The art of the sermon used to depend upon its ephemeral state as a word spoken in a particular time for a particular people. The written document may survive through time, but its application is only as powerful as the context in which it was originally given. However, in spite of that momentary existence in the form of hearing, we desire to have access to what we once heard. This is both a community desire and a personal desire. For the community, it is the ability to go back and refresh one’s connection to one another and to the divine by way of that which was meaningful and to invigorate the present moment. For the pastor, it is a reference to, first, make sure one is not repeating oneself interminably (the bane of every pastor), and second, to have access to one’s work in the event one needs a message because of time limitations, interruptions during the weekly preparation, or inveterate laziness. Regardless of all those reasons, this is the link to my sermons at Rockland Congregational Church from 2011 through 2022.
