ПРОПОВЕДИ

1. Review of the book of sermons and preaching Preaching from the church pulpit is a special gift. There are many who reason well and write good reasoning. But in a sermon, reasoning takes a secondary place, and someone else writes and speaks as an author... and here the less reasoning, the better. The best sermon is the one that sticks together and pours itself out (1, p. 134). 2. About the skill of writing sermons They only marvel... Since our arrival, there has never been a single service without a sermon... and they listen (3, p. 54). We're having trouble with writing fees. Remember, at first I didn’t say much... precisely because I thought writing a sermon... was the same as composing a book. That's what we all think. Reverend Seraphim then says to me: “Why think for so long?.. I sat down and wrote it in one sitting.” I didn’t believe it was possible to do this. Then somehow I myself became annoyed that I wasn’t preaching sermons... I came from the All-Night Vigil and, well, write what I would write... It seems that it was a sermon about the love of God. During mass he began to speak timidly... Nothing... got away with it. Then the next time, the same thing the third time, and so it went. And all the sermons in “Words to the Tambov flock,” with the exception of 3–4, are of this origin. In the evening after the all-night vigil, I wrote... I then tell you that until the Right Reverend comes to the idea of ​​writing in one sitting, don’t expect sermons. Push him onto this rut. You'll see how it goes. Preaching gives every pleasure (3, p. 55). I’ve already listened to the sermons, and somehow I’m losing the desire. Again I will be silent... or help me, Lord... For woe... if I do not preach the good news (3, p. 56). 4. How Saint Theophan wrote sermons The peculiarity of my sermons - both these and all others - is that they are not composed. Usually, it happened in the evening, after the all-night vigil, I’d drink a glass of tea, read tomorrow’s Gospel, then the Apostle... and whatever thought comes in and occupies my attention and heart, I take it into the topic... and the sermon builds itself within itself. An hour, an hour and a half, a lot - two... and the sermon is ready... Read it in the morning, tweak it a little. Sometimes the theme is given by external circumstances, as happened when visiting monasteries... but the production is still the same. These are written improvisations; Since they didn’t come out of my head, they represent something sweetened. Let's see if other similar brochures appear to you. There will be six or seven of them, two or three twice as many as this one (4, pp. 50–51). 5. Preaching from the heart is a great thing Many people do not like preaching. In vain. A sermon poured out from the soul is a great thing (11, pp. 100–101). You can’t say everything from a church pulpit. And it must be said that the needs of those listening are varied. One needs reasoning, another needs one pictorial depiction of an object - each to their own, but the goal of the speaker and those listening is the same, be imbued with it and read, being inspired to carry out what you read (11, p. 144). You might be interested in: