I like the spirit of this, but the headline makes me question something. Is there really no wrong way to pray? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others... And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words" (Matt. 6:5, 7).
Honest question: Isn't Jesus giving us two examples of wrong ways to pray here that are based on faulty views of who God is?
Yes! We had about 4,000 members of the community come by during our Fall Festival last year. Here is how we announced it this year:
Join us for our FREE Fall Festival at Sunlight Community Church on Oct. 27 from 4 until 7 p.m. We'll have trunk-or-treat, bounce houses, hay rides, food for purchase, games, live performances, and more! Admission and activities are FREE; however, we encourage each family to bring a jar of peanut butter to drop off at the Grace Packs table to help feed hungry children in our area. All who donate a jar will be entered into a drawing for an awesome prize!
We have a community outreach event called Fall Festival each year. This year, we had about 4,000 attendees! We provided trunk-or-treat, a petting zoo, pony rides, bounce houses, a food court, games, shows and more. Here's the highlight video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzztGIfUz8I
Hi, Staci. We were just discussing this topic at Calvin Theological Seminary. (I am an M.Div. student there, and I am a commissioned pastor in my classis.) In this semester's Preaching Practicum class, Prof. John Rottman asked us to read an article by Richard F. Ward titled "Performing the Manuscript." In it, the author advocates for viewing preaching as performing. He acknowledges the the word "performance" has unfortunately received a pejorative connotation by many Christians today. But he says that the word should not be used as an epithet indicating sham or pretense. Instead, he uses the term "perform" to mean "how language written for the sermon comes to life in the preaching event." Performing includes "all the vocal and physical behaviors a preacher uses to bring thought to expression." Ward looks to the Old French roots of the word -- par and fournir, which means "to perfect" or "carrying through to completion."
In seminary, we also watched an hour-long video about what various body postures and gestures communicate from the Fall Preaching Conference at Calvin. It's very helpful to remember that communication involves more than words. The video is worth a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndKWOtnZtig
Now that I've shared what Calvin Seminary is teaching regarding "performing," let me add to it my personal experience. The last sermon I had the privilege to share was on 9/11. I ended with the emotional story of a local woman who lost her life on United Flight 93. If I had read that part of the sermon with no tenderness, no emotion and no vulnerability, there would have been a profound disconnect. It would have been inauthentic, and it would have been less than the message deserved. I made sure not to "put on" fake emotion. I instead tried to be authentic, as one human talking to another about the reality of death and the fragility of life. I have a link to that video if anyone is interested.
In summary, I think it is very, very necessary to "perform" and to bring the appropriate amount emotion to the presentation... as long as it serves the right purpose, comes from the right motivation and does not distract.
Posted in: The Only Wrong Way To Pray Is Not To Pray | Open to Wonder
I like the spirit of this, but the headline makes me question something. Is there really no wrong way to pray? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others... And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words" (Matt. 6:5, 7).
Honest question: Isn't Jesus giving us two examples of wrong ways to pray here that are based on faulty views of who God is?
Posted in: Is Your Church Hosting a Trunk or Treat, Harvest Fest, or Other Fall Event?
Yes! We had about 4,000 members of the community come by during our Fall Festival last year. Here is how we announced it this year:
Join us for our FREE Fall Festival at Sunlight Community Church on Oct. 27 from 4 until 7 p.m. We'll have trunk-or-treat, bounce houses, hay rides, food for purchase, games, live performances, and more! Admission and activities are FREE; however, we encourage each family to bring a jar of peanut butter to drop off at the Grace Packs table to help feed hungry children in our area. All who donate a jar will be entered into a drawing for an awesome prize!
Posted in: What Does Your Church Do With Halloween?
We have a community outreach event called Fall Festival each year. This year, we had about 4,000 attendees! We provided trunk-or-treat, a petting zoo, pony rides, bounce houses, a food court, games, shows and more. Here's the highlight video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzztGIfUz8I
Posted in: Does Expressing Emotion Make for Better Sermons?
Hi, Staci. We were just discussing this topic at Calvin Theological Seminary. (I am an M.Div. student there, and I am a commissioned pastor in my classis.) In this semester's Preaching Practicum class, Prof. John Rottman asked us to read an article by Richard F. Ward titled "Performing the Manuscript." In it, the author advocates for viewing preaching as performing. He acknowledges the the word "performance" has unfortunately received a pejorative connotation by many Christians today. But he says that the word should not be used as an epithet indicating sham or pretense. Instead, he uses the term "perform" to mean "how language written for the sermon comes to life in the preaching event." Performing includes "all the vocal and physical behaviors a preacher uses to bring thought to expression." Ward looks to the Old French roots of the word -- par and fournir, which means "to perfect" or "carrying through to completion."
In seminary, we also watched an hour-long video about what various body postures and gestures communicate from the Fall Preaching Conference at Calvin. It's very helpful to remember that communication involves more than words. The video is worth a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndKWOtnZtig
Now that I've shared what Calvin Seminary is teaching regarding "performing," let me add to it my personal experience. The last sermon I had the privilege to share was on 9/11. I ended with the emotional story of a local woman who lost her life on United Flight 93. If I had read that part of the sermon with no tenderness, no emotion and no vulnerability, there would have been a profound disconnect. It would have been inauthentic, and it would have been less than the message deserved. I made sure not to "put on" fake emotion. I instead tried to be authentic, as one human talking to another about the reality of death and the fragility of life. I have a link to that video if anyone is interested.
In summary, I think it is very, very necessary to "perform" and to bring the appropriate amount emotion to the presentation... as long as it serves the right purpose, comes from the right motivation and does not distract.
Posted in: Does Expressing Emotion Make for Better Sermons?
Thank you, Staci. Here is the link to the sermon!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppIlNlGY1Q8