Trying to Keep a Child’s Eye
Fred Craddock in his book, As One Without Authority, has this advice to those who engage regularly in preaching the Gospel:
William Wordsworth lamented for all of us the fading of those alert years when “the heart leaped up” at the sight of a rainbow or when eyes not yet dulled by dissipation could catch the “splendor in the grass.” The physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer once said, “There are children playing in the streets who could solve some of my top problems in physics, because they have modes of sensory perception that I lost long ago.” All his life the minister needs to do battle against this gradual loss, for he knows that, as far as his preaching is concerned, it is better to have a child’s eye than an orator’s tongue.
Since returning to ministry, a little over a year ago, it has taken me some time to rediscover my voice as a preacher. I’m sure some of it was just being out of practice, some of it was the nervousness of speaking again in front of a large number of people, but I think the main obstacle was the fear of letting my guard down in front of others. Good preaching, in my opinion, requires one to be vulnerable. I needed to be able to trust the community of St. Thomas more than I was willing to in my first months in the parish.
When I was in the seminary, the thought of having to speak every day in front of others scared me beyond belief. Surprisingly, once I was ordained it quickly became one of my favorite tasks. It involves always pondering the Scriptures, continually looking for God in my daily life and in the life of the parish. When done right, it allows one to see once again with the eyes of a child. This past year has been in many ways similar to the process that I went through as a newly ordained priest. I am very thankful for the love shown to me by the parishioners of St. Thomas and look forward to keeping my eyes attentive for God’s presence among us, especially in the simple ways he comes to us each day.
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