Sermons and Writings
Ed Christman was always writing — jotting ideas down in a pocket-sized notebook, doodling on meeting agendas, composing prayers on scraps of paper, and adding personal messages to the bottoms of postcards. Ed was always keeping notes on books and scripture to read, people to see, ideas to consider, places to be.
Ed was also continually working on the next sermon, prayer, blessing, dedication, or other message to be delivered. As a chaplain, he served as an all-purpose orator, as worship leader for university events, for small group activities, for weddings or for funerals. He preached often at Wake Forest’s weekly chapel services. On occasion he was invited to preach sermons at the Wake Forest Baptist Church.
Ed also traveled to preach or officiate at events. For example, he gave Baccalaureate Sermons at Elon, Meredith, Wingate, and several other colleges. He preached dozens of ordination sermons for former students. He preached at churches in Winston-Salem and across the Southeast, traveling to Baltimore, Vicksburg and other cities.
In addition, Ed presided over baby dedications. He officiated at car dealership dedications. He led pregame meditations and prayer services for athletic teams, and even prayed once with Carolina football players before a game with Wake Forest. (He also prayed with Wake Forest players of course.)
For more on the content and philosophy of his work, see A Chaplain’s Work and its related pages on Spiritual Leadership, Weddings, and Funerals.
Sermons
Sermons, eulogies, and other longer works by Ed Christman were generally crafted through several versions and over many hours. Through this time and meticulous attention, the piece would be memorized and then delivered, usually without notes, into its final form.
The written record for these sermons and other works is very thin. The most complete set of final sermons come from the several dozen chapel sermons given between 1983-2003, which had previously been audio-taped and were later transcribed to become documents.
Prayers
Ed Christman, like any good pastor, learned to pray at the drop of a hat. As a chaplain, he delivered prayers for a very wide variety of events and situations. Some prayers were written quickly, scribbled on the backs of faculty meeting agendas; remember “God goes to faculty meetings?” Others were crafted through several versions to be delivered at a campus-wide event or a memorial service. In either case, he aimed to reflect the moment at hand but also inspire those present to think beyond it to something bigger.
At Wake Forest, the chaplain was the university’s worship leader at Convocation, Founders Day, Baccalaureate, and Graduation. Ed wrote and delivered prayers of welcome and benediction at these events. Year-around, he prayed at dinners and celebrations, BSU gatherings and faculty meetings, weddings and funerals.
Following are notes and transcriptions from the prayers between 1970-2002 that have been found in the Christman records. As more are discovered, they will be posted as well.
Jots and Tittles (1979-80)
Perhaps the least familiar of Ed Christman’s writing was his series of Jots and Tittles. This was a set of essays Ed wrote during the 1979-1980 school year. This set was perhaps, as a friend commented, a ‘blog’ before its time. The eight essays described his exploration of a series of events — return to school, a trip to the beach, a visit to distant family in Mexico, a conference in New York — and through the daily life of the school year. The link below takes you to the whole set.
Here is a sample from #1, Welcome to Summer School from August 31, 1978:
“Did you have a good summer?” “It was too short. Someone said summer is fall and it’s time for classes to begin.”
When the last traditional weekend beach trip and neighborhood picnicking occurs we will be laboring, not lounging in the sun absorbing eternal tans. But if other traditions disappear, Labor Day does too. Of course, my reasons for longing for the beach are religious. For if God is anywhere, the good Lord is at the beach (spatial references to God are unacceptable in some theological circles).
My family never looks for a church at the beach; our absence from a worship service is to be present on the beach where creative and orderly power, beauty and solitude abide — unless there’s a land breeze. God exits and mosquitoes enter, and I wish I were in church. … “
Read the rest of Jots and Tittles
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