Preacher's Corner
Since I always get so much great help from PeaceBangers, I hope this is a little bit of "giving back:"
I just came up with the idea to include a little column called "Preacher's Corner" in my church newsletter, which says:
"The following works of art, literature, contemporary non-fiction, film and Scripture are likely to be referenced at length in upcoming sermons."
And then I list them. They include Amadeus, Equus, "Brokeback Mountain," Antigone, the Gospel of Matthew, the book of Genesis (4:1-16), King Lear, The Cambridge Platform, of 1648 Picasso's "Guernica" and Michaelangelo's "Pieta." I think, gee, this is kind of cool. I might like to hear these sermons myself.
Now, I can do this because I actually have planned a bunch of sermons for the spring. I don't know how far in advance I'll be able to do this in the future. But I think my church will dig it for a few reasons: first, it might get a few more people reading the newsletter, second, it gives them a chance to think about things before I use them in sermons, and third, it shows in black & white that there's a whole world out there for your serious religious reflection, so go ye and theologize!
I just came up with the idea to include a little column called "Preacher's Corner" in my church newsletter, which says:
"The following works of art, literature, contemporary non-fiction, film and Scripture are likely to be referenced at length in upcoming sermons."
And then I list them. They include Amadeus, Equus, "Brokeback Mountain," Antigone, the Gospel of Matthew, the book of Genesis (4:1-16), King Lear, The Cambridge Platform, of 1648 Picasso's "Guernica" and Michaelangelo's "Pieta." I think, gee, this is kind of cool. I might like to hear these sermons myself.
Now, I can do this because I actually have planned a bunch of sermons for the spring. I don't know how far in advance I'll be able to do this in the future. But I think my church will dig it for a few reasons: first, it might get a few more people reading the newsletter, second, it gives them a chance to think about things before I use them in sermons, and third, it shows in black & white that there's a whole world out there for your serious religious reflection, so go ye and theologize!
posted by PeaceBang at 6:10 PM
3 Comments:
Rock on with your professor self, Dooner! Great stuff, except that my Lear references happen in a sermon about the Fool archetype (a sermon I wrote in 1999).
But everything can stand revision and augmentation, so have at it!
Hmmm, Professor. I don't buy the idea that Abel is more attuned to abstract thinking. After all, by offering a sacrifice of bloody meat, he's much closer to the primitive way of honoring the gods than is his brother, and since we're not even close to the scapegoat story in Genesis yet, I think you're jumping the gun, or maybe getting prematurely deep with it.
The names, of course, were assigned intentionally to say something about these boys. I think it's a story about primal jealousy and competition, and to prepare us for an epic of human spiritual development that is characterized by great brutality. To me, Cain and Abel says, "Okay humans... here's your species, in a few lines. Watch what happens."
"What happens," is that a chosen population of this species undergoes a painful teaching process under the direction of their new God, YHVH, and emerges a People.
The sermon is on the spiritually crippling nature of jealousy.
No doubt that YHVH is a stink pot throughout much of Genesis. He's a great kind of tribal warlord/mafia don character, but I think what works about it from a modern sensibility is that this god wants (and seems to need) to be in relationship with this clay thing (a-dam) he's made in his image, so he agitates them to get it going on. Goin' ON, if you know what I mean.
I see most of Genesis as a kind of primer of human behavior. Because after all, if Genesis wasn't full of depravity and struggle and sin, why would we need to get the Ten Commandments later on? It's like YHVH brings it on full force in the Genesis accounts so that later He can say, "Here's why all ya'll really need me and my law."
Too bad I'm so busy this week because we obviously need some B&N face time, hombre! By the time I get back from Spain will you be insanely busy again?
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