Random Thoughts on Preaching and Worship

In my thirteen years of ordained ministry, I have had the blessing of hearing great preachers, and the opportunity to experiment with different styles of preaching.

My mentors for preaching are are Prof. Barbara Lundblad at Union Theological Seminary in NYC (who was also my preaching professor), Dr. James Forbes,  Pastor Emeritus of Riverside Church in NYC,  Rev. Martha Spong, UCC pastor and writer, who blogs at Reflectionary, and my dear colleague, Rev. Laura Ruth Jarrett, of Hope Central Church in Boston.

Barbara Lundglad taught me to find my voice, and to trust the risk of preaching.  Once, in class, she invited me to re-preach my sermon while rolling around like a tootsie roll in front of the classroom.  I. Kid. Not.  It was a vulnerable and transformative moment in my education.

Both Jim Forbes and Barbara are wind-up preachers.  They start on the page, with their manuscript.  They begin slowly and thoughtfully, and then, oh my! The spirit runs loose.  You know they know their sermons inside and out and are able to allow the Spirit to move through their study and preparation in order to enliven the Word that is nestled in their bodies.  It's amazing.

Storytelling.  Barbara and Martha Spong are superb storytellers--whether it is a Bible story, or a life story.  They give witness to God in the World.   I work on that in my preaching--as I think story is the way we live our lives, the way we understand our lives, the way we share our lives.

Martha is also a poet, and her sermons are beautifully wrought with words that thread and braid together in incredible insight and access to the Gospel.

And Preacher Jarrett.  She is the best non-manuscript preacher I have ever heard.  She might have a manuscript, but the sermon is lodged in her body and when she speaks, the God in her connects to the broken, God hungry places in you.

How do I preach?  By drawing from my teachers, by listening to God, by rolling the text around in my head and heart, and being awake and aware of what is going on in the world, and in the congregation.    Sometimes I walk around and preach, sometimes I preach from the pulpit (which you can see in the video is kind of high up in the sky), sometimes it's scripted more than others.   It depends on the whole of the worship, of course--because the sermon is connected to the whole of the worship service.  The sermon isn't the only thing that happens!

One thing that I do know, is that the spiritual art and discipline of preaching is a holy endeavor, a sacred task, and it takes openness to risk and vulnerability.  It is daunting, and joyful, and I am blessed to get to serve God in this way.

Thanks for stopping by this blog~