Practical preaching strategies to help the over-burdened parish pastor communicate God's Word in vital, meaningful ways. This is the first volume in CSS's third series of popular preaching workbooks -- Designed to help you get the most out of every moment you spend in sermon preparation. Special Features Include: - Commentary on Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, and Common lectionary texts - Sermon Starters for First Lesson, Second Lesson, and Gospel texts for every Sunday in Cycle A - "Theological Clues" to help you explore the relationships among all the texts for each Sunday - Wide Margins and Stay-flat binding for ease of use - Overviews of preaching challenges and possibilities for each liturgical season - Extensive Bibliography of exegetical and homiletic resources for Cycle A preaching - And All-new Insights from one of CSS's most well-respected and successful authors This workbook is an exercise in liturgical, as well as lectionary preaching. It springs from the rationale that most lectionary helps ignore the liturgical setting of the lessons assigned to the various Sundays. It is this author's contention that the exegetical/homiletical process begins with the church year. The year, cycles, seasons, Sundays, and festivals establish the themes and provide theological clues for worship and, particularly, preaching, especially in the first half of the church year. This approach is the outgrowth of the author's doctoral dissertation and two of his books, "The Renewal Of Liturgical Preaching" and "The Song And The Story." Both deal with preaching from the lectionary texts in the context of the worship, work, and lives of the people of God. George M. Bass is the Alvin N. Rogness Professor of Pastoral Theology and Ministry, Homiletics, at Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, Saint Paul, Minnesota. He has studied at Susquehanna University, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, Temple University, the University of Edinburgh, the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and Cambridge University. Dr. Bass is a prolific author whose contributions to homiletics also include "The Song and the Story," and "Great Stories of the Faith," both available from CSS.