Saturday 20 October 2007

Number Four.

This is the fourth lot of comments from the service last week - lots in this one about sermons as this is how they were written onto the list from the post it notes. Interestingly this is the number between the three point sermon and the five hymn sandwich - wonder if they'll make an appearance tonight
Receiving a good message from the preacher
A message that is fairly simple and relevant to our present lives
A message that is not too spiritual , but earthly
A powerful message to take away
A sermon (Short!)
A sermon not too long and one we can hear
A sermon that is not too long with interesting contents
A sermon that we can all hear and understand
A well explained sermon
Praising God in Song

Next instalment may appear tomorrow but I am a little busy so it may not. Tomorrow morning I am playing the organ at Pleck Methodist Church and tomorrow evening I am playing at St Johns Anglican church, Pleck where they are having a favourite hymns service and they are having 10 hymns.
If I don't get chance tomorrow I will post the last set of 10 points on Monday so watch this space.

3 comments:

PamBG said...

It's an interesting list. I have no idea what 'a short sermon' is? 3 minutes? 6 minutes? 10 minutes? 15 minutes?

I also don't know what 'too spiritual' or 'earthy' means.

It would be really wonderful if one could ask people what they mean by these things. (I was firmly told 'no theology' when I arrived here and I give them theology all the time and they tell me it's 'interesting'.)

And, Ian, you never should have let on in public that you can play the organ! ;-)

Fat Prophet said...

I think if we had more time or another service we may have beenable to explore some of the things you ask about Pam. I think the 'short' sermon is really a euphemism for 'not boring'. Interestingly on two weeks running recently we had two different preachers one preached for thirty minutes and lots of people complained the other for 28 minutes and lots of people said how good it was - I was present for the first but missed the second so can't comment on the content.
In respect of playing the organ I am not classically trained or anything like that and in fact I taught myself, but it is very useful when I am preaching and want a particular hymn - if the organist says they don't know it I offer to play and it is quite amazing how quickly they learn it!
I do think it is a great pity that there don't seem to be any youngsters learning to play the organ as for some music you can't really get away with guitars and drums.
I think you will find the next ten points interesting as well so watch this space!

PamBG said...

I think the 'short' sermon is really a euphemism for 'not boring'.

I suspect you're right and I doubt that people care if an interesting sermon has 3 points either. Personally, I particularly hate 'The world is an awful place' sermons.

Personally speaking, I'll sing as much as possible and the great thing about a 5 hymn sandwich is that it's not a 2 hymn service, in my opinion.

I'm given to believe, however, that unchurched young people are not interested in singing at all and that the whole worship band and praise song thing is actually very 'Boomer'. I suspect there is something cultural in this as well; I don't think that American culture is as anti-singing as the British culture is.