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1.
Introduction |
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11.
Vestments |
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2.
Work |
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12.
Continued formation |
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3.
Being part of the One Church |
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13.
Holy Orders |
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4.
Working in the community |
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14.
Membership of the Order |
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5.
Liturgy |
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15.
Overseas Provinces |
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6.
Prayer |
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16.
Resignation from the Order |
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7.
The Bible |
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17. |
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8.
The place of ‘the traditions of the church’. |
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18. |
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9.
Language usage |
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19. |
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10.
Authority within the Order |
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20. |
Language
usage.
1)
Considering forms of language used in worship, the sacraments and
general liturgy, a simple, uncomplicated and direct form is by far
the most productive.
2)
Jesus spoke in simple, understandable terms in his dealings with
other people and when preaching. We should aim to do the same lest we
inadvertently hide the good news from them and bring God’s
judgement on ourselves.
3)
Formal ceremonial language may be required in some circumstances but
should be minimised if at all possible. If it cannot be avoided, it
should always be appropriate, subdued and not dominate the
proceedings or be theatrical.
4)
Technical, theological and unnecessarily complicated or little used
phrases or words should be avoided lest they hide the Word of God,
unwittingly make the listener feel uneducated or make more of the
supposed importance of the person speaking.
5)
When preaching, it is good to use humour and parable in the same way
that Our Lord did, and let our own God given personalities add colour
and texture to our words. However, we should take care that we do not
let these things claim equality or take precedence over the words we
have been entrusted with by God.
6)
Preaching the Gospel is a responsibility that should not be taken
lightly. It needs to be carefully discerned, prepared and delivered.
It should also be short and demand the full attention of the listener.
7)
A worthwhile saying regarding preaching is, ‘all sermons should
have a good beginning, a good ending, and the shortest distance
between them.’
8)
A sermon should make only one or two points, have a small number of
relevant and uncomplicated illustrations from life, be totally
accessible, and leave the listener both challenged and encouraged.
9)
The teaching style of Our Lord is the very best example to be found
and is worthy of repeated study. He did not speak endlessly in
theological terms or quote the written opinions of great theologians.
He spoke in simple, direct terms. It was challenging but not
condemning, supportive but never patronising, and pointed the way
forward rather than being prescriptive. Each person could apply
Jesus’ teaching at their own level and respond in their own way.
They were given the responsibility of making the next decision,
taking the next step and choosing the way forward.
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