Tag Archives: Sermon

Reformation

31 Tuesday Oct 2017

Posted by in Theology

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Today is Reformation Day.  Not just any Reformation Day though.  This is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation started by a monk in Germany.  Little did he know it at the time, but there would be a huge change in the world because of his nailing 95 statements that he wanted to debate in an academic setting up on a church door.

We can look back at that event and get caught up in it.  It’s not bad to look back, but we shouldn’t just stare at the past.  Reformation is a call to forward-looking too.  It’s a call to recognize the gift we have been given by God and to respond in trust.  It is a call to go out, not focus in.

The church is in need of more reform – but this time it’s a bit different.  We’re not concerned with corruption and sales of indulgences.  Instead, we need to look at how we have gotten comfortable and have forgotten to tell the story of the Gospel to people who have never heard it.  We have a real opportunity to continue reforming the church.  And we are called to participate in that.

If you are interested in what I preached on Sunday, you have two opportunities.  There are two different Sermons posted on the St. Stephen website – one for each worship service.  As is typical, I ended up preaching two different sermons by the end.  The second one is three minutes longer.

You can hear the sermons here and here.

Being fed and feeding

07 Monday Aug 2017

Posted by in Sermon Prep, Theology

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Yesterday’s reading in the Revised Common Lectionary were all about feeding.  Isaiah 55 spoke of coming to the water, and asked why spend money on that which is not food.  Our Gospel story was from Matthew 14 and told of the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5000+ in a desolate place.

There is a great deal debate over this reading – did Jesus do a real miracle by multiplying the loaves and fishes, or was the real miracle that people saw Jesus sharing what little there was and they began to share.  I don’t think it matters – regardless of the how, thousands were fed – that’s a miracle.

Instead, I would rather focus on the fact that this was a desolate place – that’s the terminology we are given.  Desolate, deserted, empty – they all mean the same thing ultimately.  These terms signify that there is no life, nothing of value.  And this is where Jesus goes.

The people go to where Jesus is.  I think it’s quite fitting that the crowd would search out Jesus in a desolate place.  Desolation isn’t just a physical place – it’s a state of being for some people, maybe for many people.  So many people are empty, exhausted, and their state of being is desolate.  There is no life where they are.  Yet, if they are searching, they are hungry.  They are hungry for food, for love, for attention, for care, for mercy, for forgiveness.

But where there is desolation, Jesus shows up and amazing things happen.  Jesus shows up and people are fed.  Not just enough to kill the hunger pains, but we are told to their fill.  But it doesn’t stop there – the disciples collected the leftovers and found 12 baskets full.  That’s because when Jesus shows up, there is overflowing abundance – never to run out.

Jesus shows up and amazing things happen.  People are fed love – in overwhelming ways.  Where they had only received conditional love, Jesus gives unconditional love – to the point of death.  We are overwhelmed by God’s love and have more than enough to give to others.

Jesus shows up and we receive forgiveness.  Forgiveness that we don’t deserve and can’t possibly do enough to earn.  Yet, it is given – in overflowing abundance.  So much so that we take the extra and give it our to others who need forgiveness.

Jesus shows up and we receive mercy and grace and so much more.  And we receive these things in overwhelming abundance.  So much so that we give it away.

The miracle isn’t that God is this good.  The miracle is that we are invited to participate in handing out God’s overwhelming abundance to others.  The miracle is that it doesn’t run out – ever.  When Jesus shows up to places where there is desolation – to lives where desolation runs rampant – lives change in overwhelming and abundant ways.  Thanks be to God!

How long should a sermon be?

07 Wednesday Sep 2016

Posted by in Theology

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pulpito

This has been the question since…well…since sermons have been delivered.

Here’s the thing – there is no one right answer.

That’s right – no right answer for this hot debate.  Just like there is no right answer to the question of what makes for a great sermon.  That’s because there are no universal standards whatsoever for what makes a sermon great, or even good for that matter.

Having said that, please understand there are some standards within denominations.  In my denomination, the mark of a good sermon is one that preaches Law and Gospel.  But go to another denomination and they have a different standard.  There are no universal standards within Christianity when it comes to sermons.

Getting back to the initial question, the Guardian ran an article in 2010 which claimed that the Vatican told its priests that they should keep it to eight minutes and “maintain eye contact.”

Maybe that’s right.  Then again, it’s more likely that this is just some kind silver bullet solution that will fail miserably.

That’s because large organizations have a different focus – on technique.

What’s the right length for a sermon?  The answer is that it depends on a few things.  It depends on what is being preached.  It depends on the people who hear the sermon.  It depends on how the Spirit is moving through the sermon.  It depends on so much more than this.

If shortening the sermon were the right answer always, then maybe we should just move all sermons to a bunch of tweets and be done with it.  But I’m willing to bet that as ridiculous as that sounds, no one will think that having some kind of universal standard of eight minutes will sound just as ridiculous.

What’s the right length for the sermon?  The amount of time it takes the preacher to deliver to the people what God wants them to hear.

 

Chosenness

18 Wednesday May 2016

Posted by in Sermon Prep, Society, Theology

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We heard several great preachers yesterday at the Festival of Homiletics. I mean really great preachers who preached the Gospel without fear.  I want to highlight a speaker and an experience.

First, the speaker – Walter Brueggemann.  He gave a great sermon and then a lecture on the idea of chosenness.  The short version of this is that chosenness is equivalent to exceptionalism.  And boy, did he rip the notion apart.

Here’s the four things that chosenness leads to:

Entitlement – Those that are chosen are entitled to things and people.  They deserve it after all.  Everyone else is just a second class person, at best.

Exclusion – if you aren’t part of the chosen group, then you don’t fit in, nor should you.

Extraction – the chosen have the right to everything because it is ordained by God, so deal with it.

Violence – when anyone points out how arrogant this whole notion is, violence is done to them.  That violence could be physical, or it could be culturally, or verbally, or… The point is that when the privileged feel threatened, they will fight off the person threatening their privileged status.

I thought most of his insights were pretty on target.  At the same time, I kept sitting in the audience with a thought that just wouldn’t go away – Here is a privileged man lecturing us on the evils of privilege.  And making a good living off of it.  That doesn’t change the truth behind what he says, but it does taint his message a bit.

The experience – We saw a great sermon by Rev. Dr. Rapheal Warnock, who is the Senior Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.  It was a multi-cultural experience – we felt we had been transported into a Southern Baptist church.  It was wonderful to experience that and more importantly to experience the challenge that these faithful people face.  When we left, there were sheriff officers outside the church where the conference was occurring, providing security.  No other speaker had this.  Let that sink in for a minute.

Dr. Warnock’s message was about when prophets collide with profits.  His message was on target and he had a target on his back.  His message was one of integrity.  He spoke about risking one’s life to proclaim the Gospel and here was evidence that this risk was a reality for him.  The officers were outside, yet the people inside had no idea that there was a security detail.  It was a powerful moment for me.

 

 

Pushing the Limits

17 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by in Seminary, Theology

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On Sunday I was given what I thought was a compliment after my sermon – “You sure know how to push the limits don’t you?”  It was said from someone who meant it as a compliment, not a criticism.

Yet, today I’m wonder if it really is a compliment or is it something else.

What caused the statement to be said to me.  I’m guessing it was a part of the sermon where I defended LGTB individuals as people.  Sounds radical doesn’t it?  I used something I blogged on this past week and added it to the sermon.  Or maybe the statement came from the story I also used in the sermon about four women who went into a strip club to minister to the women who work there – women who no one else cares about.  Regardless, the statement came.  And since yesterday, I’m left wondering.

That’s because my supervisor and I are at the Festival of Homiletics.  There are some amazing pastors and preachers here.  Last night we heard two – one a pastor and seminary professor and the other a journalist.  The sermon and lecture were simply amazing and they preached the Gospel – well beyond pushing the limits.

Partly that is because this is a group of pastors and soon-to-be pastors – you can go beyond pushing the limits with this group.  What I realized is this: If the Gospel message is so life changing as pastors and soon-to-be pastors claim, then that means it is a message that doesn’t just push the limits, but breaks through the barriers completely.  It’s a message that can’t be contained.

As we heard from Anna Carter Florence, we all want to find where Jesus has been carried off to (John 20 – Mary at the tomb trying to find Jesus on Easter morning) to we can find him and put him back in the tomb.  That way we’ll be in control.  But that’s not how Jesus works.

Likewise, we heard from Leonard Pitts, Jr.  We heard an amazing message that touched on every issue we face today from anger to division and everything in-between.  He talked about the radical nature of Christianity versus the less-than-radical thing going around in politics that wraps itself in a Christian label.  What’s the radical nature of Christianity – doing what Jesus told us to do – feed the poor, wash the feet of the other, welcome the stranger, visit the sick and those in prison, etc.  When you do these things instead of blame people and judge others, you will receive criticism.  What a mixed up world we live in.

So I’m wondering, is pushing the limits enough?  Tough to say.  There’s no gauge standing next to you as you preach to let you know when you’ve gone too far.  The context of the audience that is listening is unique.  What would be too far at one location is only pushing the limits at another.  And what is pushing the limits at one place is not even touching the issue at another.  You just have to preach where the Spirit leads you to.  Because in the end, it’s not me that is the one who changes people, but rather God.  There’s a place and a community to everyone, but not everyone will fit into every place and every community.

Tuomasmessu in Helsinki

09 Monday Feb 2015

Posted by in Church, Finland

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Tuomasmessu, Helsinki

Last night I went to the Tuomasmessu service at Mikael Agricola kirkko in Helsinki.  It was quite an interesting experience.

I arrived early so I could take in the whole experience. I was greeted inside the door and found the English translation device.

Tuomasmessu, Helsinki

The gentleman greeting me taught me how to use the device and welcomed me. I grabbed a hymnal…

Tuomasmessu, Helsinki

and found a seat about halfway up the church.  The church is rather large.

Tuomasmessu, HelsinkiThe choir was practicing, but also acting as a means of welcoming people in.

Before the service, the translator did something nice – told us english speakers a little bit about the service and some history about the service. I felt as though I was watching midnight mass on TV from the Vatican, but attending at the same time.  This would stay with me throughout the service.

The service started with a hymn and entrance with a long procession – everyone that was involved in the service was part of the procession, except for the musicians.

Tuomasmessu, Helsinki

It was neat to see so many people involved in the service.  This is one of the hallmarks of the Tuomasmessu – many volunteers involved in putting the service together.  I would imagine it one of the reasons that it is popular.

The music was interesting. There was a choir, which sounded nice. There was also contemporary instruments playing older hymns, but in a very contemporary way.

Tuomasmessu, HelsinkiIt livened up the hymns. In several songs there were improv and solos and rifts during the hymns. This was unique to hear. People really enjoyed the music. At several points I saw people raising hands to chest height and swaying to the music. People had smiles on their faces.

Before the procession, there was announcements.  I was impressed by how full the church was.

Tuomasmessu, HelsinkiThere was a general introduction in which it was said that the service was intended to be approachable and enjoyable. This set the mood for everything. They live up to what they say they intended.

After the procession, there was confession and forgiveness. I noticed that there was approximately 20 people up by the altar – all assistants and other pastors helping with the service. They also knelt with the presiding minister during this time as he offered the confession of sins.

Then the service went to the intercession of prayer. This was unique. It was a time of free roaming prayer, as I’ll call it. There were pastor stations set up at the front and back and side stations with lay people at each window where you could write a prayer or take a prayer stone and put it in the bucket with your prayer. The pastors were available for prayer and to offer a blessing. About ¾ of the congregation got up at this point to do these prayers. During the prayer time, music was playing and there was singing. Some people traveled throughout the building. The ones that went to the front knelt at the communion rail and prayed with a pastor or received a blessing. This section took about 15 minutes.

At the end, the prayers in the baskets at each station were collected and lay people came to the front with the baskets and each read a prayer aloud. Halfway through and at the end of the prayers, the congregation sang Kyrie.

After the intercession was the readings. The communion rail was removed for this, not to return.

After the reading was the sermon. This was also very unique. It was announced that it would be a dialogue sermon. The theme of the readings was light of God. The focus of the week was about the UN declaration that religions should work together and better understand each other. In light of this, there were three women invited up to sit in front of the altar to each answer two questions – a Jewish woman, a Baha’I faith woman, and a woman who practices Hare Krishna. They each answered what the light of God meant to them and what they think we should do to expand this light. At the end the presiding minister spoke for a few minutes to answer the questions. He related his answers to baptism.

Then it was time for the Eucharistic liturgy. This was a typical Eucharistic liturgy. The only thing that was unique was that this was the first time worshiping in Finland that there was no communion rails for communion.  I wonder if this has to do with the idea of making worship approachable.

After that was the blessing and dismissal. The announcements were next and the recessional.

Tuomasmessu, HelsinkiSome observations. This messu was very Lutheran and not Lutheran at the same time.  The liturgy is unavoidably Lutheran. The presiding minister made that clear when he spoke at the beginning. He said that the service was a focus on ecumenical belief coming from a Lutheran background. His focus was on a common Christian belief, even if most people there were Lutheran.

The music was interesting – it was the combination of singing hymns from the hymnbook with contemporary instruments.

The intercessory prayer time was unique.  I hadn’t experienced the free roaming intercessory prayer time quite like this before with the wide variety of ways to offer prayers and receive blessings.

The Tuomasmessu was described to me beforehand as an appealing to older and aging hippies who put their own spin on the messu. I can see that. Most of the congregation looks like they were between 40-60 years old. There were very few young people and there is no emphasis on children at all – no mention of children or Sunday School. The messu caters to the middle-aged and older.  But, as I am apt to say – it fits the context very well.  This isn’t meant to be critical of the Tuomasmessu, just to point out who is there.

A few more observations – people were enjoying the service and having the free roaming prayer makes the service very approachable. It seems important that this happens at the very beginning of the service and sets the tone for the rest of the service.

Overall, this service works for this context. I’m not sure how many English-speaking people come each week, but I imagine it is difficult for an English speaker to feel a part of the service week after week.  Having said that, I did appreciate having a translation during the service so I could understand what was being said.  At the same time, I found myself focused on what was being said, as opposed to fully participating in the service myself.  That’s my own fault though, not the service.

It really is quite amazing to experience such different worship styles here.  The Tuomasmessu is unique in that it is the messu that started the advent different types of messus in Finland highlighted by more congregational participation.  If you would like to learn more about the tuomasmessu, visit the website – http://www.tuomasmessu.fi/.  There are several language options at the top, including english.

Correction and update – 10 Feb, 2015:  I was wrong about there not being any focus on children with the Tuomasmessu – whoops!  The good people affiliated with Tuomasmessu provide some great information about the children’s program in the comment section.  Please read their comments to get a much fuller picture.  And thank you to the people who did offer correct information.  It’s greatly appreciated.

What Everyone’s Missing About Ferguson

25 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by in Society, Theology

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If I were to preach a sermon today, here’s what it might sound like.  It’s not perfect, but it’s what’s on my mind and what I feel called to communicate:

Today is the day when everyone and their brother, sister, aunt, uncle, ie the entire universe supposedly, is talking about the Grand Jury verdict in the Brown Case in Ferguson Missouri.

I wasn’t there, so I don’t know if the officer is guilty or not.  I’m not judging the rioters for what they are doing – they are angry because they didn’t get what they wanted in a way that they wanted it.  Ok, maybe rioting is not the best route to take, but I hope you understand what I’m trying to say.

I get the notion of everyone wanting to jump on board the injustice express to point out how this or that shows that America is racist as ever.  It’s a nice and easy example that seems so obvious.  And when it’s portrayed, it’s done in a way that makes the conclusion so obvious that you’d have to be an idiot not to see it…supposedly.

And yet here we are – a nation supposedly divided by skin color.  I’ve heard calls for peace, and silence.  I’ve heard calls for more conversation about race.  I’ve seen the pictures of the riots.  I’ve heard people pissed off at the rioters.  I’ve heard the cynicism that seems so easy to find in this situation.

I’ve read the tweets of statements of the family as they mourn the loss of their son.  I know there is round the clock “news” coverage in Ferguson just waiting for that special story of someone doing something.

It’s the story of the cycle that consumes all else.

And yet, it feels as though something is missing.  Maybe being out of the country allows for this space.  I’m not sure what it is exactly.  No one is talking about Ferguson here in Finland.  Most people probably don’t have the faintest idea what the case is about or anything related to it.  They have other concerns to keep their attention, like what’s Russia going to do next?

As a Lutheran seminarian we’re taught to preach with Law and Gospel in mind.  These two ideas are in conflict, yet work together so well.  The Law is oriented towards what humans are supposed to do.  In the end, the Law convicts because we can’t keep the law.  The Law is concerned with Justice.  The Law is designed to make us run to God.  Why?  Because the Gospel is oriented towards what God has done for us.  The Gospel is full of grace and mercy.  The Gospel is God opening God’s arms to not only receive us as we run to God, but to scoop us up to God.

When I reflect on Ferguson, I see a great deal of Law in the form of being told what we have to, need to, and should do.  If I’m not mistaken, I think we’ve tried that route for a really long time.  It hasn’t worked out so well.  We try, and try, over and over again.  We even know this.  I can recall people posting on the internet that they expected riots to happen in the Grand Jury ruled against going to trial.  And guess what, the riots happened.  The fact that so few are surprised by this, or by the ruling, or so many other things about this case tells me that we’re oh so familiar with this whole scenario.

But where is the Gospel in this?  It’s difficult, I’ll admit it.  Guess what – Gospel isn’t always about the sunny bright side of things.  In fact, sometime the Gospel seems hidden from view.  And when that happens, it’s easy to forget the Gospel and God.  It’s easy to question God and where evil comes from.  It’s easy to say that God is absent.

And yet, I don’t buy that.  In times like this, I take a breath and pray for my eyes to be opened to seeing God at work in the midst of riots, chaos, anger, frustration, and so many other things.

I see and hear a lot of people with a great big gaping whole within them trying to fill it with various things.  Some try to fill it with anger.  Some try to fill it with violence.  Some try to fill it with sympathy.  Some try to fill it with empathy.  Some try to fill it with other distractions.  I’m sure there are many more ways.

The filler will wither, but the void will remain.  There’s only one “thing” that can ever fill it.  And as soon as we stop doing stuff in an effort to fill the void, then we might notice that the void is already filled with God – just in a way we don’t expect.

God is in the midst of those suffering in Ferguson today.  God is not just a God of glory and bright sun shiny days.  God is in the midst of pain and suffering.  We’ve seen plenty of examples of this in the Bible.  And that’s where we need God the most.  It is in these times that God is so ever-present to the people who are suffering.  God is there comforting, consoling, listening.  God is there being who God is, in a hidden way to society, if we chose to see it that way.  In an ever-present way for those who experience God with them.

At a time when we question God and say things like “God, where are you?”  We can look around and see God in the midst of those suffering.  God is suffering with us.  And because of this, we can know that we’ll get through this – not by doing a bunch of stuff that others tell us to do.  But by being who we are called to be at this time – human beings, children of God.

 

What Makes a Good Sermon?

24 Wednesday Sep 2014

Posted by in Church, Sermon Prep

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I read an interesting article the other day.  It was one preacher’s perspective on what makes a good sermon.

My initial reaction was one of agreeing with some of the things, and disagreeing with a lot of other points.  Here’s the five points the author stated that make a good sermon:

  1. Explain the text.
  2. Fewer stories, please.
  3. Leave your politics and social justice at home please, unless…
  4. Don’t sweat the time.
  5. Don’t preach same-old, same-old.

I was going to comment on each of these, but the commentary would make this blog post way to long, so here’s the short version of what I think about this.

There is no standard for what makes a good sermon generally.  There are some guidelines that each denomination teaches of what should be in a sermon. So, for example, Lutherans generally preach Law and Gospel.  Other denominations focus on other things.  But can you really compare different sermons if the criteria is different.

Here’s what I think makes for a good sermon.  But keep in mind, this is my preference.  I don’t pretend to say that I’m some kind of expert. I’m only preached about 20 times, which is not much in the grand scheme of things.

1. Keep your listeners engaged.  This doesn’t mean you have to do all sorts of theatrics or have an awesome inspiring story or anything like that.  It means, read the listeners while you are preaching to them.  Do you understand the context of who you are preaching to?  Are they paying attention?  Does anyone care?  Or are they off thinking about what’s for lunch when they get home.  It’s amazing that we have a message of grace and hope for a hopeless world and yet some preachers are able to crush those things and bore people.  In other words, be authentic and sincere and preach what you actually believe.  It will come through and people will listen because they will hear the authenticity of what is being preached.

2. Stories help.  It’s what people remember.  Bible stories and contemporary stories.  We are visual society, so telling stories connects with people and helps them to understand the point without getting all academic on them.  If it was good enough for Jesus, then it should be good enough for me.

3. Leave your politics at home.  People didn’t come to church to get a political speech, or be a mouth-piece for a certain political party.  They came to hear a message of grace and hope.  Politics is neither.  Does this mean we shouldn’t challenge our listeners?  No.  Challenge them, but leave the politics out.  When I go to church and hear a political speech, it just pisses me off.  That’s not why I went to church.  I went to hear about how God was active in the world and giving people hope, not how we should feel guilty because we aren’t activists for some cause that is in the news.  Jesus challenged the reigning authorities and ways of doing things.  He was political, but it was different.  It wasn’t a comparison of one political belief system versus an opposing one.  It was criticizing a political system that was opposed to God’s kingdom.  And when he did this, he offered a different vision for how life could be.  I hope I never preach in a way that seems to claim that God is a Democrat, Republican, or member of any other political party.  God is not any of those.  God’s ways are not Democrat or Republican ways.  God’s ways are better.

There’s more to a good sermon for me, but these are things that I think are essential.  As a Lutheran, I would also add in that a sermon should preach Law and Gospel.  But again, this is not a universal preaching thing – it’s Lutheran.

I’d love to hear what you think makes for a good sermon.  I would especially appreciate hearing the perspective of people who don’t preach, but listen week-in and week-out, those who don’t attend church often or rarely.  What makes for a good sermon for you?  Leave your comments in the comment section.  I’m looking forward to hearing what you think.  Thanks.

Law and Gospel

21 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by in Theology

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I’ve been in seminary long enough to have picked up a few things here and there.  Things like – people don’t know what to do with you when you say you are a seminarian.  You’re in this kind of limbo between layperson and clergy person.  I’ve gotten used to that.  That’s kind of the point too.  Seminary is a kind of transition.  Not that we become different when we become clergy people, but our role is different.

Another thing I’ve learned is how to listen to sermons.  I’ve heard plenty of sermons and homilies in my life, having been an active church goer all my life.  However, it wasn’t until seminary that I really learned how to listen to a sermon.  Attending a Lutheran seminary, we are taught a very Lutheran (obviously) way of doing sermons – preaching Law and Gospel.  The law convicts us of our sin and helpless nature to do anything about it.  And Gospel is essentially God’s grace and action.  The Gospel is the good news.  Of course, there can be good news in law too – but that’s for another posting.

One thing I’ve been able to “hear” more clearly is how easy it is to preach Law.  In fact, I’d say every clergy member I know of will admit that they have preached Law and left out the Gospel from time to time.  It’s easy to do.  And if one uses the lectionary readings, sometimes it’s difficult to find the Gospel in the readings.  I get that.

Of course preaching Law and Gospel is just one of the many ways in which sermons are prepared and preached.  There is no universal standard, so that makes judging a sermon rather difficult.  And really, judging a sermon?  Is that the point?  Not really.  I happen to believe that the Gospel can come through any sermon, even if it sounds an awful lot like Law.  It’s the Holy Spirit that works through it.  It may not speak to us, but it might speak to someone else who hears it.

And that’s the beauty of the preached word.  It’s God’s action in us.  The whole thing is – from the preaching to the listening.  God will speak to us in sometimes unfathomable ways and sometimes in hidden ways.  Yet, God speaks to us. Sometimes we hear God in the subtle and other times we need a 2×4 whacking us up side the head.  (Yeah, I’ve been a part of that group plenty of times).  But really, it comes down to this, even when Law is preached, the Gospel is there.