"Don't you miss preaching?"

As some of you may know, I used to preach a lot. And the truth is, I did enjoy it - preparation and preaching it. Do I miss it? Well, yes and no.

Think is, I was reasonably OK at it, but I have always argued (when asked) that preaching - the traditional sermon - is not a good thing. It is not good in terms of a teaching a congregation, or any group. Teaching is far better done by engagement, discussion, encouraging learners to explore what they are trying to learn. The talk - without the drive or occasion to properly engage with this - is a very poor approach.

Of course sermons are not just about teaching - they are also about exhortation, encouragement. And the sermon is not really that good for that either. As a starting point, I have heard very few sermons that are actually delivered in an exciting way, in a way that actually invogorates the listeners to do something. But also, in the context of a church service, this can easily get lost in the other parts of the service.

I have - in my time - done a range of other things in the "sermon" slot. And I think they start to address these concerns - using different approaches, asking questions, exploring the passages or the messages in different ways. And that is always interesting (where I am allowed to do it).

But I am still not convinced that the sermon is a valid "thing" any more. It was, at a time when people were less bombarded with information, ideas, images.

So, is "not having a sermon" an improvement over sermons that might not be ideal? As a preacher, I learnt a lot while preparing talks, and I can do a lot of that anyway. The production of a sermon is not entirely relevant to the work to understand a passage or an idea. And yes, in my sermoning time, I have learnt how to do this, and so do this when a difficult passage challenges me, or needs addressing.

What about others? Well, the Quaker way is out of silence. And I believe that the silence, the contemplation, the waiting and not talking, is also a way of learning, engaging. And there are other places to get insights, learning and exploration. More and more people get insights online. There is a training centre for all sorts of courses, but actually, it is up to the individuals to find places to learn, to engage.

And the idea that a talk, coming from (pretty academic) exploration of a passage or theme, is the only way that people can grow is a problem. OK, if you want to learn academic theology, there is a need for didactic approaches. But Christians are not called to be academic theologians. We are called to engage with the Divine, to learn from God, to grow in our spiritual life. We will do that in different ways.

So the truth is, I like the theological engagements I get in all sorts of places (twitter, Ship-of-Fools) - this is answering questions that people are asking. But I don't really miss either the hard work of preparation sermons, or the process of listening to other peoples (the short 2-3 minute insights in a Quaker meeting are more like my style).

Maybe we all need to move beyond the sermon.

Quaker silence is not sacred silence.

Quaker silence is different.

Quaker silence is not worship. In churches where there is some silence, it is usually part of the worship. It is like a song or a reading or a prayer or a sermon. It is something "sacred" like the other parts of the service - something to be enjoyed or engaged with itself.

Quaker silence is different.

Qaker silence is not a barrier. So often I have seen and experiences silence being used to say "Don't talk to me. Don't engage with me. I am contemplating silently". Iti s used as a barrier to keep others out, keep them away from your personal experience of the Divine.

Quaker silence is a different thing. That is my experience anyway. It is a starting point, not a destination. We arrive in meeting without prepared talks, prayers, readings, songs. We arrive as we are.

That is why we sit in silence - to wait, so see what comes from that. Because we come with nothing but ourselves, the ministries can be incoherent, banal, obtuse and sometimes irrelevant to us. But sometimes - often, in my experience - they help me in my engagement with the Divine, with God.

And sometimes, we are silent for the whole hour, because sometimes there is nothing else needed but me and God.

Welcome to a new Blog

The title of this blog is a comment I made on twitter about the Quakers. I have spent a lot of time in churches - particularly Anglican ones - where I have been encouraged to be more like Jesus, which meant - well it was always vague. Always something different to what I was doing.

In the Quakers, however, I have to shut up for an hour and not hit people. Well, OK, there is a lot more than that, but this is what I am currently focussing on, and it is surprisingly difficult. But it is achieveable, so feels like something I can genuinely aspire to.

That makes it far better.

That is why I have found a home in the Quakers. I can explore my faith without pressure.

So this blog is about thoughts and ideas from the Quakers and the meetings. It it NOT official Quaker insights - it is my insights.

Thank you.