It's Festival Week

I’m looking forward to a long-anticipated week away. On Monday, I’ll be joining with upwards of 2000 other preachers for an annual gathering called the Festival of Homiletics. We will converge on the city of Nashville, so beware if your travels are taking you to that fine city. We’ll be the ones in the restaurants still sporting name tags because we’ve forgotten to take them off, until about Wednesday when we will have forgotten to put them on. You needn’t worry about street corner evangelists in this crowd, though. You see, we all hail from the “mainline”: Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Disciples of Christ, United Church of Christ, and those wonderful “moderate” Baptists.

            We all make the trip in order to hear great preaching. The line-up of speakers is always outstanding, but this year it is incredible. As someone who began in ministry thirty five years ago with very few female preacher-role models, I’m naturally drawn to the women in the line-up: Diana Butler Bass, Lillian Daniel, Anna Carter Florence, Barbara Lundblad, Barbara Brown Taylor, Phyllis Tickle, Lauren Winner – all women I have heard on numerous occasions, some I’ve even actually met, yet who always challenge and inspire me. And just to prove this conference is open to “fresh winds of the Spirit” – Nadia Bolz-Weber will be with us, too. And she is amazing!

            There was a strange posting on the Facebook page for the Festival a few weeks ago announcing the outstanding line-up of male presenters. And they are – for they include Craig Barnes, Walter Brueggemann, and Brian McLaren, along with cutting-edger Eric Elnes. But I have to wonder if someone thought they were in the shadow of those amazing women.

            If anyone thinks this is “vacation,” let me assure you it’s not. I find sitting and listening all day even to these grand orators physically exhausting. But I’ll know I have transitioned into true receiving mode when I cease listening for sermon structure and useful illustrations and allow the Spirit to refresh.

            Since I will be preaching at Seneca Presbyterian Church on the Sunday following the festival – on Pentecost Sunday – this week is also affording me a unique opportunity. I’ll finish my rough draft of that sermon before leaving town, but unlike all other weeks, this week will allow for simmer time. It also allows you to enter into the dialogue. That’s what I had hoped would be routine when I first started this experiment.

The text I am working on is basically the 14^th chapter of John’s Gospel. It is part of that wonderful Farewell Discourse that is unique to John. The focus is, of course, on the gift of the Paraclete (your Bible may say Advocate, Comforter, or Counselor). But it is a gift to the community that will continue on in the absence of Jesus. The community that gift is meant to create is truly remarkable. It makes me wonder if you have ever experienced something like it. Have you ever: 

… been part of a community of people where you were absolutely accepted just the way you are?

… known a group of people where criticism was always constructive, spoken in love, and did not focus on the wishes and wants of the one criticizing?

… dared to try and fail supported by people you knew would not think less of you if you did?

… been surrounded by people who were always hopeful despite current reality?

… found the strength to never give up on God or the world God came to redeem?

            While no human community could ever fully meet those standards, the Spirit-filled Christian community is meant to try.