I had to make two trips to the toilet before church. Why? I was preaching that morning. No, I am no novice to the art of preaching. I have been practising this art for close to thirty five years now. I believe it is my primary vocation. But after thirty five years I still get pre-sermon jitters.
Perhaps it’s the coffee. Maybe it’s because I am an intense person. Mainly it’s because I am scared of the responsibility of speaking “the very words of God (1 Peter 4:11).” And aware of the stakes involved.
I look out at the faces as I preach. I am aware of those who are not there. I refuse to let them distract me from those who have shown up, folks who have made one more trip to a Christian gathering hoping to hear the words of life (John 6:68). Their smiles hide the critical questions they carry in their hearts. They have come for some divine word that will give meaning to the harsh routines of their lives, some word that will give them hope. They have come to hear a word from God.
After thirty-five years of preaching, I ask myself, every time, who is adequate for such a task? And each time I remind myself if anyone is crazy it is God for entrusting such a task to flawed human beings. He has His reasons of course. The apostle Paul understood.
“I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.”
(1 Corinthians 2:3-5 TNIV)
And so I continue my love – hate relationship with preaching. I plan to do it as long as I have breath, as long as I continue to have the privilege to do so. I plan to do it as well as I can. Which is why I need to do a lot more listening.
After all these years I have come to realise that preaching has more to do with listening than with speaking. Preaching has more to do with the ears than with the mouth. After all the preacher is only a messenger. And the one thing a messenger must do is to make sure that he gets the message right.
So every time I preach I have to listen to what God has to say. It requires careful exegesis and responsible theological reflection. That’s the easy part. Beyond that I need to hear what the Spirit is saying (Revelation 2:7)). I need to hear afresh the heart of God. And I need to hear it above the din of the world and the many noises in my own heart.
After thirty five years I still find listening very hard to do. But there is no other way. The “open ear” must precede “the instructed tongue.”
“The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.
The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears;
I have not been rebellious,
I have not turned away.”
(Isaiah 50:4-5 TNIV)
To dare to preach is to commit yourself to first hear the heart and mind of God. It is also to commit yourself to hear the hearts and minds of the people you preach to.
John Stott compares preaching to bridge building. When you preach you build a bridge between God and people. For any bridge to be secure it must be properly anchored at both ends. To preach you need to know God’s Word. But you must also know the people you are ministering to.
There was a time in my life when I felt overwhelmed by my three primary ministries, preaching/teaching, spiritual mentoring, and writing. I felt like giving up mentoring to focus on preaching/teaching and on my writing. My good friend Alan Ch’ng gently pointed out how foolish that would be. He reminded me that it was my involvement with people that helped give focus and passion to my preaching/teaching and to my writing.
He was right. I couldn’t afford to give up securing either side of the bridge. Because preaching is connecting the story of God with the stories of the people who hear His Word. To do that you need to listen to God. But you also need to listen to the lives of the people you speak to. Paul, and Eugene Peterson, concur.
“The gospel for Paul is never a matter of getting ideas correct; he is concerned with persons in community in Christ…Paul knew people. He knew the people he was writing to.” (Eugene Peterson, The Unnecessary Pastor, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000, p.73.)
My next sermon will be a Good Friday reflection. I foresee at least one trip to the toilet. I hope not. But I better factor in the time.
Or maybe I should switch to tea.
Your brother,
Soo-Inn Tan