Kimberly Wagner to preach on ‘Day 1’
Assistant professor of preaching at Princeton Theological Seminary
The Rev. Dr. Kimberly Wagner, assistant professor of preaching at Princeton Theological Seminary, is the featured preacher Dec. 1 and Dec. 8 on “Day 1,” with host Katie Givens Kime, the nationally broadcast ecumenical radio program also accessible online at Day1.org and by podcast. Hear the program in Atlanta on WSB 95.5 and 750 AM Sundays at 7:05 a.m. "Day1" has been on WSB for 79 years.
“Advent Alertness,” the sermon for Dec. 1 explores Luke: 25-36. She says, “Advent is a time of waiting. But, as our text makes clear, it is not a time for passive waiting. It is a time of active waiting. We are to live preparing, anticipating, expecting that Jesus may show up at any moment.”
She draws the Dec. 6 sermon “Showing Up” from Luke 3:1-6. “I don’t know about you, but the minute we begin the litany, all those names at the start of today’s text in Luke, I catch my mind wandering,” she says. “The author of the Gospel takes the time to give us these names because they are actually important . . . . You see, Luke wants to make clear early on that this story he is about to unwind about Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of the Most High God, is not some abstract fairy tale or some timeless myth. Luke makes clear that God is not working in abstract other-worldly time, but in the context of human, historical time—in the middle of real life.”
A graduate of Miami University (OH), Wagner earned her M.Div. from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University and her Ph.D. from the Graduate Division of Religion at Emory University. She is ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). She served on the pastoral staff at Green Acres Presbyterian Church, a PCUSA congregation in Virginia. She is passionate about supporting students’ formation and helping clergy and communities navigate the realities of an ever-changing world and church. Her current writing and work focus on preaching and ministry in the midst and wake of trauma, particularly thinking about collective trauma, the role of the preacher, and the resources of our Scriptures and faith to respond to these moments. Wagner’s book, Fractured Ground: Preaching in the Wake of Mass Trauma(Westminster John Knox Press, 2023), offers guidance for preaching in the aftermath of communal trauma, including mass violence, natural disasters, and public health crises.
The programs include interviews with Wagner conducted by Kime, who is also executive producer.
“Day 1” has been broadcast every week for 79 years, formerly as “The Protestant Hour.” Featuring outstanding preachers from the mainline denominations, “Day 1” is currently distributed to radio stations across America and overseas, and the “Day1 Weekly Program” is on all podcast apps. The program is produced by the Alliance for Christian Media, based in Atlanta, Ga. "Day 1"® is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by the Alliance for Christian Media, Inc. For more information, check the program’s website, http://day1.org
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