SERMON PREP
43
How I prepare
by Hannah Lewis
The most important thing when I am preaching in British Sign Language ( BSL ) to a deaf congregation is that I must prepare in BSL not in English . The challenge of preparing as well as preaching in BSL is that there aren ’ t an awful lot of resources I can access directly , so I need to be somewhat creative in my approach to preparation .
The Bible does not , yet , exist in the form of a BSL translation . The BSL Bible translation project ( https :// bslbible . org . uk ) have only managed to translate Mark ’ s gospel so far and have just started work on Genesis . So , as I search for a suitable text to preach on , it needs to be one that both I and whoever I ask to sign it in worship can translate clearly . I tend to use the lectionary as a starting point , sometimes looking at the week before or after as most deaf church services are monthly . I am looking for a text with a strong narrative that I can retell within the deaf BSL storytelling tradition , or one with characters I can envisage the community relating to . Sometimes thinking about how I might translate a passage into BSL can bring forth a whole sermon idea around why I ’ ve chosen this sign for that concept instead of another possible option .
Having selected the text , the next step is to sign it to myself a few times to work out the best way to convey the passage in BSL . As part of this process , I ’ ll be doing research , perhaps using language software to check the root meaning of the Greek or comparing different Bible translations for ideas . As part of my ministerial practice , I try to regularly spend time studying the Bible outside of preaching preparation . It ’ s particularly important for me to read the widest possible range of authors to pick up on nuances and implications in the passage that I miss , so I read feminist , womanist , black , queer , or Jewish writings as well as the more conventional commentaries so the background knowledge I draw on for preaching is both wide and deep .
Once I ’ ve got through this process , I usually have way too many ideas for one sermon . At this point , I will step away from my desk to let it all simmer and see what comes out . My job includes quite a lot of travel , and that ’ s fabulous thinking time , whether I ’ m on the bus or driving . I ’ ll be playing around mentally , in BSL , with different ideas and trying out a sermon in my head during this time . I get some strange looks when on public transport or walking as I might ‘ sign out loud ’ to myself . During this stage , I don ’ t write anything down . I work on the principle that if the Holy Spirit wants me to preach that , I will remember it when I come to make the notes I will preach from .
Finally , and usually on the last working day before I preach it , I will sit down to get something on paper . For preaching in BSL , which can ’ t be written , I will form the sermon in BSL in my head , and write notes , phrases , words that help me remember what I intend to say . The important thing to me is that I get quite clear in my head what points
I want to make , what stories I want to tell , and check that everything I want to say connects . I usually finish with prayer , and so once I ’ ve got the bulk of the sermon down , I ask how I can pray for myself and the congregation arising out of this text .
On the day I preach , I am trying to be open to any last-minute inspirations from the Spirit , responding to ideas that pop up as I preach or the faces of the congregation that show they just aren ’ t getting it . I find this so much easier to do in BSL than in English as the temptation to read what I have written isn ’ t there . Each sermon ( and I can preach from the same text two or three times and sometimes more to different congregations ) is different but at the end of the day , no matter what language I am preaching in , what I am trying to do is the same . I am trying to open out the words of scripture , and the experiences of our lives , with the help of the living Word of God so that we are all enlightened and inspired in our Christian journeys .
Hannah Lewis
Rev Dr Hannah Lewis is a deaf BSL user , a lifelong Christian , and a priest in the Church of England . She works as Chaplain among the Deaf Community for the diocese of Oxford . For her PhD ( published by Ashgate in 2007 as Deaf Liberation Theology ) she explored how deaf people might do theology for themselves rather than using translated hearing theology . She writes and presents on deaf and disabled theology in a variety of contexts , with a particular focus on how deaf and disabled people read the Bible and on empowering deaf people to minister and lead in the church .