Sarah Kathryn Dymund is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada who has served and preached in a variety of ministry contexts throughout the province of Saskatchewan. She lives in Regina with her three-generation family, working to proclaim peace and justice wherever she finds the opportunity.
Description
In this season of ecclesial uncertainty and vocational questioning, Sarah Kathryn Dymund reminds preachers of their central call to prophetic presence. By imagining the prophetic role as sacred storyteller, preachers will find reassurance in speaking truth, especially in times of change, when Gods hope-filled future needs to be heard. --Karoline M. Lewis, professor and Marbury E. Anderson Chair of Biblical Preaching, Luther Seminary, and author of A Lay Preachers Guide: How to Craft a Faithful Sermon(Fortress, 2020)
Rev. Dr. Dymund has an uncanny, or shall we say prophetic, way of saying the thing that many of us in the church prefer not to hear, maintaining instead a shallow sense of comfort and belonging. By asserting that we can discover uncomfortable, God-breathed truths in our most foundational biblical stories, this book encourages church leaders to be curious and courageous in discovering the rich depths of our own communal story, lovingly held in Gods story for us. --Aneeta Devi Saroop, pastor, Spirit of Life Lutheran Church, Vancouver, BC, and assistant to the bishop for DEI, British Columbia Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
This book is a gift for all who lead faith communities amid the ever-changing realities of the world and church. Through her approachable and elegant writing, Sarah Kathryn Dymund models the very prophetic sacred storytelling to which she calls proclaimers. Grounded in her own experience leading a congregation through the process of reframing their communal story and ultimately blessing the final chapter of their life together, Dymund offers valuable insights infused with wisdom, care, and deep faith. Her openness and engagement with the sacred Scripture and sacred stories of communities offer the reader a safe place to be honest about their own concerns, anxieties, and hopes as they lead communities through turbulent times.While the book offers sage guidance and encouragement, Dymund does not ignore or sugarcoat the challenges of these times or the contentious work of being a "prophet in residence." Instead, she speaks with honesty about the difficulties of helping communities to re-member and reframe their stories and offers reassurance that Gods story is still larger. --Kimberly Wagner, assistant professor of preaching, Princeton Theological Seminary
This is a homiletical reflection rooted in the changing and challenging realities of pastoral ministry and congregational life. The wisdom in these pages is real and realistic, hard yet tender. There is insight here for those faithfully telling the painful, complex, perhaps incomplete, and emerging stories entrusted to us in these challenging times. --Andrew Wymer, associate professor of preaching and worship, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary