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Angela Tilby: Introductions should not be sermons

31 January 2025

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“WORDS of introduction or welcome may be said.” This is the permissive rubric that follows “The Greeting”, in the Common Worship order for holy communion. In a typical congregational booklet, this will be translated as “The president introduces the service.”

For the past 20 years, I have worshipped in cathedrals with the luxury of two or three ministers involved in leading the service: president, deacon, and subdeacon or preacher. Finding appropriate words for an informal introduction is an underrated art form, and, given the lack of attention paid to the performance of the liturgy in the C of E, is unlikely to be a topic of study or practice in any of our training institutions.

The great error in finding words of welcome is to preach the sermon in advance. As a preacher, I have often wriggled uncomfortably as the president says exactly what I had prepared to say, or, worse, offers a summary of the texts which completely contradicts it.

When I was at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, the then Precentor insisted that the introduction should be limited to 72 words, which, he judged, was the exact number required to say “Good morning” and “Welcome,” and a general sentence or two about the season, liturgical colour, or theme. I can remember trying to scribble 72 words on to my service sheet, taking care not to say anything that pre-empted or contradicted what would follow.

Of course, I realise that the vast majority of clergy will not have this luxury of apprehension, as, on most Sundays, they will both preach and preside, probably more than once. But I have found that, even in these circumstances, it is quite possible to contradict oneself, which is one of the reasons that I strongly recommend careful preparation.

It has become a rule of mine that, the more informal you want to sound or appear, the more you need to plan. Just waffling on spontaneously always takes longer than you imagine, and is usually less coherent than you suppose. Some of the best “extempore” preachers rehearse every word, every gesture. Seventy-two words does not sound very many, but it is about all I have left in this column. So, an offering for all Church Times readers who will preside on Sunday: “Good morning and welcome to our eucharist here at St Bogoffs, especially to those who are here for the first time. Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, or Candlemas as it is traditionally known, and our Gospel tells how Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the temple according to Jewish Law. In this service we offer ourselves to the Lord, along with him.”

Turn meaningfully to the deacon to introduce the confession without introducing the confession.

Bit boring, but does the job? No need to reply.

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