The sermons in this book were preached to a particular congregation at a particular time. Much like reading the Pauline letters in Scripture is like reading someone else’s mail, reading sermons is a bit like listening in to a particular conversation between a church and its pastor. But these sermons are also, hopefully, the gospel, good news for the world. And so I hope they will be meaningful for those beyond my church family as well as those within it.

This book is organized into six sections. In my particular tradition, you’ll find pastors who preach the lectionary, and those who preach topical sermon series. I tend to do both; preaching more traditionally during Lent and Advent; and preaching more creatively during other times of the year. Parts 1 and 2 give a few examples of each.

As someone who began pastoral ministry at age 25, and now as a mom of three kids, I am passionate about young adults, youth, and children in the church. You’ll see some of that reflected in the sermons in Part 3.

 My favorite sermons to preach are funeral sermons, several of which you’ll find in Part 6. I love getting to peek into someone’s life, whether through knowing them personally or through the memories of their loved ones and find a common thread that leads to the gospel. More new members have come to Skycrest after attending one of our funerals than almost any other outreach or advertising that we do! 

 Whether you’re a preacher, a church member, or just someone curious about the Christian faith, I hope you enjoy reading these sermons.

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Emily Hotho is an ordained minister in The United Methodist Church.  She serves as the Pastor of Skycrest United Methodist Church in Clearwater, Florida.  Previously, she has also served as Associate Pastor of Christ United Methodist Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Associate Director of the Center for Clergy Excellence in Lakeland, Florida. 

She received undergraduate degrees in Religious Studies and Music from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and her Master of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School.

Emily is married to Mat, and has three sons, Liam, Evan, and Jackson. She enjoys spending time with her family, running, CrossFit, and playing music of all kinds.