October 10, 2024 - Church is not a popular place for many today. Many churches are declining; some are actually dying and closing their doors. Some churches have even combined. Along with the decline of church has come the decline in preaching and teaching the Bible. I think it is important for us to consider both church and the vital role of preaching, the centrality of the sermon in the worship experience.
Reading and thinking about these two subjects I have considered how to answer a question that often comes to those of us who preach—how long should a sermon be? Many today would agree that “the shorter the better.” For many the sermon is dull and often boring and the ritual and traditional ordinances repeatedly exercised in many churches the important experience for worshippers. As we celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation a few years ago, this is also an important discussion for today’s believers and churches. For the Reformers preaching became a most important facet of church life and expression. Luther, Calvin, Zwingli and others all emphasized the reading and explanation of Scripture in the worship experience. So we ought to consider the importance of church and the centrality of preaching.
Preaching is important and essential to church life. An important book has contributed to my thinking and advocacy of both church and preaching. I’ve repeatedly read and reflected on Stanley Hauerwas’ A Cross-Shattered Church: Reclaiming the Theological Heart of Preaching (2009). Gripped by a single sentence I began thinking about the nature of sermons and the exercise of preaching. The statement that gripped my thinking was Hauerwas’ discussion of theology and preaching, thinking about God and putting together the sermon as a theological process.
Theology is “the study of God,” who He is, what He is doing, where He works, what He is saying, to whom He is addressing His message. Theology is thus very important in the process of preaching—preparing to preach and then in the process of delivering what is prepared. In the wake of the quote that gripped my attention Hauerwas says, “Scripture is not self-interpreting. Much of the work of theology involves helping us to develop and remember the reading skills necessary to avoid isolating one part of Scripture from the rest.”
Hauerwas believes that sermons should have more than “points.” He says very specifically and strongly that sermons should be arguments, convincing, converting and controversial. Sermons are not to be just “oral arguments” however. They are to be focused on the power and presence of Jesus’ crucified life. The cross is the key point in our experience as Christians, joined together in “the church.” At the heart of this process and purpose is reading and thinking, reading and listening, reading and meditating, reading and writing, reading and conversing, individually and corporately as a gathered people.
Hauerwas is right in emphasizing that sermons are not monologues, messages given by an individual. Even in the Old Testament in Nehemiah chapter 8 sermons are part of a spiritual community. God’s people ask for the Book to be read and for God’s servants to comment, explain and express the meaning of what is read. As Hauerwas says, “Scripture is not self-interpreting.” We need to study, think, listen and learn as we read together God’s Word. I disagree with Hauerwas’ statement on scripture’s self-interpretation because I do believe as students of God’s Word we can find in reading God’s Word the clear and certain interpretation and clarification of statements in various passages by comparing, contrasting and reasoning through the recorded statements.
Sermons are essential to God’s worshipping people. Sermons are about God. They are tied to the community of God’s people – “church.” Sermons are important in this community—a thinking, a reasoning, reading, repenting community. The quote that initially gripped my thinking—“There are good reasons to exercise caution when speaking of God.” Sermons are about God. Thus we need to be careful how we prepare, preach and listen to them. Obviously, sermons are given by a preacher. The sermon is not a monologue, that is a single person speaking without hearers, listeners. Sermons are linked to a larger community that we term “church.” Preaching is in and for a community of believers, those who relate to one another and to God.
Church is a “spiritual family” who come together to work with God, witness for God and worship God, a spiritual community. Paul considered this in Ephesians chapters 5 and 6, linking together husbands and wives, parents and children, mothers and fathers, men and women. Consider phrases in this passage—“speaking to one another;” “submitting to one another in the fear of God;” “members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones;” “Children, obey your parents in the Lord;” “honor your father and mother.” Individuals are important in this basic association—family. There is a father, a mother and children. Paul says that “this is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Ephesians 5:32).
The church has given birth to us. We are not alone. We have a family of faith in which we can gain enrichment, encouragement and expression. All together we can express the reality and truth of God to those with whom we come in contact. Sermons involve the Word of God, but also the words of people who deliver them, and the words of the people who hear them. Preaching is not just the speech of an individual. It is the clear expression of a community of believers, gathered to hear, to speak and to agree together. Paul said to the Corinthians, “Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those who believe. Therefore if the whole church comes together in one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are uninformed or unbelievers, will they not say that you are out of your mind? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly along you” (1 Corinthians 14:22-25). This is the whole church together proclaiming God’s Word.
If you have ideas or insights into matters associated with church, preaching and sermons I would like to hear from you and will appreciate you sharing your thoughts with me. You may contact me by email at drjerryhopkins@yahoo.com . I can also be reached by “snail mail at Dr. Jerry Hopkins, P. O. Box 1363, Marshall, Texas 75671. Dr. Jerry Hopkins is a historian, retired university professor, a preacher.
