So I am up early—I was tossing and turning and that finally seemed pointless. I dread the 4 a.m. bathroom break because often I’m just up after that. Only when pregnant though.
I wish I were a consistently productive morning person. I am more than I used to be, but only when I’m wide awake with insomnia is that a good time to work. Nights work well enough but they are so erratic with my schedule. My friend in the Writing Revs gets up this early every day, and I can’t help but notice that she has a book coming out in August and I don’t. Coincidence?! 
I am working on sermon #2 and am trying to work some things out. I do have a couple of short clips I could use. I don’t want to be wedded to clips, like I have to use them. That would be the tail wagging the dog and I’m already ambivalent enough about technology in worship. However, I will say that at Saturday night’s service I simply described the scene with the letters, and on Sunday I showed it, and it was an order of magnitude more effective, in my opinion. Sigh.
However, there are some pieces in the books I really want to use, and they are either not in the movies, or they are part of a scene that is too scary to use, or too riddled with spoilers and extraneous details. I feel like anything in the first five books, at least, is fair game, but I also don’t want to needlessly ruin anyone’s delight at being surprised, should they read them in the future.
So, here is my proposal for those passages; tell me if you think it would work. I am thinking about designating people to read the excerpts at the appropriate times in the sermon, sort of reader’s theater style. My instruction to them would be to find a tone that’s midway between performance and reading the congregation a bedtime story. They would be off to the side, sitting on stools with microphones (durn podcast).
For example, Dumbledore’s speech at the end of Sorcerer’s Stone about how Harry is protected by his mother’s love. I could play that clip, but I’m thinking that having the passage read would acknowledge that these stories were works of literature before they were films. I also have a great guy who looks the part.
I could always read them myself, just as we share stories and quotes in our sermons, but I think this would be more engaging visually and aurally.
Next question: should I project the words on the screen while they are being read? I woudn’t normally but the screen will be up anyway. Nothing I’ve picked out is overly long, but maybe it would help people track with the reading. I don’t want to be too three-ring circus about this.
Another question: how careful should I be when it comes to spoilers for books that are several years old? I am thinking about using a scene from the end of Prisoner of Azkaban when one character is telling another why he sold out to Voldemort and betrayed his friends. The other person says that he should have died rather than do that. I could structure the sermon and reading so the names were never used. There is another character who is a werewolf. I’d like to avoid revealing who that character is, provided I can do so without confusing people.
Final question: should they have their scripts in black folders a la traditional readers theatre, or should they be holding the actual books? I can’t decide if that’s homey and bedtime story-esque, or if it will end up looking like an advertisement, or a book reading.
Thoughts welcome.
8 Responses to “help me think this through”
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black folders, capes and hats
I’d get others to read rather than you
BUT it’s important that they read well. really well. practice makes perfect.
and use at least one video clip if you can.
I wouldn’t put the words up on screen …. (but you could) … but I’d get people to close their eyes and really listen.
You could then have the MAIN quote on the screen - for when they open their eyes - and re-read it
spoilers should NOT matter at this stage … but avoiding the names of characters (or even which book) might be good … IF it works. but not necessary I think. Esp books 1-4 which are already films.
love this
I couldn’t listen
cos I don’t have the technology. I’ll get TS’s help with that - but want to encourage you.
This is fab - but it’s GREAT teaching -culturally relevent and not JUST fun- though it’s most certainly fun and that’s the best part of all
whoever said church was suppposed to be boring. hahaha
If I could I’d grab the firebolt and come listen Saturday AND Sunday
(o)
this morning i listened to the podcast of the first sermon and let me say that whatever effort you need to make to allow folks who aren’t there to “get” what you’re doing is worth that effort.
i loved “being in the moment” w/ you several days after the fact.
and i recommend the podcast to all of you blog readers. even if you read the entire text of the sermon (as i did), you’ll get something new from listening.
My main suggestion is to keep your primary focus in view through the whole experience. With so much going on the great challenge is to have clarity. Is there a message you want to convey or is the total experience important? And if its experience, what experience?
I would not put the words on a screen. I like the multiple readers.
Since you love writing and reading, and are slightly wary of technology, at some point you might want to read Jacque Ellul’s The Humiliation of the Word. (After you summer sabbatical from church books.)
I’m finishing up my re-reading of the 6th HP in preparation.
It’s always so tricky in these things to keep the uninitiated up to date without spoiling it for them (should they decide to read the whole book).
I think reader’s theatre is fine. It allows lay people to be spotlighted, and it’s something new. I also think film stuff is fine. I say mix it up.
I’m so impressed with how much you remember from the HP stories. I loved them, but I could never have recalled any of this for sermonizing. I bet people are just loving it.
I wish you could sleep, though.
I like the Reader’s Theatre idea as long as the readers are really good. I’d recommend at least one practice and using people that will take direction.
Does your technology allow for a live video feed so you could put the readers on screen as they read? That might be interesting. If not, I would opt for images, if anything, rather than words on the screen, though I can’t say offhand what kind of images I’d use — something that continued to tie the reading back to the sermon themes, I guess.
I like the idea of readers theater, with black folders instead of the books, the main reason being that they are quite hefty and all, and I am partial to the sleekness and uniformity of the black folder. No deep theological reason!
As for spoilers - if they don’t really know the books, even if you tell them what happens, I’m of the opinion that (a) they will probably not remember it since they haven’t read the whole story and (b) I would assume that they are not going to all-of-a-sudden go Harry crazy and read all of them/see all of the films before July 21st, but they might if they see how good they are! Just don’t give away the ending of the last one
I also like the video clips with the reading - to pay attention to the multiple intelligences of the folks in your congregation.
Thanks everyone. I’m going to go for it. And saying grace has inspired me to bust out with focus and function statements, which I don’t routinely do in sermon prep, but it could be useful here.
RM…great thoughts. I just finished re-reading Prisoner of Azkaban It is still my favorite book of the series. The Pettigrew, Black, Lupin scene at the end is incredible. I think I have re-read that chapter 4 or 5 times.
My two cents for what it is worth:
-Black folders not books
-Designated Readers (wonderful)
(R.Lee, B.Fake, M.Taylor type voices/readers)
-No words on screen
-definitely include at least one movie clip
-No names on the “spoiler” sections
You are right on target with your series! Wonderful!
Blessings from Colorado!