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The preacher’s task is to make it possible for their listeners to meet Jesus Christ in their own lives, rather than to simply ‘convert’ them. To this end, preachers must connect with those they are speaking to in ways which help them make sense of the Christian faith in their own circumstances and in the times we live in. Waiting on the Word poses a series of questions that go to the heart of the preacher’s own vocation:
– What do people expect from a sermon?
– What are their pastoral and intellectual needs?
– How can the preacher feel confident that he or she has the words needed to meet
the spiritual, ethical and political challenges of today?
– How can he or she develop ‘presence’?
Lorraine Cavanagh is an Anglican priest in the Church in Wales. She has served in a variety of preaching contexts both rural and urban and has led workshops and quiet days on preaching for clergy and lay readers in Wales and England. She writes a weekly blog at jobbingtheologian.blogspot.co.uk. Her website www.lorrainecavanagh.net.
