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Dim Lamp
Showing posts with label Eclectic Writings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eclectic Writings. Show all posts
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Do you Lent?
Do you Lent? Yes, that's proper English, the word Lent here is a verb, not a noun. The people at Canadian Lutheran World Relief provide folks with help to Lent. Check out their 2008 Lenten Calendar Walking With Christ For Others, which you can download to your computer and read every day. There are three foci for each day: learn, pray, and act. It's a wonderful way to be in solidarity with the Two-Thirds' World. Give it a few seconds to download.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Thoughts about Preaching on the Revised Common Lectionary
First of all a confession: There are scores of far more brilliant and creative-minded and hearted scholars and preachers who have waxed eloquently on this subject. Here are a few of my thoughts on it, and I invite you to share some of your thoughts and insights too by leaving a comment.
The Revised Common Lectionary and its predecessors—e.g. the three year lectionary in LBW (for you non-Lutherans, that’s Lutheran Book of Worship)—have helped my preaching in countless ways. I know that without a lectionary, I’d likely grind my own axe far more than I do now (we all still do, you know, that’s the old sinful nature at work within us), and stay within the comfort level of my favourite biblical, theological and liturgical motifs. It, more often than not, can be a helpful thing to preach on appointed pericopes every week. The opportunity to expand one’s biblical, theological and liturgical horizons are immense thanks to the Revised Common Lectionary and its predecessors. It is a humbling journey to stand under the authority of pericopes that one would rather argue with ad nausea or even dismiss on the basis of one’s own logic. It is also a faith-expanding process when one is instructed by the Holy Spirit to preach on passages that are difficult or obscure or “go against the grain.” I deeply appreciate many appointed lections because they capture the ebb and flow, the salient and inspirational, nuanced motifs of the liturgical church year. The lectionary also creates and maintains a comfortable order and decorum for the worshipping community. Perhaps one of the most significant advancements in the long quest for Christian unity is that there presently is a sense of unity among mainline Christians who follow the RCL around the globe, and this unity has been inspired by the reading, study, preaching of the Bible, with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Christ himself has been and is present in the reading, study, preaching, hearing and doing of the Word. For all of this and more, I am most grateful to the folks who prepare lectionaries and to our Lord who inspired such folks to complete these projects.
However, that said, I still have some concerns and critiques of our present Revised Common Lectionary. For starters, we Lutherans really do need to get our act together. In North America at least—I cannot speak for other Lutherans—we have far too many variant pericopes to regard it as a common lectionary. For example, I am in an ecumenical lectionary study group. More often than not, our ELCIC lectionary has more in common with Canadian Anglican, Presbyterian and United Church lectionaries than we do with our sister church, the ELCA. For a lengthy portion of the church year, ELCIC and ELCA first lessons are not the same. Moreover, when I extended an invitation to our local LCC—Lutheran Church Canada (Missouri Synod)—pastor to join our ecumenical lectionary group, he told me that he was following another lectionary used I believe in Germany, which is not on a three year cycle.
Another critique I have is that of late, it seems we Lutherans are moving away from the tradition of providing the number of the Sunday after Pentecost to the mundane “Time after Pentecost—Lectionary 23,” which is actually the 17th Sunday after Pentecost (although one can still go to the ELCIC Lift Up Your Hearts web site and download a version of the RCL with the older nomenclature); why all of this confusion and disorder? If we Lutherans really want to change from “17th Sunday after Pentecost” to some nomenclature more common ecumenically, then why not go with providing the number plus “Sunday in Ordinary Time,” which is familiar to several mainline denominations? Although theologically, there may be some fine reasons to keep the old numbering system plus “Sunday after Pentecost.”
Another criticism I have of the RCL is the reading of lengthy pericopes—I have noticed this especially during this year’s cycle A Lenten Gospels. I don’t mind hearing or, for that matter, reading these pericopes, most of which are marvellous stories. However, for practical purposes as a chaplain worshipping with seniors in a normally one-half hour time frame, it is very difficult to keep many of my people attentive for such readings and it usually means that the sermon is more brief—I know, that may not always be a negative thing! In the congregation I serve, also mainly consisting of seniors, it is very difficult for them to remain standing for such lengthy Gospel readings, so I encourage them to remain seated—actually I am of the opinion that there should be more consistency concerning when we sit and stand, if we stand for the Gospel, then why not for the other lections as well? Or perhaps we could remain seated for all of the lections—this is the tradition I know in some Danish Lutheran congregations and it makes sense to me, this indeed is the practice in the home where I serve as chaplain. Even in the congregational setting, especially during Holy Communion Sundays, when lengthy lections are read, I suspect the preaching suffers and it is often more difficult for pastors to prepare and deliver brief sermons—although I do admit this can be a fine discipline for us at times, since the act of preaching often invites us to say more with less words rather than the other way round!
I shall now end as I began, with a confession: During the longest season of the church year, “Sundays after Pentecost,” I often do not follow the RCL. Rather, I choose to prepare and preach a thematic series of sermons on e.g. the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, etc. I have found this quite challenging and enriching; congregants have also expressed their appreciation for such sermons and have, on occasion, offered their suggestions for the future. If you are a preacher, what do you think? Please leave a comment. Thank you and God bless you in your preaching!
The Revised Common Lectionary and its predecessors—e.g. the three year lectionary in LBW (for you non-Lutherans, that’s Lutheran Book of Worship)—have helped my preaching in countless ways. I know that without a lectionary, I’d likely grind my own axe far more than I do now (we all still do, you know, that’s the old sinful nature at work within us), and stay within the comfort level of my favourite biblical, theological and liturgical motifs. It, more often than not, can be a helpful thing to preach on appointed pericopes every week. The opportunity to expand one’s biblical, theological and liturgical horizons are immense thanks to the Revised Common Lectionary and its predecessors. It is a humbling journey to stand under the authority of pericopes that one would rather argue with ad nausea or even dismiss on the basis of one’s own logic. It is also a faith-expanding process when one is instructed by the Holy Spirit to preach on passages that are difficult or obscure or “go against the grain.” I deeply appreciate many appointed lections because they capture the ebb and flow, the salient and inspirational, nuanced motifs of the liturgical church year. The lectionary also creates and maintains a comfortable order and decorum for the worshipping community. Perhaps one of the most significant advancements in the long quest for Christian unity is that there presently is a sense of unity among mainline Christians who follow the RCL around the globe, and this unity has been inspired by the reading, study, preaching of the Bible, with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Christ himself has been and is present in the reading, study, preaching, hearing and doing of the Word. For all of this and more, I am most grateful to the folks who prepare lectionaries and to our Lord who inspired such folks to complete these projects.
However, that said, I still have some concerns and critiques of our present Revised Common Lectionary. For starters, we Lutherans really do need to get our act together. In North America at least—I cannot speak for other Lutherans—we have far too many variant pericopes to regard it as a common lectionary. For example, I am in an ecumenical lectionary study group. More often than not, our ELCIC lectionary has more in common with Canadian Anglican, Presbyterian and United Church lectionaries than we do with our sister church, the ELCA. For a lengthy portion of the church year, ELCIC and ELCA first lessons are not the same. Moreover, when I extended an invitation to our local LCC—Lutheran Church Canada (Missouri Synod)—pastor to join our ecumenical lectionary group, he told me that he was following another lectionary used I believe in Germany, which is not on a three year cycle.
Another critique I have is that of late, it seems we Lutherans are moving away from the tradition of providing the number of the Sunday after Pentecost to the mundane “Time after Pentecost—Lectionary 23,” which is actually the 17th Sunday after Pentecost (although one can still go to the ELCIC Lift Up Your Hearts web site and download a version of the RCL with the older nomenclature); why all of this confusion and disorder? If we Lutherans really want to change from “17th Sunday after Pentecost” to some nomenclature more common ecumenically, then why not go with providing the number plus “Sunday in Ordinary Time,” which is familiar to several mainline denominations? Although theologically, there may be some fine reasons to keep the old numbering system plus “Sunday after Pentecost.”
Another criticism I have of the RCL is the reading of lengthy pericopes—I have noticed this especially during this year’s cycle A Lenten Gospels. I don’t mind hearing or, for that matter, reading these pericopes, most of which are marvellous stories. However, for practical purposes as a chaplain worshipping with seniors in a normally one-half hour time frame, it is very difficult to keep many of my people attentive for such readings and it usually means that the sermon is more brief—I know, that may not always be a negative thing! In the congregation I serve, also mainly consisting of seniors, it is very difficult for them to remain standing for such lengthy Gospel readings, so I encourage them to remain seated—actually I am of the opinion that there should be more consistency concerning when we sit and stand, if we stand for the Gospel, then why not for the other lections as well? Or perhaps we could remain seated for all of the lections—this is the tradition I know in some Danish Lutheran congregations and it makes sense to me, this indeed is the practice in the home where I serve as chaplain. Even in the congregational setting, especially during Holy Communion Sundays, when lengthy lections are read, I suspect the preaching suffers and it is often more difficult for pastors to prepare and deliver brief sermons—although I do admit this can be a fine discipline for us at times, since the act of preaching often invites us to say more with less words rather than the other way round!
I shall now end as I began, with a confession: During the longest season of the church year, “Sundays after Pentecost,” I often do not follow the RCL. Rather, I choose to prepare and preach a thematic series of sermons on e.g. the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, etc. I have found this quite challenging and enriching; congregants have also expressed their appreciation for such sermons and have, on occasion, offered their suggestions for the future. If you are a preacher, what do you think? Please leave a comment. Thank you and God bless you in your preaching!
Blog Roll
A few comments on the blog roll links. A Peculiar Prophet is the blog of American Methodist bishop, homiletics scholar, and author-Wil Willimon. GENEralities and GENEralities, too are the blogs of my Anglican friend and colleague, the Reverend Gene Packwood, who also is a gifted artist and musician. Lutheran Blog Directory, as the title suggests, is an excellent reference blog for Lutherans of all kinds, and you can leave your blog link in the directory. textweek is the blog of Jenee Woodard, who also has a wonderful web site-The Text This Week, both blog and web site contain a wide variety of Revised Common Lectionary resources. Tyndale Tech is a blog the provides electronic resources for biblical studies. Garth's Place is my old web site, where you can also read many of my old sermons from 1998-2004.
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