Season 4 - Episode 27
To listen to an audio version of this post, visit www.covenantchurch.ca/podcasts/covenant-weekly.
Over the past three Sundays, Covenant has had Elise Robitaille, Brent Jefkins, and Jon Dart preach. Just a few weeks prior, Glenn Robitaille preached. While I’m grateful for these, and others, preaching due to the rest it gives me from preparing sermons and the time it offers me to do other things, that is not the primary reason I love having others preach at Covenant. There are long-held theological convictions in our Anabaptist tradition that emphasize hearing from multiple voices. We’ll take a short time to talk about and think about that in this Covenant Weekly for March 11, 2025.
It started in the earliest days of the church - not long after Jesus had ascended back to his father leaving this early Jesus’ centred movement to be led by his followers. Rather quickly in this movement different leaders and teachers began to emerge…and they didn’t always agree on everything. And just as quickly people started aligning themselves behind their favourite leader or teacher. Paul addresses this when he writes to the church in Corinth. Paul had heard about arguing there and writes, ‘“Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ.”’
In doing this, they are pitting themselves against each other and trying to pit leader against leader. And the apparent spirituality of the “I follow only Christ!” crowd is really a claim that they don’t need to listen to the voices of any of Paul, Apollos, or Peter. It is a suggestion that they don’t need to listen to anyone else.
In contrast, Paul suggests that Christ is not divided, but speaks through each of Paul, Apollos, and Peter. In fact, in chapter 14 he highlights that each of us has gifts of God’s spirit working (and speaking) through us and we need to listen to each other.
The idea that each of us plays a role in representing Jesus to each other is called the priesthood of all believers. This idea isn’t exclusive to Anabaptists, but it has been central to how our tradition has tried to operate.
Notice that the goal isn’t the agreement of all believers. Rather, it is a recognition that each of us, as we seek to follow Jesus well, represents Christ to each other. Multiple voices in preaching help us hear more from God through the diversity within the body of Christ…even when those preaching/speaking might not be in full agreement.
But embracing this diversity - this multi-voiced worship - isn’t limited to preaching. We have diverse musical teams choosing songs and leading us in our collective worship. We have different people who volunteer in the prayer room. We have different people teaching our kids and our youth. We have different greeters. And even as we greet and share with each other in conversation, it is an opportunity for God to speak through each of us.
In his book, “Tell It Slant,” Eugene Peterson suggests that “any one of us is capable of [speaking the word of God to each other] by virtue of our baptism and incorporation in the company of men and women in whom the Spirit breathes. As the Spirit brings to remembrance the words of Jesus (John 14:26) in the conversations of men and women who listen and give answer to the Word made flesh.”
This aligns with another Anabaptist idea called Community Hermeneutic. Hermeneutics is basically, the science (or art) of interpretation. Community Hermeneutics is a conviction that we will best understand, interpret, and apply scripture when we wrestle with it in community. Community Hermeneutics suggests that it isn’t the one voice (or small oligarchy of voices) from the front who decides everything. Neither can I just interpret things the way I like it and dismiss other voices. It is a submission to the shared voices of the community - those who are trained and educated, those who speak with vulnerable voices, those who ask the hard (or maybe annoying questions), all the voices. If a lead pastor is the only one who ever shares, we are robbed of the voice of God as heard in others.
Sharing the preaching with diverse voices is one small way we seek to foster community hermeneutics. It continues when you go into your Bible studies, small groups, conversations over lunches, and questions from your kids or grandkids.
I love having others preach because it expands our attention to the voice of God which speaks in different accents and from different perspectives - all without dividing Jesus around whom we all seek to unite. So thank you to each of you who preach. Thank you to those who lead groups. Thank you to those who ask questions and share in groups. Thank you to those who interact with your families. Thank you to those who share in conversations before and after our Sunday gatherings and throughout the week. Thank you especially to those who rarely speak but, when you do, your words are filled with deep wisdom and care.
We need each other and we need each other's voices. So let us listen well. And, as God leads, speak words of love aligned with the Word for each other’s good.