Last week I sat myself down in front of the PC to write a service. I had agreed to do pulpit supply for Fieldside and Lane End, and I was basing the service on the lectionary. While I'm sure there's loads of topics would like to preach upon, using the lectionary as my base means that I am challenged to explore the readings rather than have a rant about my pet theme.
So I got started off into the temptation of Jesus in the desert. And as I wrote about Jesus in the desert, I had to keep going back to correct myself, as for someone on a fast, he often ended up in the dessert.
And then I got on a bit of a roll. Over the course of the week, I kept going back to the sermon and moved things, removed things and inserted things. It was the insertions that I was most aware of. While I don't think I went too far, anything over 15 minutes and a CofS congregation gets twitchy. I have sat through a 45 minute sermon before, illustrated with handy annotations on a whiteboard, but the congregation as used to a long sermon. In fact, many of them were taking notes as they went. Somehow I don't think I could get away with that, especially since the Lane End service follows on after Fieldside, and there's roadworks, potentially requiring a considerable diversion.
So when do you stop? Well I suppose the obvious answer is "when you are finished" but it's knowing when that finish is that's important. I suppose that, if the topic was good enough, if I had a regular preaching role, I could do an occasional series of services based around a central theme. But I'm not confident enough to do that yet, especially in Lent, and when I'm only covering for a friend.
I'd like to think that, in some way God is giving me a bit of a steer as to what to say, but I'd also not like to be leaving out the bits he would like me to get over.
I need practice. Bring on a placement.
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