Good Preaching

I figure that having preached for 43 years entitles me to an opinion, or two about the work that takes place in the pulpit.  Strange as it might seem to some, my preaching has mostly been influenced and shaped by a Lutheran.  My preaching professor at Candler School of Theology was Dr. John Brokhoff who was of the Lutheran tradition. He is remembered for many reasons.  He was one who believed strongly in the primacy of the Scripture in preaching.  He was one of the first to point me toward lectionary preaching.  He told us so many times, "Your people don't come to hear what you think, they come to hear the Word of God."  Obviously, I have never forgotten.   

His most important contribution to my preaching was in helping me understand what makes preaching different from other types of public speaking.  He often reminded us that preaching is not motivational speaking as is offered at a community civic club gathering.  Neither is preaching about teaching though it is going to happen to some degree.  What he told us over and over is that good preaching is persuasive.  He told us our purpose was to preach Christ in such a way that people would be persuaded to follow Him and His teachings.  In some way every sermon needs to invite people to respond to Jesus.  

There may be other threads which ran through the fabric of the preaching I did for those four decades, but these were surely the ones which held it together.  We live in a day when preachers are tempted to entertain, be pulpit counselors, and make those in the pew feel better about themselves.  In the humble opinion of this preacher of 43 years, such is not the purpose of preaching.  Preaching is about pointing people to Jesus and inviting those who hear to walk upstream with Him.