Recently the preacher coming to one of my churches sent me a copy of his sermon (I had asked the preachers to follow a particular set of themes for this church). The same weekend a good friend blogged her sermon on the set readings for the week. As someone who couldn't give you even notes for sermons I have given this makes me feel bad.
My sermons are products of the deep unconscious processing - brewing - of the week before, and yet I don't spend hours or a day in the study in preparation, and I don't have detailed notes or scripts to show before the event. On the other hand the sermons are cooking throughout the week even if I am not tied to the study desk. And at the start of a new quarter, like now, I make a grid of the lectionary readings and their themes alongside where I will be preaching and I am aware of the cogs beginning to turn from then.
So are my offerings less? Well it could be seen that way, and I'm sure my sermons could be better for hours of focussed planning and research. But people seem happy with what I offer, maybe the input of theological studies mean that somehow I have useful insights that ooze out regardless of time spent. Or does that sound too arrogant?
Generally my background brewed sermons that find sentence construction only when faced with the eyeballs of listeners and their reactions seem to meet the needs of the congregations I serve. Yes I could produce better quality, deep and meaningful sermons if I spent hours in the study, but what other things do I set aside to have that time?
I live with limits of energy, others have their reasons too - the ideal may be to study for hours, but ministry is more than sunday, and more than my sermon.
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