Deep Calls to Deep: Embodying the Sermon
Faculty: The Rev. Dr. Ruthanna Hooke
The depths of Scripture call for preachers to meet Scripture from their own depths. This meeting of deep and deep occurs not only in the writing of the sermon, but also in the speaking of it. A sermon is not primarily words on a page, but is a living, breathing event of one human being speaking to others. This course focuses on developing the skills needed to be fully present for this speaking event. This full presence and availability for the sermon is necessary in order to convey the depths found in Scripture and also the depths in preachers’ own lives as they meet Scripture. In this course we will work toward developing this availability by drawing on techniques of actor training that aim to enhance the freedom of the body, the breath, and the voice. These techniques will help us discover how we can more fully bring our bodies as well as our minds and souls to the preaching event. We will also examine what the demand that we bring all of ourselves to preaching requires of us spiritually and emotionally. In addition, this conference will focus on the particular challenges for women in claiming their voice, not only metaphorically but literally, in the pulpit.
