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By Larry Frazier
Preaching is one of the major things that church attendees talk about—some people make their choice of church membership contingent on the preaching.
Resultantly, the preaching task for a pastor is not to be taken lightly. We are reminded of the importance
of preaching in Romans 10:14-15, “And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?”
Sermon preparation must first begin with confession of your own sins and faults. That is good advice not only for a pastor, but for anyone preparing a presentation of the Word of God. After all, Jesus Christ said, “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be
exalted” (Matthew 23:12).
Worshippers often express the sentiment of whether or not they were fed by what they heard in the sermon. If their receiving attitude was guided by the
Holy Spirit, then that comment would have merit. Spiritual feeding can be however the Holy Spirit wants to serve it. It does not have to be how itching ears want to hear it, but rather how the Holy Spirit has prepared the message and the preacher. Doctor Martin Luther, the Reformer, said, “To preach Christ is
to feed the soul, to justify it, to set it free, and to save it, if it believes the preaching.”
I have heard pastors say that sermon preparation is a 24/7 exercise – you are always thinking about your next sermon. Current events don’t always have a place in a sermon, but sometimes they find application in the Scripture readings. A pastor’s eyes are always looking and the ears are always listening. The Rev. Vance Havner said, “The task of the preacher is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”
The same words that Jesus used to teach His disciples are advised for us as well: He said t them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storehouse new treasures as well as old” (Matthew 13:52).
Jesus is saying to let the wealth and revelation from the Old and New Testaments – the totality of scripture, be your guide and teacher. The preacher is to be
grounded solely by faith, scripture, Christ, and grace.
Preaching and faith are connected in the life of the pastor of a congregation. As they serve the souls entrusted to them with the word and sacrament, may they remember these words from an unknown writer, “You preach a better sermon with your life than you do with your lips.”