Dear Friends, (especially my Presbyterian brothers and sisters)
I tend to think that while it takes UM students longer to complete seminary, there are some advantages to serving as a student local pastor during seminary...
After 3 1/2 years at Apple River UMC I have been through the lectionary cycle as well as the liturgical calendar...I still struggle with some of the same preaching issues that you share...and yet God provides.
This is what I have learned...
Lent is much harder than Advent/Christmas. I think that its because it means much more to me than to the average parishoner...finding a way to make Lent meaningful is still a challenge.
(By the way, I really like to use some of the elements from Cloth From the Cradle for advent/Christmas - and this year I ordered the Iona Community Lent/Easter book...)
The lectionary is my friend - but so is preaching Lectio through a book during long stretches of ordinary time. 2 summers ago it was Genesis...complete with powerpoint pics of some of the great art of the world to emphasize some of the points... this year - inspired by our Acts reflections during Missional Church with Bonnie Sue - I preached through Acts. Get out those exegesis papers and notes from class and take them on a ride through a book of the Bible.
That being said, small group ministry is where it's at...because just a short while after the aforementioned Genesis series - I was leading an OT Disciple Bible Study short course - and more than one member of the class said "I have never heard this story in the Bible before" I wanted to die - I had preached what I thought was a pretty good sermon on that passage just 6 weeks earlier! argh!!!!
Be faithful in your preaching of God's Word, love them, be kind, challenge them, try to tell their stories - especially at funerals. Oh and - read for fun...and meet the other pastors in town...and in the town next door.
Scott, I don't know that I can expect to have friends like I have had friends in the past - and so I agree that is a great struggle. Personally I can't flip a switch and be pastor one minute and friend the next...have tried here - and it does not work. May be a female thing - we are a bit different about relationships...lol
I may be a bit cynical about traditional Sunday worship - perhaps because I am worn out by the ultra small church (40-50 in worship) and the lack of resources...I think the folks here are doing as well as they can...it is hard to be at peace with being good enough.
You are all missed very much - our numbers are dwindling as 5 more graduated in December. Honestly I am glad this is about over...my focus right now is on a call from my District Superintendant offering me a church somewhere in Iowa...
Blessings,
Deb
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2 comments:
Glad to hear that I'm not the only one. I think the adrenaline is wearing off a bit...but I do totally agree that I am beginning to love the lectionary more and more each passing day. And I am struggling with what I can do to make lent meaningful. And I do get a great deal of energy from small groups...especially our Bible Study.
It just helps to get an "Amen" from the congregation once and a while and hear that I'm not just a freak who feels this way.
Well...I am a freak...but that's beside the point.
You're not the only one. I preach sporadically and I'm still having trouble keeping it fresh. Being in the parish fulltime is wonderful. But I miss the insight of my classmates and profs.
As for our preaching ... we do it by series. We're trying to cover a few basics each year. For example, something on doctrine, like "Christian Believer," etc. We might teach the class and base the sermons on the same topic. We also try to include a series on Acts and the early church. For Lent we're starting the "Why" series, sermons and small group study. Its about the big questions: Why are we here? Why Jesus? etc. They're not really geared toward seekers, because we find that very few folks actually know the basics, and most are afraid to admit it. We continue to stress "thinking theologically." We do use lectionary, as these topics grow out of the text, but not necessarily in lectionary order.
I do struggle with this approach occasionally, having been trained by you Presbyterians. I just can't start with the topic and then hunt for scripture that applies, so I sometimes find myself coming at a topic in a way that I wouldn't have predicted, based on scripture. We always include the Gospel message, and bring it back to the relationship aspect. The congregation knows itself as a relational congregation. We're helping them to see the reason for that ... our relational Triune God.
Anyway, for what its worth I thought I would share that. It doesn't make sermon prep any easier. Just different!
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