i had a little crisis on the way home last night. I wondered to myself if people had misinterpretted some things I said about Sexuality. Were they unhappy with my sermon because of those comments? It would also be disappointing to me if they went home thinking only about my of-the-cuff comments about sexuality, and not about the more important things I had to say about following Jesus. (see the post below)
It got me to thinking - and I discussed it with Carol this morning - how careful one has to be as a preacher, always trying to say things "just right", and yet knowing that sometimes you don't - and you end up regretting the way things came out.
And it's not that I don't believe what I said... It's just that some comments, made to illustrate a point, might "hijack" the sermon and leave hearers wondering about the message as a whole...
It's quite a responsibility, preaching!
Hi Barry
ReplyDeleteThanks you for your honesty and ability to make us realize that we all too often get sidetracked and bogged down by the unimportant things.
Your analogy about the communion bread had lots of people around me (including me) chuckling, but shifting around uncomfortably at the same time!
Yes, preaching is quite a (big!)responsibility, and you and the rest of the St. John's team are doing a great job.
I started coming to St John's (after many, many years of only visiting church for weddings, funerals and the odd Christmas service) to see for myself why my daughter Michell looked so forward to WACS and the Sunday evening service. I felt welcome from the first day and thoroughly enjoyed the "non-tradtional" service - I'd never seen a band in church and thought it was obligatory for the minister to preach fire and brimstone! I always left church feeling like I was a really bad person and felt even worse the next week after I had been unable to change my ways and the process was repeated, except that I felt that God was looking at only me throughout the service. I eventually gave up and decided that to just believe in God was okay, going to church was too draining.
St John's changed all of that and I thank Carol, Tim and you for your gentleness and ability to get the message accross in such personal, caring and inovative ways (I'd never seen a magic show or a one act play during a service before!).
I trust that your little crises was just that, little, and didn't last too long.
Keep up the great work.
Regards
Brian P
your story is what inspires me, and i think the other staff as well!
ReplyDeleteI celebrate stories like yours - where people who were a little wary and tired of the old style church of fire and brimstone, are finding that there is still hope and life in the christian community... that it is possible to live a faithful life without turning into a bible punching, super-spiritual, other-worldy person.
As I have been saying to the Tuesday morning Teaching and praise group lately... "the Glory of God is a person fully alive!" (Irenaeus)
I'm glad that St John's is a reflection of that kind of faith and worship that doesn't frighten ordinary people away!