Comments on will |u| be a disciple?
www.willubeadisciple.com: Pulpit

Well, I'm a little late to this conversation, ...

2011-04-07T14:15:17.805-05:00

Well, I'm a little late to this conversation, but I'll add my 2 cents worth. I really like that you are preaching from the pulpit. I have never really been a fan of the "Johnny Carson style of sermen delivery" so I guess I'm just a little more traditional. Plus, I have found that when I can see the entire person, I get distracted by thinking things like, "his shoes need polishing" or "she really needs to hem those pants". Not a problem if you are in the pulpit, unless you have hair in your face or spinach in your teeth!

Thanks for all the great comments. I am going to ...

2011-03-22T07:24:35.357-05:00

Thanks for all the great comments. I am going to stay in the pulpit at least through Lent and Easter. Then, we will see what is next.

I grew up Catholic, so though I left that specific...

2011-03-21T16:06:37.535-05:00

I grew up Catholic, so though I left that specific faith, I find great comfort in your use of the pulpit. It feels "right" to me - not a great explanation, but that's how it is!

I like it, because I can see you better!

2011-03-20T17:23:03.407-05:00

I like it, because I can see you better!

Thanks for taking the time to elaborate on the sym...

2011-03-15T08:04:02.020-05:00

Thanks for taking the time to elaborate on the symbolic use of some of the furniture used in places of Christian worship. Though I don't attend worship there (so my feedback won't really help you with your survey) I appreciated the lesson.
We once had a pastor who included in every Sunday bulletin, a brief explanation of ONE aspect of the liturgical order of worship... why it follows a particular order, why the pastor stands to the left or the right at what point in the service, what a certain piece of furniture or fabric or color represents, etc. It wasn't a bombardment of information, just a morsal to digest slowlly. Over the course of a year, I learned so much about the liturgical worship that I had not known before; so much so, that without intention or conscious awareness, I gravitated from prefering a "praise" service format to finding more solace in the more "traditional" service.
I noticed you're embarking on the "24 Hours That Changed the World" study. I just saw the first clip yesterday in which a Jewish rabbi elaborated on the symbolism and lessons preserved in their sedar meal. "At the beginning of the meal, we are slaves. At the end, we are a free people." I like that the Christian order of worship also reveals our story--our heritage--of reconciliation, redemption, and restoration.
Thanks again, Will. God bless you!

An interesting part about using the pulpit is that...

2011-03-14T12:37:26.735-05:00

An interesting part about using the pulpit is that I can read from a larger Bible since I have a place to put it - which is nice because the letters appear to be getting smaller as I get older.

I always thought when he preached from the boat it...

2011-03-14T12:35:33.556-05:00

I always thought when he preached from the boat it was sort of a floating pulpit. Of course, the whole thing is a little different for Jesus. When you are the Word, where you stand is another matter.

It is comforting for the pastor to use the pulpit...

2011-03-14T12:03:31.756-05:00

It is comforting for the pastor to use the pulpit. There is no wandering or pacing. I sit in the back and find the screens very distracting. Almost would rather have them on a still photo. I'd rather look at the pastor. If I wanted to watch the screen I could watch a sermon at home on TV. Thanks for telling us what the pulpit symbolizes. I bet many did not know that.

When Jesus was in the Jewish church and read the w...

2011-03-13T10:43:18.953-05:00

When Jesus was in the Jewish church and read the word, he was in the "Moses Seat". When he was outside he was on a hill or in a boat. Most the time he spoke to people in small groups standing or sitting with them.

When I was young the pastor going into the pulpit was the start of some real good sleep.

I agree with Lucy. When I saw you at the pulpit o...

2011-03-12T11:57:25.070-06:00

I agree with Lucy. When I saw you at the pulpit on Wednesday, I felt the whole scene was more worshipful. I am more distracted when the preacher is moving around and I wonder whether he is holding a sermon reference book or a Bible when the object is taken off the music stand. I vote "For."

Very interesting, Pastor Will. It reminded me tha...

2011-03-12T11:24:13.953-06:00

Very interesting, Pastor Will. It reminded me that Mike Lowry, now Bishop Lowry, more than any pastor I can remember went back and forth from the pulpit to the chancel. It just dawned on me that from the pulpit he was probably reading scripture and expounding on theology, and when he came down from the pulpit, he was getting on a more personal level with examples and applications. duh! I don't think I ever intellectually registered that...but that's the feeling I get looking back. How silly of me that it took reading your blog to get it, although I probably got it on a gut level. Now I'm trying to remember how Charles and Adam and Leslie and all of the pastors use the pulpit. Thanks for the nudge....I'll be watching my Pastor Tom in Fairfield, CA on Sunday.

Thanks for the feedback. You are not the only one...

2011-03-12T09:28:39.155-06:00

Thanks for the feedback. You are not the only one. Many people react to the pulpit because of who has been in it. I think that is often what is behind liking someone "because he came out from behind the pulpit." Sometimes the pulpit comes to represent something it is not and it is hard to ever see it the same way again.

Thanks Mary. It will be interesting to hear if yo...

2011-03-12T09:26:33.892-06:00

Thanks Mary. It will be interesting to hear if you respond differently to the pulpit knowing the history behind it.

Thanks Lucy. I seem to find that when I am in pul...

2011-03-12T09:25:13.344-06:00

Thanks Lucy. I seem to find that when I am in pulpit I am actually more focused on the word. Hopefully that helps the listener focus on it as well.

Thanks for the reply. I am looking forward to hea...

2011-03-12T09:21:33.763-06:00

Thanks for the reply. I am looking forward to hearing how others feel about that. If I had to guess, it has a lot to do with where they sit. People like you who sit toward the front seem to value intimacy. Those who sit in the back and look at the screens instead of me may have a different value.

Know that I am praying for your family!

will

Sometimes I feel the pulpit to be distracting but ...

2011-03-11T20:39:21.989-06:00

Sometimes I feel the pulpit to be distracting but only when I catch my thoughts wandering. Let me explain. Sometimes my mind wanders to my most image of a pulpit and that unfortunately means something I recently saw on television. The image of the pulpit is a strong memory for me growing up in church that did not believe in preaching from any other medium. So it's also a figure of authority for me as well, which makes it even more tragic when that image is tainted by the 20 or so priests that were suspended on charges of child abuse or the television evangelist that use it more as a platform for an infomercial.
So then I have to remember that the pulpit must be about GOD's message and not about what my mind has equated it to see it as.

Thank you so much for doing a blog on the pulpit! ...

2011-03-11T20:27:53.439-06:00

Thank you so much for doing a blog on the pulpit! I will definitely look at the pulpit definitely now! I always thought that pulpits were meant to place the preacher higher so the congregation can see them easier. I do tend to listen to the pastors more if they are standing at the pulpit. The history and reason why pulpits were made is so interesting and thought provoking!

It's funny that you have written a post on thi...

2011-03-11T20:04:30.616-06:00

It's funny that you have written a post on this subject, because on Ash Wednesday I thought to myself, "I really like that Will is preaching from the pulpit. No one hardly does that anymore." For me all church traditions like wearing robes, singing hymns, saying creeds, and preaching from the pulpit, feel warm and comfortable. It doesn't make me feel distant from the Word of God or from the preacher themselves. In fact, I find it highly distracting when the preacher is pacing around in front of the Lord's Table. When a pastor is delivering the Word of God from the pulpit his/her full is attention is on delivering the message, not where they're going to walk next. So yes, I like it. :o)

~Lucy Simons

I am not fond of the use of the pulpit because of...

2011-03-11T19:27:06.848-06:00

I am not fond of the use of the pulpit because of the physical distant it creates between the preacher teacher and the congregation. When the Word is respected, read, and taught, it is already elevated. As a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ, when the Word is delivered on my eye level, I feel much more connected and recharged to do God's work.

Comments on will |u| be a disciple? www.willubeadisciple.com: Pulpit

Well, I'm a little late to this conversation, ...

Thanks for all the great comments. I am going to ...

I grew up Catholic, so though I left that specific...

I like it, because I can see you better!

Thanks for taking the time to elaborate on the sym...

An interesting part about using the pulpit is that...

I always thought when he preached from the boat it...

It is comforting for the pastor to use the pulpit...

When Jesus was in the Jewish church and read the w...

I agree with Lucy. When I saw you at the pulpit o...

Very interesting, Pastor Will. It reminded me tha...

Thanks for the feedback. You are not the only one...

Thanks Mary. It will be interesting to hear if yo...

Thanks Lucy. I seem to find that when I am in pul...

Thanks for the reply. I am looking forward to hea...

Sometimes I feel the pulpit to be distracting but ...

Thank you so much for doing a blog on the pulpit! ...

It's funny that you have written a post on thi...

I am not fond of the use of the pulpit because of...

Comments on will |u| be a disciple?
www.willubeadisciple.com: Pulpit