The Hazards of Preaching

It's been quite a week here. I've supposedly been on vacation, but unfortunately, the day before that happened, a minor kerfuffle arose within the online portion of my church community, and it's been a little hard to remove it from my brain this week.

I have recently discovered one of the lesser remarked-upon hazards of preaching. (I give thanks that it's taken 8 years for this to happen; for many people I'm sure it comes up a lot more often.)

There is a story that preachers tell each other often of how we gave a supposedly mediocre sermon and then had someone tell us it was the best ever. Or alternately, that we worked really hard on one and felt good about it, only to get no feedback at all or only of the negative variety. These experiences are real and happen fairly frequently. They are usually attributed, either gratefully or ironically, to the Holy Spirit.

But what they point to, and what is commented upon less often, is what I've been experiencing this week. When writing and delivering a sermon, we have control over what we say. We do not, however, have control over what people hear.

I have realized often, over the years, that much of the time, in conversation, we don't listen very well, because mostly we already know what people are going to say. That is why surprising things almost always have to be repeated.

The same thing, apparently, is true for sermons. I can say whatever I choose, expected or otherwise, and members of my congregation will, at least sometimes, hear what they expect me to say, good or bad, regardless of whether it's what I said. What's funny is that people on different ends of certain spectrums (say, the agree-or-disagree-with-the-pastor spectrum) sometimes hear the same thing that I didn't say. They just disagree about whether I should have said it or not.

This has the uncomfortable result of giving the preacher the choice of defending herself for something she didn't do, or pointing out to multiple people that they are not good listeners. Neither of these are good choices. What makes it even more complicated, of course, is the possibility of willful misinterpretation. (Did I mention that this has not been the most relaxing week of vacation I've ever had?) It also, by the way, puts the good listeners in the congregation in the same position, which is also uncomfortable because they don't want to make that choice about their fellow church members either.

The preacher, of course, could endeavor to be more clear. And she will, though that is a challenge for one who appreciates subtlety and nuance. But in the meantime, I shall ask the Holy Spirit to intervene with some grace for all parties.