Festival of Homiletics 1

I have been privileged to attend for many years my favorite Continuing Education Event ever, the Festival of Homiletics.  This year it is in Minneapolis and I thought it would be good to share my reflections here. But I wrote it for me too, as a way of collecting the notes, but also as a report if anyone asks, so forgive me if it sounds like I'm lecturing, or preaching!

 

We began Monday night with a sermon from David Lose who teaches preaching at Luther Seminary here in Minn.  He decided to tell us why the Festival opened with worship and then a hymn concert by the National Lutheran Choir.  He said "sometimes words set to music are the most powerful words of all."  He preached on Ephesians 5:15-20 Sing songs and hymns and spiritual songs.  And basically told us that we will only begin to change the world, only begin to move toward the kingdom when we get everyone singing.  It felt like affirmation of my emphasis in Genesis about congregational singing.

 

Then we had this morning a sermon from Walter Brueggeman, an 80 year old, scholar of the Old Testament, who has gotten to the point that he is able to say what he wants to say and doesn't worry about the consequences.  He has earned that respect.  His title was "Getting Smashed for Jesus."  He was using the potter images from OT and NT about how God is the potter and sometimes what is made is broken and needs to be smashed and remade.  Maybe, in Paul's language, we are paying too much attention to the clay pots and not enough to the treasure held inside.  Maybe we need to let go of what was so that what is can be experienced anew.

 

That was followed by Anna Carter Florence who teaches preaching in Georgia, who lectured us on a Parable Universe.  It was a call to look differently at the world.  To see how God is already present, to claim when we do a godly thing instead of a reasonable thing, it is about being attentive to our relationships and to see how love defines us in new ways, lifts us into new levels, gives us new insight and new hope.  And that sometimes living in a parable universe is about stating the obvious, drawing attention to the truth that surrounds us everyday but we've become so used to it we don't see it any more.

 

The Barbara Brown Taylor - who for the first time that I have heard her, did not pray the prayer I attributed to her - who spoke about being Inside the Dark Cloud of God.  We are so focused on God as the light, that we forget that the bible says God is in the darkness too.  God invites us to walk in times of uncertainty, in times of unknowing, and to trust that God will meet us there even as we grope for sure footing, and to not run back into the light because we have things to learn and experience in the dark. 

 

Then this afternoon, Craig Barnes, who is president of Princeton Seminary, preached about Learning to Love Leah.  He says that the Jacob and Rachel and Leah story is every marriage, every relationship.  Except there aren't three people, but that everyone we marry is two people, the Rachel we fell in love with and Leah we got in addition.  And that rather than trying to change Leah into Rachel, we should learn to love her as she is.  He also said that pastors and churches are the same, there is the Rachel we love and the Leah we either learn to love or run away from.

 

Then Otis Moss III who is a pastor in Chicago lectured us about preaching the blues.  He said we too often try to skip the blues and go straight to gospel.  But it misses the truth of brokenness and tragedy.  But only after we name the pain can we move on to hope.

 

Then tonight we heard MaryAnn McKibben Dana who is a pastor and blogger in Virginia who preached on Lips, Stomach and Heart.  Based on the passage in Matthew 15 about Jesus saying it isn't what goes in the mouth that makes us unclean but what comes out.  And then goes on to call the Canaanite woman a dog.  And like Abraham and Moses with God, the woman works to change Jesus mind about what his mission really is.  The bible, she said, shows us a God willing to change, but the change is always toward inclusion and grace.

 

Surrounding all of this is music.  The National Lutheran Choir was amazing.  60+ people who sang Latin chant and African rhythms ad traditional hymns and spirituals with power and grace, and we sang along for much of it.  The hymns are accompanied by an amazing organist who can make that instrument sing with an incredible range.  Sometimes to just sit and listen is to be brought into the presence of grace and love and hope.  We've sung some hymns I'd love to bring back, but I'm hesitant.  We've been presented music I would love to have our musicians do, but I am not sure it is within them.

 

But for now, I am soaking it up.  Like a cat in the sunshine, like a plant straining toward the light and dew that falls from the heavens.  I put in my email to the group last night that I am already being impacted by what I am hearing, already seeing ways to bring some of what I hear to my preaching and leading.  But there is more to come.