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?

Jesus Calls His Disciples

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

Again we hear the proclamation of Jesus' ministry on earth in today's lesson: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” This is the message of Jesus in a nutshell, proclaimed then to the Jews and the would-be disciples, and still to us today. Repent, turn away from your sins, because the reign of God is drawing near to you. And indeed, the reign of God has come near, and is here among us.

There is a split in the understanding of Jesus' statement, often expressed as “now, but not yet.” Two thousand years ago, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, the kingdom of heaven had come. The reign of God stood upon that bank, in the person of Jesus, as He proclaimed salvation to all the people of Israel. The kingdom of God drew near to Andrew and Simon that day as they were drawing their nets, and as they heeded the call and left their nets in the boat and became fishers of men.