pulpit

It stands solitary, front and center. To a new preacher it can be the single most intimidating construct they have ever seen. And, to veteran preachers it can be like an old friend. The same is true for the people on the other side of the stationary object to which their eyes are drawn every Lord's day. For those who are new to their expression of God and their search for faith it can seem foreign and scary. For those who have grown up in the same church or in church universal, it can seem like a family member who you love but also one whom you can take for granted.

The pulpit is one of the most fascinating things in church construction. It has intrinsic value that is tied to both the symbolism and to the actual practice of preaching. This, like most things in church construction, can look differently depending on the architecture of the church building. The pulpit can be a large wooden construct that rests central to all church furniture. It can be built right into the raised alter. In other churches this can be a lectern, music stand, or anything that holds notes, bible or glass of water. In all cases the pulpit represents something bigger than just itself. It's a pointer to something larger than itself. The pulpit points to the gathering of God's people to hear the word that has been prepared for that day, or the word that is spontaneously lead in people to be spoken. And, even if a particular preacher doesn't ever use the pulpit for preaching (I include myself here), the symbolism is the same. Preachers or teachers that don't have a pulpit are taught to preacher from an anchor position--a place where people can locate the speaker. A security blanket for speaker and for hearer.

The point of pulpit, or to be specific, the location of pulpit doesn't mean that the word of the Lord may only be spoken from a particular place in a particular building but, it is a place where people may gather to listen--to hear. It is a place where we can come in from the brokenness and the hurt of life and hear that God is still good. It is a place where we may gather and be encouraged and encourage one another. And, no matter how much fear or misunderstanding surrounds the pulpit, I can't help but appreciate larger truths to which it points us.

Grace and Peace