What's Wrong With Preaching?

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 Throughout the church today, one hears the same lament over and over again – what's wrong with preaching? A brief survey of sermons reveals that what is missing is Christ himself. especially a clear and weekly proclamation of Christ crucified. This sad condition would cause the apostle Paul to launch into a harangue like the one in his first letter to the Corinthians, particularly in those first two foundational chapters.

The sad state of preaching may have more to do with the theological darkness that has come over the Church than a sudden crisis in the style of preaching. The other two lessons today assert that Epiphany is the season to see the light of Christ shine in the darkness. In both Isaiah and Matthew, “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.” If Christ is not preached, then our preaching is in darkness. Are we a people who walk in darkness – who dwell in a land of deep darkness? Are we a people who, through preaching Christ, have seen a great light – who have had the light shine upon us?

"Blessed Is He"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down... that the nations might tremble at Your presence!” (Isaiah 64:1, 2). Oh, that the Lord would indeed come! The whole earth groans in travail as it awaits the coming of the Lord of Hosts. Would that He come quickly, come now, and come to us! O Lord, we need you now more than ever!

Sometimes it seems like this is the extent of the world's prayers to whatever god might hear. When things are off track, when people are depressed, when money is short, there is a god for that. Everyone wants a savior, whether you want to put it that way or not. Just look around you today.

For the lack of, or suppression of, talk about God and religion in American politics and culture, there sure is a great deal of desire and talk about the need for a savior. But from what do you want to be saved? College students and recent graduates want to be saved from their student debt. Those in troubled marriages want to be saved either from divorce or from the stupid choices they made. The poor want to be saved from homelessness and starvation. The sick want to be saved from sickness and death. The rich want to be saved from taxes. Christians want to be saved from Islam. Muslims want to be saved from Christianity.

+ Leslie A Miller +

“Sir, We Wish to See Jesus”

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In the Gospel lesson just read, Jesus and His disciples were in Jerusalem worshiping at the Passover feast, when some Greeks came to the disciples and asked, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” What a question of faith. For this is what shapes our whole lives in faith – the desire to see Jesus.

You and I wish to see Jesus also, as did Les. Many people spend their whole lives in search of Jesus, whether they know it or not. This is even evidenced by the popular question asked by Protestant sidewalk evangelists: “Have you found Jesus?” But where do we find God? Many people have many different answers to that.