Lessons from the TubeDude
When Krish Kandiah tweeted the question yesterday morning “What is lacking in the church’s teaching on holiness?” my initial response was the one word answer “example”. I still believe that is the most fundamental thing. However, on further reflection my thoughts have turned to the TubeDudes.
The first time I ever encountered one of these people-shaped tubes it was at Twickenham Rugby Stadium. Most of the time it just sat on the floor in a crumpled heap of brightly coloured fabric. Every time the home team scored a try, though, it was a different story. The air would rush in, the figure would soar up to its full height and wave its arms about in celebration at their success. The workmanship, the seams, the jolly design and the colours were all there – but until the air came rushing in it was as nothing.
To say that all preachers should be pneumatic is neither to refer to their physique, nor to trot out any of those old cliches about hot air. Unless preachers are enlivened by God’s pneuma, or Spirit, they are as much use as the TubeDude lying crumpled on the stadium floor. Not only this, but God’s is a truly Holy Spirit – and if we want to have anything useful to say about holiness it will be because he informs both private preparation and public speech.
When it comes to questions about how we do that, of course we venture into far more uncomfortable territory where words like ‘discipline’ are lurking. Let each find their own way into the holy place – but it is surely important that what we say on our feet is shaped by what we hear on on our knees? That way holiness lies.
Picture: advertisingballoons.com
Whenever I prepare a sermon, the only way to start is with prayer. When I get stuck… then more prayer… and when it’s all prepared then guess what! Yes, even more prayer. Richard it is so good to hear you so often refer to what we hear on our knees and all too often I find myself swept away in the busyness of the day, and the full time work and forget to pray. That’s why sometime’s I just make a quick escape out of the office and down to the prayer room near our chaplaincy. I wish I could go there more often! Perhaps I should make a point of going there once a day, instead of working through lunch everyday! Often I feel frustrated at work as I can’t see the point of it and feel I’m just marking time. It seems to soak up the time I’d rather be spending reading, getting evangelism and mission projects off the ground and doing my assignments (that remind’s me I need to get my preaching module assignments written!), perhaps I should be praying for patience!
Alice
Great to hear from you. Praying is one of those things, I’m sure, where you simply never feel you have done enough of it! Thee has to be an underlying attitude of dependence, too – a sense that we simply cannot do this without God’s help. That attitude can keep us “tuned” for preaching even when busy-ness robs us of prayer time.
Pingback: Death of a guitar « Richard Littledale's Preacher's A – Z