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How is God present and active in this time and place? This question has been a pressing one for preachers and congregations amid the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts. In the USA, the urgency of this theological question intensified when nationwide protests erupted following the release, on 26 May, of the video of the death of George Floyd. Floyd, an unarmed Black man, died pleading for breath, his neck pinned to the pavement by a police officer's knee. Sermons preached in the USA in congregations of distinctive predominant racial identity on the two Sundays following Floyd's death (31 May and 7 June 2020) are assessed hermeneutically, asking: “In what ways did US sermons, preached on 31 May and 7 June 2020, interpret divine presence and activity in relation to the preacher's interpretation of listeners' needs and responsibilities; biblical text(s) referenced, and/or the dual public crisis impinging on national life?”

This study presents the theoretical depth of urban research by proposing a four-stage contextual conceptual guide for integrating historical and societal contextual factors within the nexus of time and space. Addressing a critical gap in urban research, it focuses on early career researchers (ECRs), who often struggle to systematically incorporate contextual dimensions into their academic writing, particularly in theoretical discussions. The first two stages establish a foundation through historical inquiry and thematic analysis. These two stages also reveal how context is conceptualized across disciplines and highlight its active role in shaping human knowledge. Stage one examines the role of context in academic writing by analyzing six influential 20th-century thinkers (1900–2000). Stage two maps contemporary perspectives through a directed content analysis of 14 scholars (2000–2024) and six pivotal scholars in the social sciences. The third stage identified four interconnected factors that shape contextual interpretations: key concepts, context components, contextual factors, and thinkers’ contributions. These factors explain how context functions as an active and integral force for understanding texts, historical events, and linguistic phenomena. This stage also highlights four broader contextual factors: historical and societal contextual factors, conditions driving urban transformations, influential social dynamics, and inherent challenges that emerge from critical scholars’ analysis. The final stage operationalizes these insights into five fundamental guidelines for embedding contextual factors into high-quality academic writing, particularly in urban research. This calls for theorists to develop practical guidance for integrating context and text into academic writing by enhancing the theoretical depth, analytical consistency, and interdisciplinary collaboration.