an article I wrote for the St. Andrew's Greeter
From The Desk of the Intern:
Well congrats are in order. We raised all the money. I say "We" it was really you. I'd like to thank everyone for all their prayers, words of support and generous donations. I have no idea who gave what and don't want to know. As far as I'm concerned everyone gave what they could.
I'll be officially joining the staff on June 1st. My last Sunday will be May 13th and then I'm taking some "Steven time". I need a little break before I get started. Don't worry I assure you I'll only be having fun and not working at all. I know you were concerned.
However before things come to a close I have built a list of my top 10 moments as your Intern.
1) The Lock-In - Never forget that fingers are like toes for your hands
2) The Cabaret - Needs no explanation
3) Wine & Bingo Prep - The Bingo Babes are awesome and thanks to everyone who helped make it great!
4) The Men's Retreat - If you didn't go this year go next year
5) Scary Acres - The Monsters learned Lauren's name and kept talking to her directly
6) Preaching - I freak out about it but at the end of the day I love it. It's my chance to really serve ALL of you
7) Lenten Bible Study - We've had so much fun. If you didn't go you've missed out
8) Helping clear the grounds and getting to pick a cross design
9) Staff Meetings - I know this seems like a kiss up move but I really do like staff meetings
10) DQ run after Good Friday - Amazing tradition
Okay I'm a rule breaker (even my own rules!):
11) Wednesday Night Dinner & SAY - We have fun!
12) Dinner at people's homes - Thank you for giving me somewhere to go and a family to join
I could go on and on because I had a blast being your intern. I can't wait to be your Parish Coordinator and we will need to start calling me that. It's going to be great and I'm really excited. If you are bummed that you weren't involved with anything off the list of 12 then they only thing to do is call me up and we'll hang out and have fun. I never say no to the movies.
On that note: I will be moving into the church. I'm a shorts and t-shirt kinda guy and I hate wearing shoes (hence the barefoot preaching on Maundy Thursday). So if you are at the church on a random Thursday night realize you may bump into a very casual me. I also hope that if there are any issues (and let's face it they will revolve around keeping the church clean) that you come to me. Don't go to other staff members, don't go to the Vestry, don't call my parents. Come and talk to me. I'm going to be as clean as possible and try to mind my Ps and Qs but anyone can make a mistake and I've been known to make quite a few. We can make this work as long as we talk to each other and work together. Thank you again for all your love and support. This year was amazing because of the family I've found at St. Andrew's.
Your Brother in Christ,
Steven
Monday, April 30, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Thoughts on the Hunger Games
So I went and the saw the Hunger Games. If you don't want anything spoiled for you I'd advise you not read any further. I don't intend to summarize the movie but my thoughts toward it but I will be talking about the movie so spoiler alert.
I enjoyed it overall (although perhaps I should regret that reaction.) It was amazing to me the similarities I felt between sport events and reality TV. The Hunger Games is a mix of both. However, millions (and even billions) of people participate in these past-times, so the commentary it provides on us as a people is worth examining.
It seems like there is a blood lust in us and one that can't be explained. I tried at one of our Thursday AM sessions with Jason to say we've grown beyond that. We don't throw Christians to the lions or have Gladiators fight to the death. Father Jason was like, "What about our love of football and torture movies like Saw?" That comment gave me pause. Maybe we haven't gone as far as I'd like to think.
Reality TV has a huge following but one that when you talk to people about it they frequently apologize. "I know I shouldn't like it or watch it but I love it." It's a phrase I hear often to describe shows like Survivor, the Bachelor/Bachelorette, and the list goes on. In college a dear friend of mine (named Rachel) was always quick to say, "Campus TVs aren't tracked for ratings. Whatever I watch has no impact on a networks willingness to continue programing because they don't look at what we watch the way they do an average American household." I've been meaning to ask her if she avoids Reality TV now that she lives in her own house and what she watches is being tracked.
Gale says to Katness, "What if no one watched the Hunger Games?"
What if we stopped watching our sporting events and reality TV? The power that they possess exists solely because people watch. If no one watched the loss of money and the loss of advertisers and sponsors would make these institutions collapse. They have power because each of us gives them power.
A co-worker of mine (a devout follower of Christ) said, "Sometimes I wish half of the money that gets spent on football went to actually helping people. I think it can make a big difference in feeding the hungry, treating the sick, etc." There is a lot of money in this world.
It begs the question though that every American should ask themselves: "How do I spend my time?" and "How do I spend my money?"
I honestly spend the majority of my time sleeping. I work 40 - 45 hours a week. I sleep on average 8 hours a night so that works out to 56. That leaves around 67 hours unaccounted for. 5 - 7 of those hours is spent cleaning up (showering, brushing teeth, shaving etc.). Another 7 to 10 hours is spent eating. So 50 hours unaccounted for at this point. Where does the time go? I spend probably another 5 hours reading (most of it for work but some for pleasure), I spend another 5 hours a week drive placings (work, store, etc.)
The last 40 hours I most likely spend on leisure. TV, computer, going to the movies/watching a DVD, talking on the phone. These things are important to me but certainly aren't necessary for my existence (except maybe the phone thing because there are some people in my life if I couldn't talk to them I may actually go crazy.)
My money - right now a lot of it goes to bills, food or gasoline (I don't make that much). But I'd be lying if I said I only used my money for healthy food. Sometimes I stop and get a burger (and I don't need a burger in so many ways.) Sometimes I buy a bottle of wine (and I don't need alcohol). I love going to the movies and it's something I do more frequently in Omaha than in Lawrenceville. So some of my money is being wasted (just like some of my time.)
Distopian ideas are becoming more and more popular. Utopia has stopped seeming improbable and seems to have become impossible. Movies and books offer up some ideas of what we will evolve into and how we will keep ourselves going. Will we become Children of Men (no reproduction) or will it look like Brave New World (reproduction via assembly/line or machine)? Will it be like Book of Eli or The Road (food becomes so scare in these books/movies that some people start eating other people to survive)?
I think if we take God out of the equation then the likelihood of us getting there goes up - a lot. I believe our Heavenly Creator is looking out for us and trying to help us get back on track. Like most children though we are more interested in doing our own thing and having our own way. We rebel and it makes us feel powerful, independent, and strong. It is only after-the-fact that we realize that maybe our way wasn't the best way. When we realize this most people try to make amends, try to fix what's been wronged and move back to where they are supposed to be.
What I liked most about the Hunger Games is how real it was. Katness thinks Gale is foolish for believing that people wouldn't watch the Hunger Games. She does however refuse to kill Peter (a great name for a hero) from her own district and instead talks him into killing himself just as she kills herself. Katness knows she can't get the districts to stop watching but she knows she can control herself.
It's a powerful statement and in many ways a challenge to each of us. Ghandi issued the challenge in his own way by saying, "Be the change you want to see in the world." Michael Jackson sang a song about changing the "Man in the Mirror." These ideas stretch back in time (to even before Christ). It isn't about changing anyone else - it's about changing yourself and then inviting those around you to join in to change themselves.
What are some changes I need to make? I think the biggest one is to spend more time reading. Reading anything and everything I can. I should certainly spend more time reading scripture but also any books that could provide insight into faith or into people. I really should find something to read that would help me learn Spanish. (Maybe I'll go out and buy Spanish for Dummies.) (The other big change is of course health/self-care which I'm working on).
If anyone has any thoughts or ideas about the Hunger Games please feel free to share them (via email or on the phone if posting here isn't something you want to do.) We'll be having a Youth Event to go see the movie and then a discussion afterwards and I'll have to make sure the kids learn something from this. That they grow either in knowledge of themselves or (hopefully) in their understanding of God or Christ.
I enjoyed it overall (although perhaps I should regret that reaction.) It was amazing to me the similarities I felt between sport events and reality TV. The Hunger Games is a mix of both. However, millions (and even billions) of people participate in these past-times, so the commentary it provides on us as a people is worth examining.
It seems like there is a blood lust in us and one that can't be explained. I tried at one of our Thursday AM sessions with Jason to say we've grown beyond that. We don't throw Christians to the lions or have Gladiators fight to the death. Father Jason was like, "What about our love of football and torture movies like Saw?" That comment gave me pause. Maybe we haven't gone as far as I'd like to think.
Reality TV has a huge following but one that when you talk to people about it they frequently apologize. "I know I shouldn't like it or watch it but I love it." It's a phrase I hear often to describe shows like Survivor, the Bachelor/Bachelorette, and the list goes on. In college a dear friend of mine (named Rachel) was always quick to say, "Campus TVs aren't tracked for ratings. Whatever I watch has no impact on a networks willingness to continue programing because they don't look at what we watch the way they do an average American household." I've been meaning to ask her if she avoids Reality TV now that she lives in her own house and what she watches is being tracked.
Gale says to Katness, "What if no one watched the Hunger Games?"
What if we stopped watching our sporting events and reality TV? The power that they possess exists solely because people watch. If no one watched the loss of money and the loss of advertisers and sponsors would make these institutions collapse. They have power because each of us gives them power.
A co-worker of mine (a devout follower of Christ) said, "Sometimes I wish half of the money that gets spent on football went to actually helping people. I think it can make a big difference in feeding the hungry, treating the sick, etc." There is a lot of money in this world.
It begs the question though that every American should ask themselves: "How do I spend my time?" and "How do I spend my money?"
I honestly spend the majority of my time sleeping. I work 40 - 45 hours a week. I sleep on average 8 hours a night so that works out to 56. That leaves around 67 hours unaccounted for. 5 - 7 of those hours is spent cleaning up (showering, brushing teeth, shaving etc.). Another 7 to 10 hours is spent eating. So 50 hours unaccounted for at this point. Where does the time go? I spend probably another 5 hours reading (most of it for work but some for pleasure), I spend another 5 hours a week drive placings (work, store, etc.)
The last 40 hours I most likely spend on leisure. TV, computer, going to the movies/watching a DVD, talking on the phone. These things are important to me but certainly aren't necessary for my existence (except maybe the phone thing because there are some people in my life if I couldn't talk to them I may actually go crazy.)
My money - right now a lot of it goes to bills, food or gasoline (I don't make that much). But I'd be lying if I said I only used my money for healthy food. Sometimes I stop and get a burger (and I don't need a burger in so many ways.) Sometimes I buy a bottle of wine (and I don't need alcohol). I love going to the movies and it's something I do more frequently in Omaha than in Lawrenceville. So some of my money is being wasted (just like some of my time.)
Distopian ideas are becoming more and more popular. Utopia has stopped seeming improbable and seems to have become impossible. Movies and books offer up some ideas of what we will evolve into and how we will keep ourselves going. Will we become Children of Men (no reproduction) or will it look like Brave New World (reproduction via assembly/line or machine)? Will it be like Book of Eli or The Road (food becomes so scare in these books/movies that some people start eating other people to survive)?
I think if we take God out of the equation then the likelihood of us getting there goes up - a lot. I believe our Heavenly Creator is looking out for us and trying to help us get back on track. Like most children though we are more interested in doing our own thing and having our own way. We rebel and it makes us feel powerful, independent, and strong. It is only after-the-fact that we realize that maybe our way wasn't the best way. When we realize this most people try to make amends, try to fix what's been wronged and move back to where they are supposed to be.
What I liked most about the Hunger Games is how real it was. Katness thinks Gale is foolish for believing that people wouldn't watch the Hunger Games. She does however refuse to kill Peter (a great name for a hero) from her own district and instead talks him into killing himself just as she kills herself. Katness knows she can't get the districts to stop watching but she knows she can control herself.
It's a powerful statement and in many ways a challenge to each of us. Ghandi issued the challenge in his own way by saying, "Be the change you want to see in the world." Michael Jackson sang a song about changing the "Man in the Mirror." These ideas stretch back in time (to even before Christ). It isn't about changing anyone else - it's about changing yourself and then inviting those around you to join in to change themselves.
What are some changes I need to make? I think the biggest one is to spend more time reading. Reading anything and everything I can. I should certainly spend more time reading scripture but also any books that could provide insight into faith or into people. I really should find something to read that would help me learn Spanish. (Maybe I'll go out and buy Spanish for Dummies.) (The other big change is of course health/self-care which I'm working on).
If anyone has any thoughts or ideas about the Hunger Games please feel free to share them (via email or on the phone if posting here isn't something you want to do.) We'll be having a Youth Event to go see the movie and then a discussion afterwards and I'll have to make sure the kids learn something from this. That they grow either in knowledge of themselves or (hopefully) in their understanding of God or Christ.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Lenten Bible Study: "The Good Life"
The First Sunday of Lent has past, and we are in the deep, in the thick of Lent, there is no turning back (in case you wondered). The First Sunday of Lent marked many things to many people I am sure, but for me it marked the beginning of the Lenten Bible Study that I am leading for the next six weeks. The Bible Study is titled “The Last Days of Jesus.” It is composed of a Gospel verse that relates to Jesus’ last days, and a complementary video series that includes a scene in the Holy Land, and a theological scholar’s reflections and insights on the passage. The theological scholars change from week to week and are set in different and interesting locations
throughout America.
This week we studied Matthew 16:13-28, and heard our theological reflection from Dr. Matt Williams in Vulture City, AZ. Dr. Williams makes many wonderful points about this passage. But, the one that impacted me most was his discussion of “the good life.” “The good life,” these were words that welcomed me into my new home in Omaha, NE six months ago, as I crossed the state line between Iowa and Nebraska.
Dr. Williams points out that in Matthew 16:24-25 Jesus reveals to his disciples, and us, a new, radical way to live to truly live the “good life.” “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” In Christ we give up our lives, and our selves, daily to follow and serve Him. Denying ourselves and taking up our own cross is not an easy charge, nor does it seem like the “good life” that our consumerist culture advertises to us everywhere we turn. But, Christ’s way is the only way, to a true, untarnished, pure happiness, and this is where we will find the one and only “good life,” which God had intended for us to live.
This was the “good life” which I came to find upon entering the Resurrection House program, here in Omaha, NE. As, I denied my old ways of life, to take on a new one, trying to put Christ at the center of all I do and all I am. It is not easy, but I am finding everyday that I work to deny myself and take on Christ I find the “good life,” and it continues to get a little better.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Ash Wednesday - LONG Day
So a couple of months ago Father John said in a staff meeting, "We still need to figure out who's going to preach for Ash Wednesday?"
Being me I raised my hand and said, "I'll do it."
Once this was on the books I told my parents they should come out and hear me preach for Ash Wednesday which they did. I also got to show them where I live, the beautiful Church of the Resurrection, the hard-working Latino Center of the Midlands, and my parish placement the friendly St. Andrew's.
We (my Mom, my Dad, and myself) visited the Durham museum which was a lot of fun.
However I did not realize that I would be preaching FOUR times until maybe a month before Ash Wednesday. 7AM, 9:30AM, Noon, and 7PM. That is a LOT of preaching. Thankfully I only wrote one sermon and re-used it for all four services. I can't imagine trying to create something in the moment four times in one day. It was a long day and next time before I volunteer I'm going to ask some questions.
I was impressed at how many people dropped what they were doing and attended an Ash Wednesday service. St. Andrew's had a pretty big turn out (don't have the final numbers) but it was inspiring. I think we had a few people who weren't St. Andrew's "regulars" but I loved that. I like the idea of people worshipping in the place and space they are in. You gotta go to a church that is close to where you work. You gotta go to a different church if you are a business traveler and out of town. I say do it! Make the time and space to worship. For everyone that did I want to say thank you. I am so grateful for the wonderful people who to come church. They aren't perfect and I don't expect them to be but things wouldn't be the same without them.
I hope that everyone who got to experience Ash Wednesday enjoyed it. For those who didn't maybe next year. For those of you who have jobs that prevent you from paticipating I hope you find a way to observe it outside the four walls of your local church.
Being me I raised my hand and said, "I'll do it."
Once this was on the books I told my parents they should come out and hear me preach for Ash Wednesday which they did. I also got to show them where I live, the beautiful Church of the Resurrection, the hard-working Latino Center of the Midlands, and my parish placement the friendly St. Andrew's.
We (my Mom, my Dad, and myself) visited the Durham museum which was a lot of fun.
However I did not realize that I would be preaching FOUR times until maybe a month before Ash Wednesday. 7AM, 9:30AM, Noon, and 7PM. That is a LOT of preaching. Thankfully I only wrote one sermon and re-used it for all four services. I can't imagine trying to create something in the moment four times in one day. It was a long day and next time before I volunteer I'm going to ask some questions.
I was impressed at how many people dropped what they were doing and attended an Ash Wednesday service. St. Andrew's had a pretty big turn out (don't have the final numbers) but it was inspiring. I think we had a few people who weren't St. Andrew's "regulars" but I loved that. I like the idea of people worshipping in the place and space they are in. You gotta go to a church that is close to where you work. You gotta go to a different church if you are a business traveler and out of town. I say do it! Make the time and space to worship. For everyone that did I want to say thank you. I am so grateful for the wonderful people who to come church. They aren't perfect and I don't expect them to be but things wouldn't be the same without them.
I hope that everyone who got to experience Ash Wednesday enjoyed it. For those who didn't maybe next year. For those of you who have jobs that prevent you from paticipating I hope you find a way to observe it outside the four walls of your local church.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Renewal in Lent
Twice a week I head over to a Nursing and Assisted Living Home to do a Bible Study. We have been working our way through the Gospel of Mark, and we recently got to Mark 12:13-17, where Jesus is asked about paying taxes to Caesar. We all pondered that story for awhile, especially verse 17….
Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” (NIV Translation)
As I prepared to move on, a wheelchair bound octogenarian said something profound. She said that everything belongs to God, because God had the grace to make us in the first place. It was great to receive that witness from someone who has a multitude of valid reasons to be bitter and pessimistic.
As the season of Lent approaches, All Saints Episcopal Church is focusing on renewal. One of our offerings, which I will lead, is a book discussion based on the idea of a “practical” Christianity. How can one truly center their lives on the Gospel? Sunday morning worship is a great discipline, but someone wise once told me it’s a little like a huddle in football. You get together, take a breather, get on the same page, and head back out there to really play the game. Worship happens on Sunday morning. Ministry happens during the rest of the week.
How does the Gospel inform what food we buy? Or how we buy our clothes? Or who we make time for in our schedules? There is no cookie-cutter, one size fits all answer to these questions. But if we center ourselves on God, and try to build our house on the rock of Christ instead of sand (Matthew 7:24-27), then the Spirit will guide us.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Lent will be arriving soon
Time is a funny thing. It may be one of the few, never changing, constants in this world. But, for some unknown reason a never changing, set length of time, for example an hour, can seem like
a minute when catching up with an old friend, or a year when running on the treadmill. No matter if we experience a set period of time as a minute or a year the clock still keeps ticking and time still keeps passing us by.
Every year I feel as though Lent creeps up on me like a thief in the night. And, every year I find my- self scrambling to discern what it is I will give up or take on for the 40 days and 40 nights of allotted time for sobering reflection and awareness. It al- ways seems to be the longest and shortest time of the year. Long, for it feels like decades until I can indulge in chocolate, shopping, or a glass of wine again (various items which I have purged during the Lenten season). And short, for it seems that those things I intend to do, or to take on, pass me by day after day. Until, I find myself at Easter wondering if I had truly used the time I had been given to contemplate what it means to be a Chris- tian, what it means that God had to come down to this earth suffer and die so that we could once again live as His beloved children, walking with Him in an eternal journey of love and companion- ship.
This year is different in the sense that I will be giv- ing up, or taking on, a Lenten discipline within my Resurrection House community. Being held ac- countable for my disciplines within the time of Lent will be a completely new experience for me. I am interested to see what it will look like not only to hold myself accountable in the eyes of God, but also in the eyes of my two housemates. The time of Lent, I am certain, will pass by as it has in years before, but I hope this time will be different. With the opportunity to contemplate the meaning of Lent within community, as we take on a Lenten discipline together, it is my hope that this experi- ence will bring me to Easter with new insight and knowledge. That I will come upon Easter Sunday knowing that I, and my community, used the time of Lent to the best of our ability, coming to a better understanding and knowledge of God, Christ’s ul- timate sacrifice and free gift, as well as the power of the Holy Spirit within our world.
a minute when catching up with an old friend, or a year when running on the treadmill. No matter if we experience a set period of time as a minute or a year the clock still keeps ticking and time still keeps passing us by.
Every year I feel as though Lent creeps up on me like a thief in the night. And, every year I find my- self scrambling to discern what it is I will give up or take on for the 40 days and 40 nights of allotted time for sobering reflection and awareness. It al- ways seems to be the longest and shortest time of the year. Long, for it feels like decades until I can indulge in chocolate, shopping, or a glass of wine again (various items which I have purged during the Lenten season). And short, for it seems that those things I intend to do, or to take on, pass me by day after day. Until, I find myself at Easter wondering if I had truly used the time I had been given to contemplate what it means to be a Chris- tian, what it means that God had to come down to this earth suffer and die so that we could once again live as His beloved children, walking with Him in an eternal journey of love and companion- ship.
This year is different in the sense that I will be giv- ing up, or taking on, a Lenten discipline within my Resurrection House community. Being held ac- countable for my disciplines within the time of Lent will be a completely new experience for me. I am interested to see what it will look like not only to hold myself accountable in the eyes of God, but also in the eyes of my two housemates. The time of Lent, I am certain, will pass by as it has in years before, but I hope this time will be different. With the opportunity to contemplate the meaning of Lent within community, as we take on a Lenten discipline together, it is my hope that this experi- ence will bring me to Easter with new insight and knowledge. That I will come upon Easter Sunday knowing that I, and my community, used the time of Lent to the best of our ability, coming to a better understanding and knowledge of God, Christ’s ul- timate sacrifice and free gift, as well as the power of the Holy Spirit within our world.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Tricks to Preaching
At a Super Bowl party someone asked me, "How do you prepare to preach?"
I think they wanted to know if I had any secrets. Well I don't. Here's my process.
I wait until the week before to prepare the sermon. I know I don't have to but I also feel like trying to do it a few weeks in advance....is
1) cheating the clergy are doing it week to week and
2) too sterile for my tastes. I want to be working with it up until delivery in the hopes that I will let the Holy Spirit speak to me on the topic.
So I start by reading the lectionary. Then I spend some time (typically 24-36 hours) just thinking about it/praying about it. While I'm in the car or waiting for someone to show up for a meeting. When I'm brushing my teeth in the morning or cooking dinner for the Resurrection House.
About mid week I've determined a theme and/or an idea I want to explore. Then I dive into a commentary (or commentaries depending). I spend time reading about what others have to say and where their studies have brought them. They typically provide some historical information and/or they can provide some further insight into the theme I'm trying to teach on.
As the end of the week gets here I actually sit down and type out a draft of the sermon/homily. I don't know if I can call my preaching time a sermon:
1) Because clergy give sermons and I'm not clergy
2) I tend to preach short. I hit an idea try to create a few points
After I've got a draft down I try to put it down and take a little break from it. I come back to it and re-read it and see if it makes sense. (Sometimes I think faster than I type and sometimes I just can't articulate an idea clearly. Both of these things do not need to happen when I'm in the pulpit.)
Then I spend some time thinking about delivery. Trying to memorize some sections so I can look away from what I've typed and look at the people. I think about pacing and flow. I move points around so that there is a process. I make sure that I've included some examples that help illustrate my point (i.e. music, scene from a popular movie, something from a book, current event, etc.)
At this point I'm ready to deliver. And yet EVERY time I get up there I end up saying something that I didn't write down. I don't just stick to the script. If in a moment I'm moved to say something "off book" I do. I try to (even at the pulpit) make space for the Holy Spirit. I use what I've written but I try not to let it box me in.
On Sunday afternoon I try to think of things I could've done better. I think about my pacing and delivery and I consider if I could've gotten my viewpoint across better. I've never had the guts to have myself recorded and REALLY examine myself but one day I probably will. I also like to look online at this point and see some other points of views. Every time I consider doing this earlier but I realize that if I do I may try to preach what the Gospel is saying to them and not what it's saying to me. I realize that can be dangerous so I steer clear.
And that's it. Anyone can do it. It requires preparation, planning, reading and research. Oh and getting in front of a group of people and trying to not let their opinion (whether good or bad) completely cloud the message you are trying to give to them.
I think they wanted to know if I had any secrets. Well I don't. Here's my process.
I wait until the week before to prepare the sermon. I know I don't have to but I also feel like trying to do it a few weeks in advance....is
1) cheating the clergy are doing it week to week and
2) too sterile for my tastes. I want to be working with it up until delivery in the hopes that I will let the Holy Spirit speak to me on the topic.
So I start by reading the lectionary. Then I spend some time (typically 24-36 hours) just thinking about it/praying about it. While I'm in the car or waiting for someone to show up for a meeting. When I'm brushing my teeth in the morning or cooking dinner for the Resurrection House.
About mid week I've determined a theme and/or an idea I want to explore. Then I dive into a commentary (or commentaries depending). I spend time reading about what others have to say and where their studies have brought them. They typically provide some historical information and/or they can provide some further insight into the theme I'm trying to teach on.
As the end of the week gets here I actually sit down and type out a draft of the sermon/homily. I don't know if I can call my preaching time a sermon:
1) Because clergy give sermons and I'm not clergy
2) I tend to preach short. I hit an idea try to create a few points
After I've got a draft down I try to put it down and take a little break from it. I come back to it and re-read it and see if it makes sense. (Sometimes I think faster than I type and sometimes I just can't articulate an idea clearly. Both of these things do not need to happen when I'm in the pulpit.)
Then I spend some time thinking about delivery. Trying to memorize some sections so I can look away from what I've typed and look at the people. I think about pacing and flow. I move points around so that there is a process. I make sure that I've included some examples that help illustrate my point (i.e. music, scene from a popular movie, something from a book, current event, etc.)
At this point I'm ready to deliver. And yet EVERY time I get up there I end up saying something that I didn't write down. I don't just stick to the script. If in a moment I'm moved to say something "off book" I do. I try to (even at the pulpit) make space for the Holy Spirit. I use what I've written but I try not to let it box me in.
On Sunday afternoon I try to think of things I could've done better. I think about my pacing and delivery and I consider if I could've gotten my viewpoint across better. I've never had the guts to have myself recorded and REALLY examine myself but one day I probably will. I also like to look online at this point and see some other points of views. Every time I consider doing this earlier but I realize that if I do I may try to preach what the Gospel is saying to them and not what it's saying to me. I realize that can be dangerous so I steer clear.
And that's it. Anyone can do it. It requires preparation, planning, reading and research. Oh and getting in front of a group of people and trying to not let their opinion (whether good or bad) completely cloud the message you are trying to give to them.
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