The dialogical sermon

For many years I have been developing a way of reading the Bible with people that is clearly different from a typical Bible study or sermon yet similar to both. I will call it a dialogical sermon here, though it's exact genre may be other.

I seek to engage individuals in groups of two to twenty-five in a theological conversation by helping them see themselves in the stories of struggle and liberation in the Scriptures.

I seek to formulate questions that draw people out about issues that directly affect them. Most often I begin with a question about people's lives, and then introduce a Biblical story and ask questions that help uncover the deeper truths of the text. Other times I begin with the text-which is most often the case on Sunday, when I am using the selections from the Common Lectionary.

In preparation for my dialogical sermon I seek to first determine what questions or issues the Biblical text appears to be addressing. This is often the most difficult task, requiring both careful exegesis and spiritual discernment regarding the text and group participants.

The questions that guide my preparatory reading include:

• What is the heart of the matter in the text?
• What question does the Biblical text appear to be addressing or in some way answering? (3)

Since most texts can be read to address numerous issues, I attempt to identify the multiple levels of meaning, prioritizing the issues apparently addressed in the text. (4)

The following description of a Bible study on Jesus' encounter with the man born blind and subsequent power struggle with the Pharisees in John 9 represents an attempt to begin with text. This particular story fits the purposes of this essay in that it places three ways of embodying God side-by-side.

The disciples, Jesus and the Pharisees each in turn communicate through their words and actions distinct understandings of God and ways of being present to one particular marginalized person -- the man born blind. While the following dialogical sermon/Bible study happened in a county jail, this sort of "encounter" can happen nearly anywhere where people can turn and face each other.

After briefly presenting this jail encounter, I will present some reflections on preaching and ways of being present that empower.

Next: Learning together of Jesus' liberating pedagogy in John 9:1-41

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