Margo. That is my spinning instructor. I work out at a local gym and on Wednesdays I do a 6:30 a.m. spinning class with Margo. She's great. She's great because she wears her dreads well and her voice is deep and silky smooth. For those of us on stationary bikes at 6:30 in the morning we don't need high-pitched, loud voices screaming at us. We need deep and silky smooth. That's Margo.
But what makes Margo really great is the way she leads us through the 45 minute class. This morning we biked through the Bahamas. It was a nice picture to imagine as we had all come into the class bundled up from the winter weather. Last week we rode through one of the stages of the Tour de France. The week before she took us on a trip trough Manhattan, over the GWB and into Jersey. She helps us imagine riding past bistros and bars; up and down mountains; through the woods (...to grandmother's house we go). She helps us feel the wind in our hair and the excitement of discovering something new on our ride.
Her word pictures are inspiring and make me want to work harder. She doesn't have to scream at me: "C'MON, PEDAL FASTER, HARDER!!!" What she does is draw a picture of what the mountain is like and what it will be like on the other side when we begin our descent. With that I pedal faster, harder.
That is what preaching is to me. It is drawing a picture of the Kingdom of God. I'm tired of preachers exegeting (taking apart) scriptures in academic fashion. While there are instances where that is necessary I believe it imperative to tell a story (one story, not a bunch of cute little stories) about the journey we are on and what it will be like on the other side. I have by no means perfected this homiletic craft but I strive to grasp the sweet soliloquy of sermonic speech in such a way that takes the hearers to another place: the Kingdom of God.
But what makes Margo really great is the way she leads us through the 45 minute class. This morning we biked through the Bahamas. It was a nice picture to imagine as we had all come into the class bundled up from the winter weather. Last week we rode through one of the stages of the Tour de France. The week before she took us on a trip trough Manhattan, over the GWB and into Jersey. She helps us imagine riding past bistros and bars; up and down mountains; through the woods (...to grandmother's house we go). She helps us feel the wind in our hair and the excitement of discovering something new on our ride.
Her word pictures are inspiring and make me want to work harder. She doesn't have to scream at me: "C'MON, PEDAL FASTER, HARDER!!!" What she does is draw a picture of what the mountain is like and what it will be like on the other side when we begin our descent. With that I pedal faster, harder.
That is what preaching is to me. It is drawing a picture of the Kingdom of God. I'm tired of preachers exegeting (taking apart) scriptures in academic fashion. While there are instances where that is necessary I believe it imperative to tell a story (one story, not a bunch of cute little stories) about the journey we are on and what it will be like on the other side. I have by no means perfected this homiletic craft but I strive to grasp the sweet soliloquy of sermonic speech in such a way that takes the hearers to another place: the Kingdom of God.
posted by jch at
1:59 PM
4 Comments:
Great story. I always love hearing about extraordinary teachers in the least expected places. I imagine there are some people that just need some high-pitched squeaker to yell at them in order to be/stay motivated.
It seems to me that to be an exegeticle preacher is a skill that is learned. But to be a storyteller is more of an innate talent. Or do you think it has more to do with what you grow up around? It feels familiar to me when I breakdown a passage or story in scripture because that's what my religious experience (for the most part) has been. I have seen other pastors (especially youth pastors) who tell great stories that have nothing to do with the deeper meaning of the text they are trying to illuminate, but they sure are great stories and the people love them. Jesus was the man when it came to all this. The perfect combination of relevent story telling with profound and scripturally rooted meaning.
first, God Bless you for taking a spinning class. those things are hell on stationary wheels. whew!! but its awesome you instructor is cool.
and story telling is hard. its about the details.
Thanks for your post. Your story is a manifestation of Jesus' story. Thank you for sharing.
-Russ
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