At Cityside, sermons tend to be shorter rather than longer (usually around 20 minutes). Not all services have a sermon, although most do. Sometimes, the sermon slot will be used for a more interactive meditation experience, using ‘stations’ around the room (see section 5.c). I probably preach about 50% of the year’s sermons. There are two or three other people in the congregation who regularly preach, and the rest of the time the sermon slot is filled by members of the congregation, or (very rarely) visitors doing one-off sermons. Sermons at Cityside tend not to be three point expository, and often have a multimedia or tactile element to them, or include responses from or discussion among the congregation. I often use the lectionary reading for the day as the springboard to my preaching topic.
Generally, the ‘one-off’ sermons given by congregation members are of a personal tone, reflecting on various aspects of their life experience in the context of their spiritual journey. For instance Erin talked about her experiences of multiple surgery over many years and how they had impacted her faith as well as how her faith had affected her approach to her operations. Often these stories are not overly positive or resolved. We are happy to let God defend God and to live with questions. We aren’t driven to present the whole Gospel on every occasion and can live with tension and one side of the story.
The sermon is not the centrepiece or the most important segment of our worship. When the curator model of worship leading is combined with understanding worship as ‘people responding to God — heart, soul, mind, and strength’ (see section 1.g) — then there is the expectation that God can speak to people at any point, and through any aspect of the environment or service.
Sermonars
To give more time to major topics worth hearing about we have developed a series of what we call sermonars — a cross between a sermon and a seminar. We invite particular people in the congregation who we know have expertise or interest in a subject to do a 30 minute presentation. We’ve recently covered topics such as Hans Kung’s ‘Christianity’ paradigm analysis, Paul Tillich’s ideas around sign and symbol, Critical Realism, and a Christian approach to business/work .
Questions
One week in place of the sermon, we had a ‘questions’ slot instead. The congregation received warning in the weeks prior to the service to come prepared with questions they had… about anything to do with life/faith/God/church and so on. There was a brief preamble about the role of questions and questioning, with some emphasis on the fact that it is the act of voicing the questions that was important in this context. No-one attempted to answer the questions. Instead we tried to create a safe space to voice them. Each person was handed a sheet with the following statements, and encouraged to fill it in, with the expectation that some portions of what they had written would be read out.
The question: [this will be read out]
What type of question is it? (who, or what does it question e.g. God, Cityside, theology, church structure, society, etc) [won’t be read out — for your own use/thinking]
Does it require an answer? yes/ no
If so , who does it require an answer of? (e.g. Cityside, a small group of interested people, yourself, God, the Bible, experience, etc.)
[will be read out if answer required]
What are some supplementary or related questions you can ask of, or that are connected to, the original question? [won’t be read out; for your own use/thinking]
If you want feedback, your name here: [won’t be read out, but will be followed up]
After some time for people to reflect and fill in the sheet, four people around the space were designated as ‘readers’ and four as ‘writers’. The questions were passed to the four readers. The writers were in charge of large sheets of newsprint taped to the wall. One at a time, the readers read out the questions from the collected handouts, and the writers wrote them out on the large pieces of paper, while the rest of us listened and reflected. At the end of this process, the questions were gathered together metaphorically in the singing of ‘O Lord Hear My Prayer’ (Taize chant).
Some of the questions raised are printed below. Various people are working through responses to those requiring them. These are being done either in Hot Text or Songs/Meditations slots on occasional Sundays.
(Arthur Amon)
What does it mean to know God? Requires an answer… from all people who say they know God.
Why do some people have resilience, courage and determination to struggle and make something of their lives and why do others even struggle to just get through each day? Is it genetic?
How can things that seem so right to me be so wrong for other Christians, and vice versa? Can we both be right with opposite beliefs?
Where is the line between being loving, generous, compassionate and forgiving… and being a doormat? How can we protect ourselves?
Is God a ‘subject’ – a person, or personal… i.e. something that it’s possible to relate to?
Is the Christ story integral, essential, credible, necessary?
As a ‘post-evangelical’ (i.e. don’t accept the Bible as literal) how do I understand the Bible now? What authority does it have? Requires an ‘evolving’ answer… from self, God, experience…
Does God have ‘plans’ for our lives, in the sense of being interested in the little details of our individual existence?… Interested to discuss with others.
Why is love so painful?
I am new here. I want to know: is this church different from others?
Why does it get harder to follow God the older you get? Wants small group… discussion of experiences.
What is the true meaning of the word ‘church’? Requires an answer… of Cityside.
Is it okay to ‘adore’ God and not relate to Jesus? I see Jesus as God revealing himself and showing himself through a God appointed man, but not divine. Jesus was from a tribal background. God also may have revealed himself to other religions and prehistoric peoples, as he does today.
Is our inability to see great healing, miracles, and revelation of Jesus in the personal lives of the masses because we are unwilling to trust in the promises God gave or [due to] our unwillingness to go take our Christian life and faith to people in a (practical? prophetic? socially responsible manner? Requires an answer of God, ourselves.
Is it ok to have sex outside of marriage?
The Holy Trinity…i.e. three Gods in One, and One in Three. Who can we pray to? ‘No-one comes to the Father but by me’ i.e. Jesus – Son of God. Does this mean we have to access the other two parts of God, i.e. the Father and the Holy Spirit, only via Jesus Christ? Or can we pray to them directly and expect an answer? As I understand it, Roman Catholicism has an extra tier, i.e. access to the Holy Trinity only through Mary. Have we skipped a step or can everyone go directly to the source, i.e. to any of the three parts or beings in the Trinity?