My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed watching
the recent Paralympic Games in Italy. The athletes were profoundly amazing
despite their disabilities. One event that captured my interest involved blind
skiers. Blind skiers in the Paralympics navigate courses at high
speeds—sometimes exceeding 100 km/h—by relying on a sighted guide who skis in
front of them and provides constant, real-time feedback through audio
communication systems. The guide skis ahead of the blind skier, providing a clear
reference point. In Para-Alpine events, the guide must be in front to ensure
safety and to allow the athlete to follow their audio, and in some cases,
visual, cues.
Picture, if you will, a blind skier being
coached on a downhill run. The coach is making him or her aware of the
approaching changes of direction, adjusting speed, concentrating at key
junctures, and guiding them to a successful conclusion. Picture, if you will, a
blind congregation, before them lie an awareness of context, major headings
that shift direction, positions where speed covers large terrain, and other
places that require sustained concentration. How will the congregation be guided down the sermonic run? The preacher must
keep one eye on his sermon outline and notes, but at the same time look to the
congregation, make sure that are following, and make sure they are aware of the
winding flow of the sermon. This is leadership. This is shepherding the church
through the sermon.
This, of course, can only be done in the context of a preacher who has a clear
outline in his own mind. The outline is a map of the course that shows the
shifting flows of thought and emphasis. Added to this, the preacher needs to
clearly lead his people down the slope guiding them through the logic of the
text. Simply preaching the text and hoping that the congregation is following
is not good enough.
The preacher is standing at the top of the
slope. There is a clear destination seen at the bottom. The plan of the descent
reveals several turns, left and then right, and so on. The difficulty of some
as compared to others will be noted. The preacher sees all that, but his
congregation sees nothing. The congregation must necessarily hear the sermon,
but they also must be guided, lead, through the
sermon.
At the Paralympics, the sighted guides and blind
skiers use bluetooth headsets built into their helmets to communicate. The
guide provides continuous, verbal instructions, such as calling out
"left," "right," "turn," or warning of upcoming
terrain changes like "jump" or "drop". Similarly, the
sighted preacher needs to guide the blind congregation through his sermon
narrative. At the beginning, the map of the slope should be
explained. “Having noted this main point of this passage, please note the
following headings that will support that assertion.” “So, the first heading was this, as we just
noted, now we turn to the second heading.” As the descent is
unfolded, the congregation is kindly shepherded down the slope, anticipating each major point through to a successful
conclusion.
The relationship between a skier and their
guide is crucial, often developed over years of training together. They must
learn each other's rhythm and trust one another implicitly. The preacher and
congregation are, in the moment of the sermon, part of a unique relationship. Certainly,
content and Spirit-empowered delivery will be key. As a shepherd the preacher
is certainly feeding his sheep. But is he leading his sheep? Unlike ranching,
the preacher does not dump a bale of hay before his congregation. The shepherd
leads his sheep to the food and guides his sheep through the course of the
menu.
Switching metaphors, imagine dining at the
finest of establishments. You look at the display of plates, cutlery, and
various glasses, wondering what this is all about? The waiter then brings a
dish with a comparatively small amount of food on it. But this waiter is not
just concerned with delivery the food but also guiding you through the
elaborate menu. He or she explains the use of the varied plates, the linear
display of cutlery, teaching you to work from outside in. He or she explains
the lineup of glasses. And then the waiter explains the beautifully plated, yet
small serving of what is called an hors d'oeuvre.
The careful instruction continues to the end. The diner has been led through
the meal.
All preachers use a form of logical
discourse in their preaching. I submit that the preacher who has not abandoned
his role as a shepherd leader will carefully guide the sheep through the menu.
He will stand at the top of the hill guiding the skier through the twists and
turns of the slope. He will recognize his need to shepherd his sheep through
the sermon, not just with the sermon.
