Savoring the Spirit

I love black preaching. White preaching (classical preaching, Presbyterian preaching), of which tradition I am a part, relies upon uniform control of concepts and words as the primary vehicle of the Spirit. Most of the time, calmness and crisp diction are the hallmarks of good sermon delivery. The goal is to blossom a flower for the contemplation of the congregation's mind.

Not so black preaching. My observation of black preaching is that it seeks to drive truth into the congregational bones. And the primary vehicle of the Spirit is the response of those bones. Do those bones stand up in response to the preaching? Do those mouths open to praise the Lord? Does the congregation respond to the call of the Word? Does real, embodied life show up when the Word is unleashed?

These three days I am steeping in the blessing of twenty-six sermons delivered by young preachers. I'm staying at a hotel in Louisville, Kentucky and attending the Festival of Young Preachers. One hundred twenty-five young preachers (between the ages of 15 and 29) preach in five different rooms over the course of eleven sessions. Though all preachers are starting with Jesus' "sermon on the mount" (Matthew 5-7), every sermon is unique because every preacher is unique. I have been laughing with young Orthodox preachers. I have thrilled at teenage young women announcing the gospel in the context of Advanced Placement exams. I have wept as I responded "Amen!" to young black preachers. I've been basking in the glory of the Spirit moving in strange, loud, soft, and wonderful ways among the next generation of preachers.

I have the joy and responsibility of bringing the Word to a congregation most Sundays of every year. I rarely get to sit back and soak in someone else's delivery. And even when I do, it's most often within the cool intellectual climate of Presbyterian worship. Hearing such a variety of interpretations of scripture both from folks who craft elegant turns of phrase, and also from folks who repeat a three-word litany to make a drum-beating summons, is a treat for my soul.

What a cool opportunity, too, to bring a young man from our congregation to be part of this homiletic extravaganza. I have high hopes that he will go home remembering how rich, varied, and eccentric are the ways in which the Spirit words in the work of the Word.

If you're involved in the work of preaching to the world; if you're interested in the elevation of young preachers for the next generation of the Church; if you're young and want to preach; or if you would just jump at the chance to bask in the joy of hearing young energy in the pulpit, you must check out the opportunities at the Academy of Preachers. The Lord is doing some cool stuff here.

~ emrys