Chisholm

Senator Dennis Meadows' recent 'hang Barack' gaffe is pardonable if he has not read the biblical account of Jesus' trial recently, but the gaffe is compounded somewhat.

It is not simply a confusion of Barack for Barabbas but also confusion about what the crowd was calling for. The crowd was calling for Jesus' death by crucifixion and for Barabbas' release. Maybe someone should encourage Senator Meadows to go to church this coming Easter weekend.

Beyond the Senator's gaffe what does one do with the gaffes of people who are regular in church and even leaders in church? Years ago, I attended a funeral in Spanish Town and heard a visiting pastor say "Brethren, let us not be too sad, for our Lord said 'I am the Alpha and the Minga, the beginning and the end'." Has this brother never seen the text in Revelation for himself? Hard to believe.

I have sustained the view for years now that pastors and other Church leaders have a fundamental double-edged job - teaching church folk to read well and to read the Bible meaningfully, that is, making sense of what they read in the Bible through an understanding of the basic reading approaches to the different kinds of literature and literary devices in the Bible.

Without this double-edged ability, most sermons would be lost on the average churchgoer and that other dimension of 'living the Bible' would be severely compromised.

There was a pastor, I gather, who did not read well and so relied on a reader whenever he was going to preach. This particular Sunday, his text was from Psalm 24. He had the reader read verse eight twice: Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

He then proceeded to explain the passage in the native tongue thus: "Ooonu hear wah di Bible seh? Di Laad mighty in bakkle. Now oonu look how bakkle neck lilli and fi mi Gaad guh dung inna it. Gaad mighty."

Hard to keep a straight face and maintain order and decency in church if you hear that live. At least, it would be for me.

Illustrations in church

Illustrations in a sermon are usually more memorable than the point of the illustrations and object lessons are rare in the pulpit and thus priceless when used well. Imagine the holy riot in a conservative church in which the pastor decided to involve his young son in an object lesson for one of his sermons.

The plan for his sermon on the Day of Pentecost was for his son to listen for the closing words "Come Holy Spirit we need you right now", then immediately release the white dove he would place in a cage upstairs at the back of the church. He had explained to the lad that the dove represented the Holy Spirit.

The pastor's sermon was going very well and building up to the prearranged climaxing words. Members of the congregation were chorusing their 'amens' throughout the sermon. The pastor pulled himself tall in the pulpit and in his most sonorous voice entreated "Come Holy Spirit we need you right now."

Nothing happened so he repeated himself, still nothing, again, nothing. Quite deflated he called out to his son, "Jimmy, now."

The boy sheepishly appeared at the rails of the rear balcony and said: "Dad, I think the cat ate the Holy Spirit."

Even the most sanctified in the congregation had to be told to behave in the house of the Lord and get up off the floor.

The Rev Clinton Chisholm is the former senior pastor at the Phillippo Baptist Circuit of Churches. He may be reached at clintchis@hotmail.com. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.