The foolishness of preaching

Dictionaries define "preach" somewhat unhelpfully as the art of delivering a sermon, and a "sermon" as a talk given during a church service. I would go further and suggest it is a means for a leader to communicate his or her beliefs to the masses. Charisma, peer pressure and even hysteria can be contributory to the apparent success of this operation. The apostle Paul remarks that it is foolishness, but concedes that it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.

I was brought up in a Christian family and have attended church meetings fairly consistently from an early age. As such I might have endured over 3,000 sermons in my life, so I figure I have some basis on which to judge preachers. The vast majority made no apparent impression on me. Some I remember for the wrong reasons: one for his sheer ear-piercing volume and passion, another a lovable man with a twinkle in his eye and humorous illustrations, several who jump up and down in a bizarre fashion, others who drone on monotonously and interminably. A very few stand out as having changed my life. One, I have no recollection of who or what he said, resulted in me committing my life to God.

Some people have the "gift of the gab": I do not. There are folk who can talk the hind legs off a donkey, who can command an audience, can even effect change in the listeners - but that does not necessarily equate with Godly anointing. For me the simplest, the shortest utterances, whether in or out of a meeting, have affected my life the most.

And besides there are other media whereby truth can be promulgated: books, films, music, art immediately come to mind, and to this I might add the humble blog.

A church service generally commands a sizeable congregation. Although I can remember accompanying my father to a mission hall where he was due to speak: I think the only people present were the mission hall's pastor and his family. I put half a crown in the offering on that occasion and this was a lot of money to me at the time (equals 5 standard chocolate bars). After the meeting the pastor gave us a gift towards our travelling expenses out of the offering. Had I put more in doubtless we would have got more out!

But whether or not there is, at the time of delivery, an audience for a sermon or for any other medium is not necessarily a measure of its success. Many, perhaps most of the best, artists have gone unrecognised in their lifetime and have died in poverty. Indeed, taking a short-term view, one could conclude that Jesus' ministry was a failure. But in retrospect it has certainly stood the test of time.

I have been criticised for setting down my thoughts in this blog as opposed to using more conventional media. But to write a lengthy book I cannot, and when I speak publicly my thoughts get tied up in knots and I do not say what I mean, and I am no artist.

Not that long ago I was counselled to drop a conviction I had (and still have) because "it obviously wasn't working". True, it was not, and still is not apparently "working" but I do not consider that this is a proper test of whether or not it was valid. The longer I get in the tooth the more I realise that the common measure of success in life is not necessarily, indeed is rarely, the right measure.

With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?