(Some time ago I said that in run up to Scottish Baptist Assembly I would try and post some guest things under heading of 'wee scotish baptist voices' - well these voices have so far been silent but here Ian Birch speaks up...)
(Opinions are writers own...)
From pulpit to lectern to Music stand
I was recently at a service of Christian worship, and when
the preacher stood up to speak she was not invited to the pulpit, she not place
her script on a lectern, no, her pages were placed on a music stand, hastily relocated
from the worship band to centre stage - front. From this wobbly frame of metal
strips the word of the Lord was proclaimed to the gathered audience.
The sermon was very fine, but throughout the preaching I
kept wondering if there is anything significant about this recent custom, which
is now fairly common for us itinerant preachers, of being asked to preach from
a music stand. What are we to make of
this, if anything?
First there is a practical consideration. The flimsy,
lightweight construction of the music stand, designed to be portable and transportable
is barely adequate for the purpose, in my opinion. I have preached on occasion
waiting for the stand to collapse, or my notes to scatter in the wind. I do not
here address the question of whether the congregation would delight to see the
preacher silenced in such fashion.
Is a music stand up to the job, I ask? Well, it has put an
end to the ridiculous theatrical practice of thumping the pulpit and bellowing
‘belovéd’, which was characteristic of preaching I recall from my childhood.
But generally speaking I find it is not, and would prefer a simple but adequate
lectern.
Second, I wonder if there is something more significant
about the employment of a music stand as the preacher’s lectern. Does it imply
that the preaching is an intrinsic part of the worship, rather than what comes
after the worship, as is so often declared? Preaching does not come after the
worship, it is not apart from the worship, but continuous with our worship as
singing.
Here is a wee story from Donald Coggan, one time archbishop
of Canterbury, in his book A New Day for
Preaching:
‘In the course of my work as
Archbishop, I had occasion to go to a certain town which had as its main glory
an ancient church. The incumbent, with commendable vigour, had raised a large
sum of money to refashion the church, to restore it to something of its former
glory, and to adapt it it for greater usefulness under modern conditions. I was
to preach at A Eucharist at its rehallowing. The greatest possible care had
been put into the preparation of the service. Architecturally, the central
feature was the altar, central and resplendent. There could be no doubt that
the Church of England was a sacramental church, nor where it was that her
children should kneel to be fed. There was one focus. You could not miss it.
‘This is very fine, Vicar. You
have done magnificently. Now – you have asked me to preach. Where do I preach from?’ ‘They will
bring you in a little stand, Archbishop, when the time comes.’ And they did. A
poor, paltry thing it was, liable to collapse if by any chance I leaned upon
it, the sort of temporary contraption from which anyone might have scorned to
give out the notices of the week. This was to be the thing from which the
everlasting Gospel was to be proclaimed. As soon as the sermon was over, it was
taken awy into oblivion. And good riddance too!
I wonder if there is a danger of making the setting for
preaching so informal, even casual, that we diminish the divine-human encounter
we wish to take place in this activity. I only ask.
I usually take a collapsible music stand with me, if I've been invited to speak at another church, just in case the pulpit or the stand a church offers isn't adequate, which has sadly been my experience. And you're right to question it Ian, because I have sensed anxiety over stands collapsing and equally been anxious when pulpits are inadequate due to poor lighting or space. And you can be left thinking that this is just an 'add on' part of the service. A comparison can be made with the attention some crematoriums give to the pulpit. Everything is there; space for hymn book and bible; the lectern is at a suitable height for notes and there's no danger of them slipping off; there's even a light if you need it and the crowning glory, chilled bottled water! If crematoriums can do that for the dear-departed can churches not do likewise for the living word!
Posted by: Rob Sharp | 06/30/2012 at 01:34 PM
I favour a music stand! The less that is between me and those I am bringing God's Word to the better. I like when in a smaller setting that I can even stand on the same level (and move the music stand forward when nobody sits in the front few rows). I will preach from pulpits where it is excepted out of respect for those who are used to it. I don't want to detract from what I say by alienating those to whom I speak. But if given the choice... the less between me and those I speak to the better - I want the Word among us. Perhaps with time, I could lose the notes, but for now I need my notes, and so I need something to put them on.
There's my two pence worth! :)
Posted by: Alice | 07/06/2012 at 06:28 PM