MLK Jr. College of Ministers and Laity at Morehouse College
Announces It Will
Induct Sr. Pastor James Brewer-Calvert as an Honoree for Preaching
On Thursday, March 31 at 11 AM
At Morehouse College in Atlanta GA
Your prayers and presence are warmly requested. For those wishing to attend on March 31, the 11 AM Crown Forum Program and Induction Ceremony are free. The 12:30 PM Honoree Luncheon, Keynote Address and Panel Discussion requires a ticket, which can be purchased in advance for $20. A limited number of tickets are available; please call the MLK International Chapel Staff at 404-215-2608. The International Chapel is located at 830 Westview Dr SW, Atlanta GA 30314.
The MLK Jr. College of Ministers and Laity received nominations of active preachers to be inducted from three main sources: Morehouse College faculty, Morehouse College alumni, and current members of the College of Ministers and Laity. James Brewer-Calvert was nominated, vetted, and accepted to be honored as an Inductee for the Class of 2016.
Dear Friends,
This is an incredible honor, one that I never imagined. I am deeply humbled to be even considered by the MLK Jr. College of Ministers and Laity and to join such esteemed company. To think that this particular aspect of my spiritual journey was launched (lurched is more like it) at age 23. One July morning during a VBS at Grace Episcopal Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey I offered a reluctant, mediocre message on a parable that was preached to six year olds. Good friend Phoebe McKay was present and can testify to the accuracy of this tale. Two months later at seminary a fellow student shared that she had to preach during the summer so she began to prepare the night before. A voice spoke in my mind, saying, “James, you had to preach for the first time this summer, and I began to prepare you before you were born.” And that, my friends, was my call to proclaim the Good News.
Preaching is a part of the Christian ministry that I initially shied away from, even after entering Union Theological Seminary. I firmly believed that actions speak far more loudly and accurately. However I was encouraged by the seminary faculty, including James Forbes, Ardith Hayes, Lou Martyn, Roger Shinn, and James Washington. Many fine pastors have influenced my formation as a preacher, especially the late George E. Calvert who preached truth to power with love and grace; M. Bruce McKay who freed my voice by daring to share his doubts; Don C. Brewer who weaves philosophy, natural science, and homespun wisdom; Michael W. Mooty who articulates the faith with vision, clarity, and a slow boil; and my contemporary, weekly lectionary analysts Bob Browning, Greg Smith, and Buffy Calvert.
Christ-centered preaching impacts human transformation. Consequently I work at the craft with a short memory (“Never cry past Tuesday.”) and discipline (“Sunday’s coming!”). I give myself permission to argue next week with whatever I said last Sunday, because that is what the Bible does, and more. Steady preparation for worship for me requires praying, exegeting Scriptures, clarifying a broad theme down to a single sentence, writing, cutting the excess, rewriting, building a figurative tree from roots to nests, practicing alone, and then delivering with joy and sincerity a faith-based, Spirit-filled message. All this fifty times a year!
I’ve learned some lessons in the School of Hard Knocks. First, sometimes the sermons I work hard to write are for me (those are left at home or dropped on my therapist’s couch); then it’s back to the drawing board to write one for the church. Further, never deliver a sermon targeted to one particular person or group, because it won’t work and won’t be heard anyway. As Gene Wilder said in Blazing Saddles, shooting Mongo only makes him mad. Finally, mix it up and have fun. Be creative. Your listeners will appreciate the variety (“What will he or she do next?!”), the Bible models a wide range of styles and formats for sharing the Good News, and it keeps the preacher fresh and in the game.
Each time I step into a pulpit I pray to be a channel for the Holy Spirit. The preaching event is a communal experience. Sermons are not manuscripts, mere sentences on a page to be read really, really loud. For sermons to come alive and dance, made so real that they have breath and dimension, they take two sides. God’s Word welcomes being witnessed, felt, received, dissented, pondered, accepted, embodied, retold, born again as someone else’s narrative. In the context of holy worship whenever speaker and listeners share the divine gift of synchronicity (a.k.a., have a kairos experience), change happens. Believe this, and you become the changer and the changed.
By the grace of God I extend credit and gratitude to the significant congregations I served: Church of the Living Hope in NYC; East Dallas Christian Church in Texas; Bethany Christian Church in Jackson, TN; First Christian Church of Decatur these past 18 years, all communities of beloved souls from whom I have learned and owe so much. I offer a prayer of thanksgiving to my amazing wife, Betty, who is an incredible, intelligent, and well-read preacher on her own, and to our adult children. My family knows all too well their sacrifices of countless Saturday nights, coping without husband or father who was off in his study, wrestling with the Word, striving and thriving toward that culminating statement: “All power be to the Creator, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!”
Happy Easter! As always, First Christian Church of Decatur, I am delighted to be your pastor. Shalom, James L. Brewer-Calvert