Yeah, February! A calendar page closer to spring.
“Jesus entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:21-22).
The late professor, Fred B. Craddock, publishing a book on preaching, “As One Without Authority.” He analyzed the decline of preaching in church and society in the late 20th century. “It is generally recognized that many blows struck against the pulpit come not because of its peculiar faults but because it is a part of a traditional and entrenched institution, and all such institutions—religious, political, or otherwise—are being called into question. Strong winds of change blow over the land, and strange new shadows fall across the comfortable hearths where we have taken long naps” (5-6).
In yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus’ teaching brought the truth into the open. The scribes did not speak with authentic authority because they put their own thoughts and scholarship between God and the people. We have experienced the same in our lifetimes. Dating back to the 17th century, the Enlightenment dominated western thought. Also called the “Age of Reason,” its purists taught that everything must be subjected to reason. While believers in the Bible as God’s revelation of the truth didn’t buy into that, they did use reason to explain and promote the faith, and often it showed up in the pulpit. Sermons could be presentations about the proper interpretation of texts. Today the grip of the Age of Reason is gone; heh, you can believe anything you want! But then, who needs preaching? Instead of taking a nap, as Craddock wryly observed, people vote with their feet and stop coming.
Thank God, some saw the subtle changes and responded, Craddock being one. Don’t be down about the church! One reason is the way more and more pastors approach preaching. It’s not to give the pastor’s or scribe’s interpretation of the text, but rather get out of the way and let God form and nurture us common people in faith. Preaching should be like the Lukas Cranach’s painting. Between Luther in the pulpit and the assembled congregation stands the cross of Jesus Christ. “The Word of God is not interpreted; it interprets” (Craddock, 35).
“Sir, we wish to see Jesus” (John 12:21). February 1st, and Easter comes closer. How hopeful this shift in preaching! We hear from the One who truly has authority.
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