I had a conversation with someone before the 2024 election about the place of preaching when it comes to addressing world matters. It was a friendly back-and-forth conversation in which two people were trying to get to some mutual understanding. What is the place of preaching (and the preacher) when so much that occurs in the world is on the minds of those who come to church?
Perhaps we should begin by acknowledging that people come to church for many different reasons. Here are three, for starters:
- Some folks believe that church should be a place of refuge and escape, where they can temporarily set aside concerns about the latest headlines. I can understand this perspective. Sometimes, it is good to seek out God’s presence and simply be in that moment without having to think about anything else.
- Others believe that the church serves as a place of self-reflection and spiritual growth, involving self-examination, confession, and receiving forgiveness. While admitting we were wrong is never easy, it is a practice we regularly engage in at church, placing our trust and faith in God’s mercy to help make things right.
- Some people believe that the church is a place where we are to be equipped to engage with the world. Can our faith, theology, and traditions provide us with tools or perspectives through which to view and interpret the world? Does what we hear and experience at church prepare us to respond to God’s call regarding the needs of the world?
Which of these perspectives best describes what church is or should be to you? Or do you have another perspective?
While I can completely sympathize with the idea of church as an escape, the realist in me questions whether it can always serve that purpose. I also appreciate the desire to practice self-reflection and reflection upon the Holy at church. As I engage in self-reflection, though, I wonder what comes next after examining my heart, mind, and soul. As a pastor, I see the importance of these first two, but ultimately, I want to encourage all of us to move toward the third perspective, that the church is a place for equipping the saints for ministry in the world.
So, what is the role of preaching and being a preacher?
Back in seminary, we were introduced to the writings of Karl Barth, a German theologian who led a group of German pastors in standing up to the state church that the Nazi party ran in the 1930s. The Nazis said that the church should be loyal to the state. Barth and many others (some of whom were later arrested and killed) believed that the church should be faithful to God first and foremost. Karl Barth believed in preaching with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. In other words, our preaching of scripture needs to enlighten our reading of the headlines and, therefore, lead us to faithfully engage with the complexities of the world.
I have learned not to overemphasize current events when preparing my sermons each week. Headlines come fast and furious these days, like a firehose of (mostly) bad news, and I know that we are all people who come to church hoping to hear some good news. As such, there are many Sundays when I intentionally choose to reference “the world” without getting into specifics. Through trial and error, I have also realized that referencing current headlines can be risky. People get their news from diverse sources and have varied interpretations of what those sources convey. If my interpretation of scripture in light of current events differs from someone else’s political or worldview, it can get complicated.
This past week, the topic of preaching and its connection to politics and partisanship came into the national spotlight after Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of the Episcopal Church delivered a sermon that went viral. Speaking directly to President Trump during a service at the National Cathedral in Washington DC, Budde focused on the theme of unity, highlighting that many people-particularly transgender individuals and immigrants – are frightened for their very existence. She emphasized that if we are truly seeking to be united, compassion for all of the members of our nation, regardless of their background, is essential.
Many people, including the President, were outraged by the sermon and criticized Bishop Budde for being – in their view – too political or partisan. They called for her to apologize.
Bishop Budde had a very interesting response to this demand: “I don’t feel there’s a need to apologize for a request for mercy.”
Regardless of how you voted or which political party you support, I’m curious how you would classify her statement about mercy. Is it a political statement? Is it a religious one? Is mercy – the mercy that Bishop Budde says that she sees in the life and example of Jesus Christ – a political concept, a religious concept, or is it both?
Several friends of mine have written this week that no one should ever have to apologize for preaching the gospel. I believe this is true, but this conviction should be balanced with a good dose of humility. Many claim to preach the gospel, yet their interpretations often seem disconnected from the life and teachings of Jesus.
Another friend provided a more nuanced perspective: “Preachers preach from scripture. It offended in biblical times. It still offends. Being faithful can be hard work.” Consider the Prophet Jeremiah, for example, who was thrown into the stocks for speaking the word of God directly to the religious and politically powerful. Also, look at Jesus—a profound political figure who challenged the politics and power structures of his time.
Today, I learned that some of our younger congregation members are struggling to determine which headlines are truthful. Who do you trust? What sources do you seek for factual information? How do you interpret certain events in light of your own worldview or what you learned as a child? Should you believe what so-and-so says, or should you draw your own conclusions? It’s so tough.
When we look at the world, we don’t only have a newspaper or our cell phone newsfeed in one hand – that’s not all there is. We have been given another lens that helps us interpret the world. As people of faith, we are called to also have the Bible – not just in our hands, mind you, but engraved upon our hearts, guiding us with a law of love for God and neighbor. This is a law rooted in humility and mercy.
From the perspective of this preacher – even if it might be considered, by some, too political at times – I hope to always choose mercy because I believe that this is where Jesus would be. There may be some other preachers out there who do not see it this way, but I am curious about how deeply and broadly they believe the mercy of God extends and what it means to be vessels of this mercy. I admit that I won’t always get this right, but I’m trying to be faithful, and I am inspired by others who are trying to be faithful, even when it’s risky and downright hard.
We live in times when outrage is often the default response, but what if the Holy Spirit is trying to rewrite the core principles that define who we are, shifting us away from this automatic response? It is God who created us and declared us good. What if the Holy Spirit is reminding us of this goodness by writing God’s mercy on our hearts, time and time again so that our default response becomes one of compassion and understanding? This shift is much more challenging, especially since reacting with outrage is so much easier. However, I have faith in the work of the Spirit within each of us, regardless of who we are, how we vote, or how we interpret the headlines.
God sure isn’t finished with us yet, and I don’t think we should give up on God or each other either.
I welcome a conversation if you’d like to talk about any or all of this – either one-on-one or in a group setting. The only way forward for our divided country is to sit down with one another, share our hearts, find common ground, and move forward together – even when it’s hard. Let us seek to be merciful with one another and use mercy as the lens through which we view the world.
See you in church!
Grace and Peace,
John
Prepare for Worship
This Week: “Straight from the Heart (Fulfilling the Scriptures)”
- Read Luke 4:14-21
- Read Nehemiah 8:1-10
- Read or sing Hymn # 374 – “O Holy City, Seen of John”