The Present Preacher

Discerning God in the Now

Liz Shercliff, Matt Allen

• Publisher: Canterbury Press Norwich
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781786223869
• eBook ISBN: 9781786223883
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

Good preaching depends on being attentive – to God, to the Bible, to the congregation, to the context, to what influences and shapes the preacher. This practical, confidence-building guide is for all who want to develop their preaching by homing in on that which points to God in the now.Encouraging preachers in the ways that will make authentic connections with others, it demonstrates that preaching in today's culture requires preachers to 'show up and be present, in person' rather than speak 'in role' or act as religious spokespersons who take no responsibility for their message.Based on the authors' own training of ordinands, it offers: • Insights on how to develop the habit of noticing God in the world;• Strategies for opening up and finding fresh meaning in familiar Bible texts;• Ways of understanding what influences your congregation and your own theology;• Sample sermons that embody these principles.

1. Getting to the Present

MATT ALLEN

Why homiletics?

Preachers can exercise faithful ministries for decades without ever having to encounter the language of homiletics. They can become skilled and wise practitioners through their careful reading of scripture, observance of good examples, empathy with others, and openness to the Holy Spirit. So, we might ask: ‘Who needs another book on preaching?’ or even ‘Why should we be interested in homiletics?’ In short, I believe that developments in the area of homiletics over recent decades have been shaping preaching in churches. Some of these latest advances have put us in danger of forgetting things which are important about being a preacher.

So, what is homiletics? Well, if you think of preaching as playing the beautiful game (insert your preferred sport here), then homiletics is appreciation of the sport. It includes tactical analysis and punditry, commentary, facts and opinion as well as all that might support the development of the game itself. We are considering homiletics because this book is about being a preacher. As you read, please keep in mind the proper order of things. Preaching as part of Christian worship is directed towards far more than itself. Preaching does not happen to shape fresh thinking about homiletics but, importantly, fresh thinking about homiletics does happen to shape preaching.

Getting to the present

I like telling stories, although I am becoming more aware that when I do, I reveal more about myself than I probably intend. In this chapter we take a look at how we got to where we are today and why, for a time such as this, we need the present preacher. Right at the start, I want to acknowledge two things so that we can proceed with clarity and honesty as we explore the shifts that have happened in preaching within English-speaking Protestant churches. First, there are limits to what can be covered. This chapter will only focus on some of the key strands of the broad and diverse homiletical movement which became known as the New Homiletic. Secondly, I will inevitably tell this story in a way that mirrors my own journey of preaching – a trip I have taken on a seat with a restricted view.

I encountered the New Homiletic as something that felt truly ‘new’. At the time, I didn’t know there was a movement, let alone what it was called. I simply experienced the sermons of preachers who seemed to be doing something different from what I had known before. Hearing these preachers sparked my imagination and offered an example that helped me to develop as a preacher. Later, when I realized that they had been influenced by the New Homiletic, I discovered that I had found a place to call home within the world of preaching. Had the New Homiletic seemed less novel to me, this chapter would read differently. For those better acquainted with the preaching practised in Black American churches in the twentieth century, the New Homiletic and the preaching it encouraged was not all that new.1 White Protestants came late to the party. Although most of the key figures behind the movement are white Protestant men, their enthusiasm and innovation within the New Homiletic ought not to be mistaken for invention.2 It is all too easy for the New Homiletic to be feted for its impact on the discipline of homiletics in the academy. However, I try to remember that this highlights that some voices have had too little representation.

In this chapter, I will explore some of the developments in homiletics that have brought us to the present day. My main focus will be on the contribution of Karl Barth, the origins and emphases of the New Homiletic movement in the 1970s, and the trends in preaching which have emerged since. This chapter might be the one you skim read, skirt round, or soak up. It is deliberately focussed on theory and designed to help us to locate where we are in the present as preachers. Ultimately, I am arguing that the New Homiletic has done good things for preaching. However, in my view, it has been misleading for preachers because it discouraged them from preaching as themselves so that their personal faith was made evident.3 It is time to reimagine the New Homiletic for present preaching. It is time for what we are calling the Now Homiletic.

The Now Homiletic is about preachers

being present,

in the present,

speaking personally,

in Christ.

Throughout this book we are teasing out what the Now Homiletic means for us. I want us to begin our exploration in scripture.

Speaking personally

There’s something about the tone of Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians which I find compelling. It is rich in humility and seems so deeply and unashamedly personal. In this letter, Paul’s emotions are evident. They bubble at the surface until the conflict inside him spills out quite dramatically in chapters 10 and 11.4 In chapter 11, Paul reveals that love for the Corinthian church has been the motivation for the way he ministered among them.5 It is this love which keeps Paul from making his letter about himself, yet he does speak as himself. Throughout the letter Paul models the balance of speaking personally without boasting – that is drawing attention to yourself and making things about you. Paul will boast only of his weakness.6 His letter is not an essay full of abstract ideas; it is a relatable and personal letter from an ordinary and extraordinary servant of Christ.7 The verses which capture this best for me are a favourite of many.

For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. (2 Corinthians 4.5–7)

Looking around my kitchen at home, I can see lots of jars: jars of nuts, raisins, rice and seeds. All the jars are made of glass. This is a deliberate choice as it means your eye is drawn towards what is in them rather than the jar themselves. When I think about preaching, it is tempting to imagine myself as a glass jar. Surely this would be the best way to highlight the contents of the container? It certainly sounds like a virtue to be transparent. Being transparent is definitely positive if it means that you are visible and easy to spot. However, being transparent might also imply that someone can see through you. This works well in practice for the jars in my kitchen, but it does not sound like an unequivocally good thing when it comes to preaching. Let’s identify the issue.

Even if glass jars like these had been an option, I want to argue that Paul would not have chosen them over the earthen vessels or ‘clay jars’. The image Paul opts for is drawn from the Hebrew scriptures. It points to the ordinary dignity of human creatureliness and createdness; it acknowledges God as the potter and us as the clay.8 The problem with a glass jar is that it has the potential to be illusory. A glass jar can almost suggest that it is not really there, that it is not altering the view of its contents. Yet, in reality, because of the thickness or curvature of the glass it will always be affecting what is seen, even if it is ever so slightly. A clay jar is apparent, it can be seen for what it is. Paul offers a picture of patently ordinary people as vessels of God’s extraordinary power. A light has ‘shone ...

Table of contents

• Copyright information
• Contents
• Foreword
• Introduction
• 1. Getting to the Present
• 2. Present to God
• 3. Present to Ourselves
• 4. Present to the Bible
• 5. Present to Our Congregations
• 6. Present Preaching: A Conclusion Leading to Practice
• Afterword
• Bibliography