Categories: uncategorized
Date: 20 November 2010 15:49:37
Today I have been to a conference on preaching Matthew up at St. Johns; another CODEC event. It was a day I went to primarily to hear the soothing tones of Stephen Barton, a now retired lecturer who I could listen to for ever. He gave a great over view of Matthew's gospel.
The day challenged and taught me in equal measure through a couple of the other speakers particularly. David Day, who I'd never come across before but was apparently a previous principal of St. Johns and had written some stuff on preaching was interesting. He talked about being faithful to the text and gave some interesting examples of how and why we don't do that sometimes.
Kate Bruce was excellent in taking what Stephen had done and applying it to a sermon. It made me realise how little I know really and how much I still have to learn. The stuff she was going through made me realise where there are gaps in the approach of Faith and Worship, (the Methodist local preachers training stuff), something I have kind of spoken about before.
There was also an interesting issue emerged about what is and what isn't in the lectionary. This is one I find interesting. On one hand, particularly as somebody new to preaching I find the lectionary invaluable on the other there are some glaring omissions, such as the Matthew 6 :1-18 section we were looking at today. I have once had the courage to move beyond the lectionary and include something related to one of the other readings, but it is a difficult issue.
The other thing is for me though, as somebody who spent quarter of a century worshipping with "themes" rather than the lectionary, I find the idea of the lectionary like liturgy and the liturgical year. They are "new", exciting things to find out about and still lack the familiarity which might lead to more cynicism about them but at the same time they do not hold an attachment for me that I think they may for others.
Now I know well enough Baptists do use liturgy and the liturgical year does have some place but I grew up in a world where this was sort of never mentioned....afterall we were proper chapel and real low church ;)