Briefly Stated: Short Sermons for Year B

J.R.C. Perkin is past-president of Acadia University and the author of
Reflections and Insights.

Paul Gibson has had a varied career, including chaplaincy appointments
in several academic institutions. He is currently on the staff of the
national office of the Anglican Church of Canada, with special
responsibilities in the area of liturgy. This volume brings together 38
sermons preached at the 8 a.m. Eucharist held at the convent of the
Sisters of St. John the Divine.

In the foreword, Gibson describes preaching as telling the story of God
in relation to the world and human experience. He also presents a
rationale for short sermons: they force the preacher to focus on one
thing, and do not make excessive demands on people accustomed to short
rather than long experiences of communication.

The actual sermons, which span the Christian year, have several notable
characteristics. First, they reflect contemporary biblical and
theological scholarship. The academic dimension does not intrude;
rather, it adds depth to the straightforward language and orderly
presentation. The sermons are illuminated by references to such issues
as the structure of the book of Isaiah, the date of Christmas Day, the
nature of Lent, and liberation theology.

Second, the sermons impart a sense of the international and
interdenominational. The author allows his own experience of ministry
and the world to offer glimpses of things beyond Toronto, Canada, and
the Anglican communion—a domestic situation in Hong Kong, British
policy in India, farming in human history.

Third, the sermons, despite their scholarship and worldview, remain
simple and direct, even when the issue is important and profound. “The
opposite of faith is not doubt; the opposite of faith is commitment to
hopelessness, the opposite of faith is despair as an adopted style of
life.” The preacher obviously refines his skills and revises his
script, removing any unnecessary words or intrusive ideas.

Books of sermons are often a disappointment, because the reader senses
that the spoken version was more powerful than the printed text. That is
not the case here. These sermons may be used for enlightenment,
inspiration, and comfort. Experienced preachers as well as beginners
will derive considerable benefit from reviewing their content and style,
and especially from studying the relationship between the two.