Revdarth.com

One of the beauties of the Internet is that we can be a part of faith communities from afar. We can participate in worship from a distance away. Obviously, it is not the same as being a part of the community in person, but we can get a taste. A few days ago, I blogged about Shane Hipps’ sermon at Mars Hill in Grand Rapids, MI. Today, I must share about another sermon I heard yesterday.

My friend Erin passed along an email from Louisville Seminary about their Greenhoe Lectures from early March. One of the messages was shared by Otis Moss III, the new senior pastor of Trinity UCC in Chicago. The message was entitled “Preaching in a Post-Modern World.” It is a message largely directed to church leaders, but there is a solid message in there for anyone seeking to connect with the larger culture in how God is at work.

I was listening to it in my car throughout the day yesterday and there was one point where I literally had to stop the car, grab pen and paper and write down a segment from the message. He was speaking about how he was initially confronted several years ago with how people were getting caught up in their denominational heritage instead of looking forward to what God was doing…This is at about the 31 minute mark…

…people used such denominational language and I wasn’t used to denominational language…You know we’re UCC or Presbyterian and all these people making such fundamental distinctions. I understand the history piece. But my challenge was this, especially as a person of African descent. My challenge is this - you keep trying to say that it is, that we are UCC, we are Presbyterian, but the fundamental question is “What is our calling?” Not necessarily the denominational history, which is important, but the question is “What is God’s activity?” And if you do not merge God’s activity with your denominational history, then you will end up having doctrine that is faithful but is without love. And whenever you have doctrine that is faithful but without love, it then becomes an ideology that becomes destructive to people that do not fit your framework. And so this is what has happened in many ways. We have become so focused on our history not looking at our calling and the activity of God that we then become exclusive in how God can function.

Ultimately, his point is about what he calls the prophetic contradiction. The prophetic contradiction is how the preacher speaks God’s Word in a world where, on the surface, it doesn’t seem to fit. The prophetic contradiction challenges people about a God of love in the midst of a world of pain.

The sermon is worth a listen, especially any preacher types…Its about 51 minutes long, but it feels like about 10.

Links:
Louisville Seminary Greenhoe Lectures
Sermon MP3