REFLECTIONS ON PREACHING #4

Nourishment And Nurture

The tools in the preacher’s tool chest must be skillfully used to present the word from God. The hammer and the fire are not the sword and the sword is not the master swordsman. They are merely tools use to create the work of art. We must acknowledge as well that not every sermon is a masterpiece but it should attempt to be a work of art. This is also handling the word of God correctly.

Gadgetry and gimmickry should never be mistaken for relevance. An illustration that needs to be explained fails as an illustration. A story that must be interpreted and explained fails to contribute to the sermon and is in fact a distraction. Take note of the limited number of times Jesus explained his stories (parables) and when he did it was to his closest disciples not the masses. What are we willing to sacrifice upon the altar of relevance? Are we ready to sacrifice biblical accuracy or scriptural fidelity? Are these acceptable sacrifices to the god of relevance? In an attempt at relevance, these are often sacrificed needlessly by ignoring the literary, historical and grammatical context of scripture. This I would argue is not handling correctly the word of God.

The preacher of God’s word must be faithful to the text. As one of my New Testament Professors often reminded us, “We are people of the book.” He would continue by saying, “If one does not know what the text meant it is unlikely that he will ever know what it means.” Let the text speak for itself and in so doing one will discover the relevance to the human condition. Determine from the text what God is saying, listen to the word and let the text speak rather than bringing our own agenda to the text. Let the questions arise from the text. To sacrifice fidelity to the text at the altar of relevance is to create something other than a word from God and therefore fails as preaching the word of God.

Relevance, however, is important because the word from God must intersect our world (lives). It is “down at the crossroads” of Straight Street (where we like Saul meet the man of God) and State Street (where we like he rebel against the will of God) that the preacher must take his stand between these two worlds on a collision course. It is here that he will bond with and bolster the people of God. This intersection is always the point of contact where the word from God comes to life. It is here that it (the word) can renew, redeem, restore and transform the people of God. It is the task of the preacher to stand at the intersection between these two worlds and facilitate the merger of the two for the benefit of God’s people. Coming to this juncture with good news, we boldly answer our calling. At this junction, the preacher meshes and melds together the healing power of God’s word and applies it to the painful and perilous reality of the human condition. When these worlds collide, we discover left in horrific aftermath the necessity for authentic biblical preaching. If the preacher is faithful to his calling and if he can rise to the occasion then, in that instant, in that marvelous moment something wonderful occurs. It is here that time stands still and one beholds the magnificent culmination of hours of labor. The approved workman provides a demonstration of the art of preaching. The people of God will be witness too behold the living realization of the artistry of preaching.

When the preacher does this with passion, purpose, power and in a picturesque manner then he has become more than just a technician, he is an artist. He is (an approved workman) handling correctly the word of God and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. He has then, a word from God and the people will hear a word from God. People are starving for such an authentic word of good news and hope in a world full of despair and desperation.

This is the true art of preaching, a spiritual calling and a labor of love. This is a spiritual endeavor from the selection of the text (finding the right iron ore), to the molding shaping and tempering (hammer, anvil and water) and finally to the delivery (wielded and whetted by the hands of the skilled swordsman). It is “sharper than any double-edged sword…” A preacher must be devoted to the spiritual process, which is preaching. Pray it through, prepare it thoroughly and present triumphantly with passion the word from the transcendent God (good news) that will transform the transient people of God.

Consider then in conclusion, that in following this path fulfills Aristotle’s three points by presenting a moral and ethical imperative and credibility or the speaker, a rational or logical proposal i.e. the reason why should do a thing and an emotional appeal to change heart, mind and life of the people of God. In addition, it elevates preaching to a wonderful and magnificent art form worthy of honor, respect, passion. An artistic endeavor worthy of greater attention and devotion by those who are called to practice the ancient and divine art of preaching. It is “making soup” not just “boiling water,” by sharing the bread of life and manna from heaven with a people famished by lack of spiritual nourishment. It prepares and presents a feast that will nurture and nourish the family of God. Finally, it fulfills the scriptural proposition with which this writing began. It is rightly or faithfully, “handling the word of God,” and it is proclaiming the “good news of the kingdom of God.”

Bob Phillips

REFLECTIONS ON PREACHING #3

"Boiling Water" or "Making Soup"

The delivery should be passionate, purposeful, picturesque and powerful. The passion comes from the preacher living with, praying over and being transformed personally by the word. The power will emanate from this passion and more importantly from presence of the Spirit of God. These two elements are at least occasionally a part of the preaching found in our churches. Yet, in my experience rarely do we labor over the words we use to communicate the message. It is the words we choose that communicate powerfully, purposefully and passionately to the people of God.


We frequently substitute technology, gadgetry and gimmickry for finely crafted words that paint a picture and communicate in the tones, tenor and rhythms that allow us to experience the depth of life in God. We are wordsmiths using the words that can evoke images of the beauty and wonders of a transformed life. Take for example three such individuals Abraham Lincoln,[1] Jonathan Edwards[2]


In addition, Martin Luther King Jr.[3] and the excerpts from some of their speeches where there use of words is imaginative and creative. These are intended to be examples of how a skilled wordsmith uses words. It is both their choice of words and their use of words to captivate, motivate and create. Their words leave us with images that are undeniably moving and unforgettable. We should strive to become true wordsmiths who give great attention to the words we choose to craft and create sermons that truly transform. This is correctly handling the word of God.


I have with great interest witnessed sermons, or what was represented to be sermons. Yet, they resemble something more akin to a stand-up comedy routine than a sermon. While Bill Cosby might be proud of such effort, I am not sure that this would be Jesus’ preference. We are forced to endure 15 minutes of jokes and random humorous antidotes, with maybe a few minutes of scripture to make it sound biblical. While humor is a useful tool, even Jesus uses humor to make his point, a sermon must be more. Never interject humor just for humor’s sake. It is not our calling to entertain but rather to transform. The sermon is not a comedy routine but a word from God (good news). In a preaching seminar by Fred Craddock this excellent preacher and professor of preaching said, “preaching is more than boiling water, it is making soup.”


We have become accustom to and even dependent upon the use video clips and power point presentations to present the message. By relying on these technologies so heavily, are we “just boiling water” or are we “making soup?”


These technologies are wonderful innovations and magnificent mechanical advances of our age, but still they are just tools. Neil Postman’s book, “Amusing Ourselves to Death,” points out the tendency of our generation to view everything in terms of entertainment and how this has influenced our generation. Thirty seconds to one-minute commercials and thirty-minute television programs grab our attention but fail to hold it. They make an emotional appeal but often fail to give a valid reason and frequently ignore the ethics of the speaker or of what is being asked of the listeners. How often do we click between programs, watching multiple programs at the same time? The remote, controls our lives rather than God.


Therefore, we frequently evaluate and even prepare sermons based upon how well they meet the criterion amusement, technology and emotion. Preachers are tempted to go a step further and even attempt to pass it off as good news and correctly handling the word of God. Sermons that must be no more than thirty minutes long and multi-media presentations that try to mimic Madison Avenue’s add campaigns are an accommodation to our culture. Culture does not dictate good news. Good news is the word from God.


I recently was involved in an elder’s meeting where our discussion focused upon the need to keep sermons and worship short so as not to impose upon the people’s time. The phrase that one of my fellow elders used repeatedly was, “we must be time conscious.” My position was that it would be of greater value for us to be more God conscious than time conscious. I have no morbid desire to endure an excessively long drawn out sermon, which rambles and aimlessly plods along with no apparent point. A sermon should never be an imposition either upon the people or upon God. Time is not God. What are we willing to sacrifice upon the altar of “time consciousness?” These accommodations to culture, I believe, fail the test of being good news, or correctly handling the word of God, and fail miserably.

One should remember that these technologies and techniques are very useful tools. However, they are just tools and not the essence of or foundation upon which the sermon is constructed. A skilled artisan never confuses his tools with his gift or skill in using the tools. The preacher must use all his tools and never allow the tools to use him.


[1] Abraham Lincoln. Second Inaugural Address. Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
[2] Jonathan Edwards. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. the pit is prepared, the fire is made ready, the furnace is now hot, ready to receive them; the flames do now rage and glow. The glittering sword is whet, and held over them, and the pit hath opened its mouth under them. The devils watch them; they are ever by them at their right hand; they stand waiting for them, like reedy hungry lions that see their prey, and expect to have it, but are for the present kept back.
[3] Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream” In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds. "But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.


To be continued....

Bob Phillips

REFLECTIONS ON PREACHING #2

Forging The Blade

The blade is not only beautiful it is hand crafted and forged with just the right balance of strength and flexibility. If the metal is, too hard it becomes brittle and breaks easily. If the metal is, too soft it will fail to hold an edge and will be dull and useless. In either case, the sword becomes useless. Finally, the sword must be tested by a blade master to determine if it is suitable for the task for which it was made. A sword, even one that is perfectly made, is only a tool. This tool when wielded by the hand of a master swordsman can faithfully accomplish the task for which it was made. Becoming a master artisan or a master swordsman both take time and effort. While a preacher will unlikely, become a complete master of the craft, never the less he must strive to achieve that goal.

In the art of preaching, the preacher is an artist who is both the sword maker and the swordsman for both are art forms. The art of preaching must be approached as a spiritual endeavor. From the selection of the right text (the ore) to the study and research (heating, forging and hammering out and shaping the metal on the anvil) to the delivery of the sermon (the testing and use of the tool that was forged in the fires and tempered in the waters) this is from beginning to end a spiritual undertaking. Preaching then, is to take this sword of the Spirit and wield it with skill and strength against the forces of darkness and evil in such a way that it transforms the people of God.

Preaching must never destroy the people of God. It must be used to decapitate and destroy the multi-headed hydra, which is evil in our world. Evil like the hydra of myth will often replace the decapitated heads with multiple replacements. As a result, the craft of preaching is continuing process, a spiritual battle against evil for the hearts and minds of the people of God. Preaching must be transformational for the people of God not destructive to them. That means proclaiming good news that changes hearts, minds and the lives of God’s people.

The people of God should rightfully expect to hear a word from God when they come together. Preaching must begin with the scripture and proceeds with the great physician’s prescription to heal the disease of sin that plagues humanity. This word from God will mend the broken hearted and bind up that which is broken. This is an illusion to scripture found as a part of the message Jesus sends to John the Baptist. The disciples of John whom he had sent to ask if Jesus was the messiah or should they expect another. The last part of the quote from Jesus is that “the poor have the good news preached to them.” Mark tells us that Jesus “preached the good news.” Jesus is the preacher with a word from God (good news) to the people of God.

That word from God must begin with “the Word of God” (scripture) and not with the human condition. The text of scripture is the raw material from which the sermon must come. It is the approved workman who handles correctly the word of God. One should be as passionate about the process of drawing out from the scripture that unique word from God. It is something that the preacher must live with, meditate upon and pray over, because as he hammers and shapes the sermon it is also molding and shaping the preacher. It is a unique symbiotic relationship between preacher and sermon. While the preacher shapes and sharpens the sermon, the sermon also shapes and sharpens the preacher.

The preacher should refrain from bringing his own agenda to the text but rather, listen attentively to the word from God. The art of truly listening is much neglected discipline in our age. It is even more neglected and difficult when it comes to listening to the small still voice of God. This is a most difficult task. Listening to the text will help the preacher hear the questions that the text presents and provide the answers for troubled souls. There are so many competing voices to contend with in our lives. The preacher should resist the persistent and almost oppressive urge to listen to the voices of pop-culture, pop psychology and pop theology. Despite the fact that these are interesting, intriguing and as tempting as these all may be to pursue in another venue, they are not the source of our message. They are not the source of the questions or the answers, they are the dilemma and the disease to be addressed and healed. Listen to the text first and the culture second, then you have a word from God to the people of God (good news).

The television programs “The Office, Lost, Ugly Betty or even My Name is Earl” or other pop cultural programs are all the rage as resources for preaching material. However, the preacher should be cognizant that these events or programs are not where the sermon must begin. It is a simple and frequently a popular approach to grab a story or maybe theme from one these programs as an idea for a sermon. Then proceed to the concordance to find some scriptures that validate the theme and develop the idea, then present it as a sermon. This too, it would seem fails to measure up to the standard of “correctly handling the word of God,” “the sword of the Spirit.” Start with the word and bring its healing message to the present human condition, which is often well illustrated by pop culture images and stories. However, they are not the ore from which the craftsman forges the sword. That ore is the scripture. The preacher must begin with the scripture.

To be continued....

Bob Phillips

REFLECTIONS ON PREACHING

A PHILOSOPHY OF PREACHING

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. The time has come, he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.” (Mark 1:14-15) There are two ideas embodied in these passages that set the tone and tenor for what will follow. The first is found in the phrase “correctly handles the word of truth.” The second is “Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming (preaching) the good news of God.”

While watching an educational program on the ancient art of Japanese sword making, my thinking began to coalesce around a philosophy of preaching. Admittedly, I stumbled over this idea and over a period of several years. However, I must admit that I do not have a deep or abiding believe in coincidence, so I feel compelled to attempt to glean from this story a spiritual application. I have over the years frequently ruminated on, reflected upon and considered the implications of this story. In so doing, I have been able to formalize and synthesize my thinking in regards to the art of preaching. I have devoted considerable intellectual energy and exerted tremendous effort in the process to develop this philosophy yet it occurs to me that it continues to be a work in progress. In the final analysis preaching, I am firmly convinced, is truly an art form.

Consider then, the following propositions, first, that the art of preaching has become a poorly practiced and second, often-neglected discipline in our post-modern age. Aristotle (the father of Western Philosophy and Rhetoric) proposed that oral address and persuasive writing contained three elements. From this evolved the erroneous or distorted application of a concept called the three-point sermon. I would assert that it is erroneous or distorted because, the three-point sermon of today shows very little resemblance to Aristotle’s concept of three points. His three points were not an outline with one, two and three or A, B, and C nor was it about three blank spaces on a power point presentation.

Aristotle proposed that every writing and oral discourse or in our case, sermon consisted of three points or elements that have remained a constant for almost 2500 years. These he postulated or proposed were the ethos (ethical or moral appeal, for him this included the credibility of the speaker or writer), logos (logical or rational appeal for him this was the most important) and pathos (an emotional appeal). In our post-modern culture, logic and reason are rejected and ethics and morals have become subjective. The emotional appeal has become dominate in this culture to the exclusion of the reasonableness of the argument or the credibility of the speaker. What is left with then, is an over emphasis on emotion. Frequently this results in an unbalanced incorrect handling of the word of God. This lack of balance is I believe detrimental to the art of preaching.

In the story of Japanese blacksmith (sword maker), an aged sword master spoke humbly and with great reverence and respect for his art. He said, that he viewed it as a spiritual endeavor from beginning (selecting the right piece of ore) to end (a razor sharp, ornate, beautifully crafted blade). In his view, it was much more than a job. It was both a spiritual calling and a labor of love. The master blacksmith prayed as he selected just the right piece of raw ore. He prayed as he smelted the ore in a hand made furnace, a process that takes days. He prays as he forges the metal. As he hammers it out on the anvil and continuously folds the hot steel into the shape and strength desired, he prays. At the end of this spiritual process, we are left with a beautiful razor sharp, perfectly balanced sword that glistens in and reflects the sun light. We posses a blade that is useful and powerful in finding off and destroying the forces of darkness and spiritual evil, wherever they may rear their ugly heads. There are two passages of scripture, I suggest, that are applicable to the story.

Ephesians 6:17b “…the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.” Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

To be continued....

Bob Phillips