Preaching the Church Calendar

In seminary my preaching professor was asked his opinion on preaching the liturigical calendar. His response: "Get a life!"

 

some good thoughts We just had the Lord's supper last night wednesday of easter week is a good time to focus on the institution and what it means as far as a lot of the full calendar, not sure I could keep it all straight

 

I'm breaking up a series through James to make room for sermons on Palm Sunday and Easter.

 

I didn't either btw who in the world was st. swithin. Growing up presbeterian I remember the bulletin always refferenced the calendar. didn't get it then and still don't

 

As a pastor, I found great joy in using the main elements of the liturgical year, but never used the lectionary or felt constrained to make things fit when I believed my people needed something else. Typically, however, I would use Advent, Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, Epiphany (season), Ascension, Ash Wednesday/Lent/Holy Week, Easter (again, not just one day, but a season), Pentecost, and Thanksgiving/Christ the King. We also created some observances of our own, such as Annual Theme Sunday, Church Anniversary, and Remembrance Day. People came to look forward to these emphases and the possibilities for creativity in designing services around them.

 

The only Church Calendar I know of is the one that the ministry leaders submit so as not to conflict wiht other ministries for the building or church resources....is that the one to preach about? Because I would know nothing about lent (and I would be embarrased talking about my belly button anyways)

 

I believe there is great value in the Lectionary. I get real nervous by people who condemn it just because it got hijacked by people that we should not emulate. One sermon for Christmas doesn't cut it. One sermon on Palm Sunday (If you're lucky) doesn't cut it. One Easter sermon on the resurrection doesn't cut it. No wonder our people are Biblically illiterate. Stephen Rummage's book Planning Your Preaching is a refreshing book because it's from a conservative viewpoint and sees the value in using the Christian year and/or Lectionary. I find the Lectionary helpful in giving ideas for Scripture readings (yeah, I'm wierd..I think more Scripture should be read in worship than just the preaching text since after all, we're supposed to be a peole of the book). The lectionary is a good help. It should not be followed slavishly (although I'd say most pastors have not preached 80% of the texts in it) but it should not be ignored, either.

 

Tom,
I agree...one week of sermons on Christmas or Easter, or whatever it is doesn't cut it because there IS SO MUCH MORE to them than one sermon will allow.
I think it is a good idea to begin a Christmas or Easter sermon series 3-4 weeks before the day to allow ample time to get in as much as possible about the events. And i don't think we really have to worry about running out of subject matter when it comes to these topics either.

As for the rest of the calender, i play it by ear. I tend to preach through 4-8 week series at a time...and if a calender event falls into my Sunday morning teaching times, so be it. If not, i may try to cover it on a Sunday night or Wednesday night.

One thing i have noticed though, when i truly seek God and let Him guide my preaching and teaching...i don't have a problem with working around a calendar, He tends to work it out for me! :thumbs:

 

I generally follow a book by book verse by verse series----and when there's a major holiday---like Christmas--Easter---and a few others---I set the book by book series aside and do Christmas series---but I wouldn't bore myself with lithergic messages week end and week out---talk about preaching from the ruts of a Timber Skidder!!!

 

As prayerfully and carefully as I can, I try to plan my book or theme series (usually I'm preaching through a book) to where they will not be interrupted by an Easter series or Christmas series. It's hard to take a month off from, say, 1 Corinthians and come back and regain your momentum.

BOBBYD wrote:

You just reminded me of a common objection I get when I talk of preaching series on Christmas/Advent or Easter. Some preachers talk about preaching the "same thing" every year. First, no preacher seems to care to preach "the same thing" every year when you're just talking about one sermon on Christmas, for example. Second, it's been a whole year - do you think they're going to remember your every word from a year earlier :smilewinkgrin: Most importantly, preach it...it's the Word of God...It doesn't get stale. Its preachers sometimes do, though :tongue3:

 

Pentecost is this coming Sunday (June 4). I have always loved doing Pentecost ... not that one needs an "excuse" to focus on the Holy Spirit! But Pentecost is an opportunity to think about the relationship between the Spirit and the Church. Classically it has been a time for baptisms, and I always "saved up" the professions of faith that had occurred since Easter for baptism on Pentecost. I also would invite everyone to wear red clothing, as a symbol of the fire of the Spirit, and of course the church liturgical color changes from white to red as well. The congregation was spectacular ... blinding even!

 

Squire wrote:

You gave some great suggestions. I'd also like to add that we don't have to have a purely "doctrinal" sermon to teach doctrine in our exposition/application. Too often we take "doctrinal" sermons and categorize them differently (either in theory or in practice) as a seperate subset of sermons. This doesn't have to be so. The true expositor will have to touch on doctrinal meat when he preaches a text. If he doesn't, has he really preached the text?

I, too, prefer Lord's Supper on Good Friday when you can talk of the cross and the substitutionary atonement of Christ, our propitiation.