At the Mennonite congregation I served as pastor for 16 years, I would perch my sermon manuscript on the face of the pulpit, sliding the pages across the smooth surface as I preached. I’m no longer a full-time pastor, so I’ve been preaching at other churches, at the invitation of pastor friends. Recently, when placing my sermon manuscripts on the pulpits of Methodist, Presbyterian, and Episcopal churches, I’ve had to negotiate a bulky object: the Holy Scriptures. This has been my introduction to the tradition of the pulpit Bible.
At St. Joseph’s Episcopal, as I scouted out the pulpit before the service, Vicar Lauren showed me how to rest the lectionary book against the bottom lip of the lectern, orienting the spine toward the top, making a little shelf for my sermon. The scriptures buttressed my words as I preached.
At Trinity Avenue Presbyterian, a large Bible took up most of the pulpit. The tome lay open to the middle pages: the Psalms, the prayers at the heart of our scriptures. Before worship, while walking me through the logistics of the service, Pastor Katie shared tips on how to arrange my sermon across the book’s valley, to keep my manuscript as flat as possible. I tried my hand at adjusting the pages but couldn’t keep them from sliding into the groove.
