In this sermon, Dr. Casey T. Sigmon engages Matthew’s account of Jesus’s temptation in the wilderness to preach about empire, vocation, and what it means to come back to the wilderness — the place where preachers are shaped and sent.

This sermon speaks directly to preachers who feel the pull between prophetic calling and the seductions of comfort, relevance, and institutional belonging. Drawing on themes of temptation and vocation, it models a kind of preaching that is both theologically rigorous and deeply honest about the challenges facing the church today. Available in English and Spanish.

Dr. Sigmon teaches preaching and worship at Saint Paul School of Theology.

Recorded at the 2025 Disciples Preaching Retreat.

You might also find helpful:

• Recovering the Soul of Preaching Through Rest — Dr. Sigmon’s keynote from the same retreat, exploring rest, slow preaching, and the soul of proclamation.
• Preacher Panel Discussion: Disciples Preaching Retreat 2025 — Dr. Sigmon and fellow retreat preachers discuss their sermon preparation process behind the scenes.
• Engaging the Gadfly — Dr. Sigmon’s book on preaching in the digital age, also available in the Resource Library.
• Preaching in the Age of Chatbots — A resource on navigating AI and technology in preaching ministry.