[Magdalen] Opinion sought

[cady soukup]

It's one of ours, a rural church, not too far from where I live.

<sigh>

Cady
rural Virginia, no further comments

On 5/27/19, Jay Weigel <jay.weigel at gmail.com> wrote:
> Run. Run very fast. Do not look back. It's a trap, I tell  you, a trap!
>
> On Mon, May 27, 2019 at 6:53 PM Grace Cangialosi <gracecan at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> LOL, Roger! I have a wonderful poster of Bishop Tutu wearing a dashiki,
>> with arms outstretched, holding a Good News Bible, and saying exactly
>> that:
>> “I wonder what Bible are reading, when they say that religion and
>> politics
>> don’t mix!”
>> A friend gave that to me when I left for seminary.
>>
>> > On May 27, 2019, at 6:08 PM, Roger Stokes via Magdalen <
>> magdalen at herberthouse.org> wrote:
>> >
>> >> On 27/05/2019 22:24, Grace Cangialosi wrote:
>> >> I’m curious about what folks think about a listing I saw recently for
>> >> a
>> church position. These were the things they were looking for in a priest.
>> It’s a part-time position in a small rural church.
>> >>
>> >> Sermons should be informal, should not be read from notes and should
>> not be preached from the pulpit, but from the floor.
>> > This makes me think of the Corinthian church as commented on in 1
>> Corinthians 3. They want sermons that are easily digestible from their
>> friend at the front, not solid teaching to equip them as servants of
>> Christ
>> proclaiming the Gospel in their daily lives by their actions. I don't use
>> notes in preaching but I have been doing it for a lot of years. When I
>> was
>> first ordained I had a full script. I would suggest that preaching
>> without
>> notes requires either the confidence that comes with experience or saying
>> the same thing week after week.
>> >> Sermons should usually follow the readings.
>> > That I can accept - put them in context and give some exegesis as to
>> what they meant to the people to whom they were originally addressed then
>> apply that to the here and now.
>> >> Sermons should not be political, nor should the congregation be
>> lectured to.
>> > Didn't Archbishop Tutu observe that when people criticise clergy for
>> preaching politics he wonders what Bible they are reading? Politics is,
>> by
>> definition, about people and the Church is called to proclaim the Word of
>> God to the current generation. The Gospel, which includes such things as
>> care for others and promotion of the good for all people, do have
>> political
>> implications. these may not be popular with some but they are there.
>> >> Sermons should be relevant to people’s lives and should preach the
>> Gospel.
>> > Doesn't that imply teaching people how the Gospel they say they accept
>> should impact on their daily lives?
>> >> Priest is not expected to visit, but should get to know parishioners
>> and participate in community events the church is involved in. These
>> include yard sales, fish fries, other charitable fund-raisers.
>> > I admit I am not a fan of routine parish visiting. Visiting should have
>> a purpose such as allowing soemone to express how they truly feel when
>> they
>> cannot say that to their friends of long-standing. Much pastoral care can
>> be exercised by such friends from the church but the priest needs to know
>> what is happening and have a general overview so they can spot any gaps
>> that appear.
>> >> There is one one-hour service on Sundays, no Christian education or
>> formation.
>> >
>> > Doesn't that say it all?
>> >
>> > Roger
>> >
>>
>