Sermon or Seminar?

I've heard a lot of sermons in my life. I was raised Catholic and I remember my brother and I timing the priest with our new watches. I think 9 minutes was the longest one back then. But I've been in Protestant churches since I was 18 so now it's more like the 20-30 minute range.

I was talking to a friend this morning who referred to most sermons as "seminars". I like the term I think. Most sermons today really are more like seminars. Here's the difference as I see it.

A sermon ought to draw me closer to Christ. It will highlight His majesty and wonder. Seminars draw me closer to myself. They focus my attention on "me" in order to fix "me" and work on "me", "my" problems.

A seminar will be rather topical, ie. "How to...", "Five Ways You Can...", "Maximizing Jesus' Plan For...", "Three Ways to a Better...". But a sermon will be Biblical. It's not that a seminar won't use the Bible but it's more used to support a particular viewpoint rather than to illuminate a dark area of my life. A sermon draws out the Biblical text into my life. It may touch on various topics but the essential purpose is to bring me to Christ through the Gospel. If the Gospel is for anyone, it's for Christians and I, more than anyone I know, need to be reminded of it's power.

A sermon shows me my need for transformation. A seminar will only show me the importance of activity. It's not that activity is bad, but in itself activity cannot transform a life. Transformation happens from the inside, activity is only external.

So, a seminar will focus on systems. "If you put this or that system into place, your life will be enhanced." This works for a time but has no eternal power. A sermon focuses on heart matters.

Because a seminar has no real power, it must by nature attempt to make me more independent. If I incorporate all it's "wisdom points" into my life, I will have less need to rely on others. It serves most churches well I think if they can attract those who are good at putting things into practice. Not only does it decrease the member's dependence on the institution, it also enables them to grow their volunteer base and the institution as a whole. But a sermon will highlight the power of the Gospel through reminding me of my DEPENDENCY. Now that's a dirty word alright! But I am utterly dependent on Christ. My sin is great. My need is great. I need the balm He alone offers. I need the Gospel. A seminar leaves me needy and says "get it together man!" while a sermon offers help through the power of the Gospel that says "you can't do it, so Christ is here and He is for you."

A sermon will tend to help me see others as an end while a seminar will use others as a means. I think Reinhold Neihbur was the first one who said that we should see others as ends, not means. They are not a tool to get what we want. They are not "in our way", they are not there to be manipulated so that I can have a better life. People are ends in themselves. They are God's children, His beloved, His creation. People are made in the image of God. Even though we all know that we are not all that we should be and we want to change, we cannot see others as a means to our own change. And we cannot demand that they change on our timetable. God is making and molding them into what He wants.

Finally, a seminar must always bring me to the Law. It must always tell me that there is more to do. No matter how many hours I volunteer or how many meetings I am committed to, there will always be more I can and should do. A seminar always demands this. I may have the "5 steps to a good marriage" down cold, but next week I'll learn that there are "10 things a father must do" it's endless. It leads to legalism because it is legalism. But the Gospel frees me because all the "must", "should", etc, is completed at the cross. It transforms my heart so that I begin to ask "What can I do to please my Lord?"

I'm reading "Blue Like Jazz" and in it the author says "When you love someone you derive pleasure from their pleasure, you want to please them." That's the Gospel. Everything else rings hollow.