I
admire the command my rabbi has over our temple. When he addresses a large room, filled with
hundreds of congregants, his sermon is heard by anxious souls. We, in the crowd, want to be inspired awed,
and enlightened by his words and insights.
We want someone to lead us, to help us see things differently, to become
better people, and to find our way in a sometimes complex and burdensome
world. Sometimes his words awaken
something inside some of us, while other times he elicits nothing more than
yawn. It’s not a knock on him. It’s just the way things are when it comes to
sermons.
Sometimes a sermon tells us what we don’t want to hear, that we fall short, that we have unfulfilled obligations, that we should see things in a way that may make us feel uncomfortable. A sermon shouldn’t just comfort us or even inspire – it should also challenge us and remind us to think outside our self-indulgent box.
Sometimes a sermon tells us what we don’t want to hear, that we fall short, that we have unfulfilled obligations, that we should see things in a way that may make us feel uncomfortable. A sermon shouldn’t just comfort us or even inspire – it should also challenge us and remind us to think outside our self-indulgent box.
I
wonder what it’s like, to stand at the altar, on a stage, looking out at so many
people, and seeking to make a connection with them, hoping to arouse them, and
make them see and feel what’s on your mind and in your heart. What might it feel like when you sense
rejection, when the crowd seems disinterested or preoccupied?
Writers,
with their books, are similar to rabbis, priests, and popes. They too have a stage or platform from which
they offer their vision of the world.
They, too, use words and nothing more, to lead others to be more, to do
better, to see differently. Writers don’t
watch an audience respond to their words, but they do look for a response by
way of sales, reviews, and social media commentary.
Sermons
are not one way. Neither are books. The
response comes in the form of what impact your message has on another. Your story, your ideas, your theories, and
even your fantasies can help shape the lives of many. I think back, as a reader, to books I’ve
read, like 1984, Lord of the Flies, and The Invisible Man. In fact, they make more of an impression now,
with life experience behind time, helping me to appreciate what the authors of
those books attempted to tell and instill upon us.
Writers
may not be trained in theology nor write about the topics most religious
sermons are on, but the clergy and writers don’t differ all that much. They use
the power of communication to help shape a better world. What will you say in your next sermon?
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