sermon illustration on John 3:13-16 offers an excerpt from The Faces of Jesus, which emphasizes that the sacrificial act of Jesus not only offers life after death but also a life of profound meaning.

John 3:13-16

See more resources like this

Cross, Death, Life, Resurrection

No Reason to Fear

Frederick Buechner | Day1

Scripture Meditation or Sermon

Frederick Beuchner recounts a time in his own life when faith led him through deep fear into far deeper serenity such that he was no longer afraid but joyously peaceful in the face of danger.

See more resources like this

Fear, Security In God, Worry, Death

Saints and Sinners Alike

Frederick Buechner | Day1

Book Quote

A short reflection on Psalm 23:4, as published in Frederick Beuchner's "The Clown in the Belfry." Buechner emphasizes the psalm's realism about evil, and the Psalmist's resolve to have no fear in the face of it.

Psalm 23:4

See more resources like this

Death, Fear, Power, Saints