Reflections on Preaching
One of the books I’ve been working through recently has been Preaching and Preachers’s by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. This has been a timely read for me. I’ve been preaching near weekly for the past 13 years (except for a 2 year gap when I served at RHMA, so we’ll call it 11 years). Do anything for 11 years and you will find that routines develop. Mine is preach on Sunday. Read the next text on Monday and begin thinking about it. Translate the passage on Tuesday. Wednesday is for outlining and study. Thursday is the day it all comes together. Break on Friday and then Saturday I refine my wording, make sure I know what I’m saying, and think through how people may receive it. Prayer happens through it all.
Sunday always comes, and some weeks it comes very quickly! So, there is a little opportunity to zoom out and think about preaching from a big picture perspective. That is why I have greatly appreciated this book. Lloyd-Jones is unapologetic in his perspective on the preaching of God’s Word. He says early on that, “the primary task of the church and the Christian minister is the preaching of the Word of God.” This is refreshing to hear for there are many things that pastors must do. Discipleship conversations, organizational meetings, calendar planning, administrative work, weddings, funerals, counseling, visitation all take up loads of time. And that does not even factor in the hours it takes to persuade Sarah that my purple and green bowtie is not ugly and can be worn on a Sunday!
With all of these things there are many times I have wondered if I’m taking too much time in my study, that maybe the church would be better served if I was a better administrator, more diligent visitor, or focused more on 1-on-1 discipleship, etc. Lloyd-Jones would say an emphatic “no.” These other tasks are good and right, but they should infringe upon the preaching of God’s Word. Paul calls the church a “pillar and buttress of truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). If the Word of God is not being effectively preached then God’s people are left without a way to unite themselves around God’s purposes.
Think of a piano. What happens to it with time and use? It goes out of tune. The days take their toll and the sound can slowly shift. Sarah can hear when that happens, but I can’t. I will just listen to a piano and assume that that is the way the sound is supposed to be.
Our lives can be like that. The days take their toll. Life gets hard. Selfish desires arise. Strange ideas worm their way in. What counteracts this in the life of a community of believers? Only the Word of God. When it is preached, the clear tone calls dissonant hearts to the truth. Love for God and neighbor is stirred up. The awe of God is fostered. And, as a groups we abide in the beauty of Christ. The tasks of pastoral ministry can be many, but the preaching of the Word must stay paramount. For “faith comes through hearing and hearing the Word of Christ.” I’ve appreciated the break I’ve had in recent days, but I’m ready to jump back in. We’ll see what Sarah says about the purple and green bowtie when we get back…