Yesterday I spoke with a new organic church in Skokie that is a part of our network.  The energy was high.  Lots of laughter, hugging, and kids running around.  Most were parents with kids in their teens, though there were some elderly and babies too.  All in all there were about 35 people there.

The morning started with some singing, bouncing balloons and stuffed footballs around the room and basically having a good time.  Then, we had direct conversation with the kids about the meaning of one of the songs we sang, and there were honest questions asked about what we believe as followers of Christ.

They had asked me to speak to them about what was going on in the network, so I gave them a few snapshots – new churches that were in the forming stages, events coming up (like Planted Life and Pray4Chicago).  We also chatted some about the importance of an intimate walk with God as the spring from which meaningful community and mission flow.  Check out more thoughts on that here.  It was a little strange – I almost felt like I was preaching, but since there were so many people (two house churches had gathered for this Sunday) I guess it made good sense.  I’m always thinking of ways to get everyone involved – maybe next time I’ll break the big group of 35 into groups of 3 or 4 and give them a question that they can all work through together – like World Cafe does it.

Afterward, we snacked on tons of food brought by everyone – from the healthy to the not so much. I was introduced to some new friends and hope to get to know them better as the network develops.

I was fully encouraged by this new community trying to live for Jesus in fresh ways.   It’s neat to see such broad-based interest in being the church we want to see.  I am praying for the spiritual opposition that will inevitably come against them, as they put all their efforts into loving God and others.

This semester has been an interesting one class-wise. I’m taking Dr. Stephen Johnson’s Preaching Skills and Strategies class. I have to admit, I wouldn’t want to take a preaching class with anyone but him. He gets the function of preaching. So often, preaching becomes about perfunctory presentation for the pew-sitters. Preachers, for fear of losing their jobs, have to placate the crowd, and especially their big contributors, if they want to keep a paycheck.

That’s just not how I see earliest preaching functioning.

Peter, Paul, Apollos, and more found themselves out in the market square gathering a crowd that believed in non-violently resisting the powers of systematic oppression in their society. It involved pointing to a hope that was beyond human ability (we can’t pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps when we’re sinking in the quicksand of Sin). Christ’s resurrection was the focal point of the sermon’s hope in Acts, but rarely was it followed by an invitation song.

When I think about someone today who is doing biblical preaching, I think about Steve Connell. This is a guy who pounds the earth with gospel truth, and leaves everyone from Christians to lesbians to Communists nodding and shouting in agreement. His passion is mixed with his genius, and it remains on display for the world to see.

It sounds more like poetry or hip-hop than a heady lecture, and it deals with issues facing the world, (like climate change, the oil crisis, or slum lords), rather than the irrelevant issues most churches squabble over. Listen to this one to get a feel for what I mean:

Recently he and a few of his comrades came to ACU. Bruce George, Steve Connell and others can be found on HBO’s Def-Poetry. A highly provocative, free-flowing poetry SLAM! It has become a place for open expression in a culture that prioritizes brand-name conformity.

Stephen Johnson said in class last week that he saw Def-Poetry as the “future of preaching.” I’m inclined to believe him. He wants to spend the next 10-15 years of his career devoted to studying what this kind of preaching might do for churches, but more importantly, what it might do for the whole world.

Finally, someone got me thinking positive about preaching again. Way to go Dr. Johnson.