Speaking with Graeme Anderson
We were blessed to have Graeme speak to us at our annual church camp. I also got the chance to speak to him about preaching.
Can you think of a sermon that had a big impact on you? Why has it stayed with you?
Grant Paulson, an Aboriginal Christian Leader and Pastor spoke at Northside about five years ago. He came with a group of Aboriginal Elders and preached on reconciliation. We were then served communion by the Elders. Everything in the sermon and service pointed to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and how we can join in. It was profound and powerful.
What was your process preparing to teach at Seaforth?
Pray. Think. Study. Write. Delete. Pray some more. Think some more. Study some more. Write some more. Delete some more. Panic. Pray. Realise this is God’s work that I am privileged to participate in. Relax.
Do you think sermons still have a role in a church’s worship gathering? Why/why not?
I do. I think there is a liturgical necessity for teaching Scripture. (The power of liturgical practice is significant and we Baptists perhaps need to embrace it a bit more!). It is part of what we do as communities learning to follow Jesus. My hope is that along the way, we learn to open ourselves before Scripture rather than merely open Scripture before ourselves. In the later posture, we are in control. In the former, we are trusting the Spirit to breathe life into Scripture.