Sermons of John Slater

This selection of sermons by John Slater is offered in part as a tribute to him and to his ministry in London over many years but also in part because he was a fine preacher and many of his friends and former parishioners felt a collection of his thoughts and words would be a useful resource. Perhaps for the preacher looking for occasional inspiration or a different way of looking at or understanding some seasonal feast; perhaps for the layperson wanting some inspiration or fresh approach to faith in private reading; perhaps for a confirmation candidate or parish group who might want material for discussion. While John tended to type and preserve his sermons they are rarely dated but the churches and institutions for which they were written are more frequently named. These range from the London parishes in which he served - All Saints' Margaret St, St Saviour's Warwick Avenue, St John's Wood and St George's Hanover Square - to include as well King's College in London, Christ's Hospital in Sussex, Union Theological Seminary and St Thomas' Fifth Avenue, both in New York. His themes might perhaps best be summed up in some words from an early sermon: "If any word can be said to sum up the teaching of Jesus in the Gospels it is surely the word metanoia, which means a complete turn around in our view of the world and our way of living. We tend to translate it by 'repentance' or even sometimes 'being born again' but both are lame because they use an exclusively religious term of reference. We shall not convert others by theology; we shall not transform the world unless theological truth is enfleshed in a completely new way, both in the language and concepts we use and in the way we try to live our lives. It is we ourselves who must be the mirror in which others can see the image of God; and by seeing the world in a new way be themselves changed to reflect the glory of God." To that task of enfleshing theological truth freshly John committed himself, pressing into service novels, films, contemporary writers and historical figures, scientific insights and philosophical developments. Even during his last years of illness he maintained his commitment to the task of preaching and to the adventure of fresh theological exploring and explaining. Would that we might all do the same! - From the Foreword