Preaching in London

Going from the setting of rural Lancashire to the inner city of London was a shock for preaching! My first preaching appointment in London was at a Church very very close to the Emmirates (Arsenal’s ground!) it was a half past eleven service and Arsenal were playing Sunderland at twelve o’clock. As I began my sermon so did the football match, I found myself competing with the crowd, and I could tell you when the goals went in! This was a very different setting to Lancashire, I found it a bit distracting I must say!
Reflecting back- this setting is the back drop to all Christian preaching and speaking today- a busy noisy world! The challenge is to make the Gospel heard in a relevant way and in a way that can be heard.
Since then I have preached several times- most recently I preached an evening service at Hinde Street- technology permitting the sermon may soon be heard on the Churches pod cast. Preaching and leading worship is very different in London- the congregation make up is drastically different,its amazing how people drift in throughout services! It means progression in worship is hard to create! One of my experiences has been that rather than being in the majority I am sometimes in the minority- makes me stop and think about cultural relevance and how we seek to be inclusive and culturally relevant.