How do we understand "preaching the word of God"?

A preacher posted the following on Facebook the other day:

While I am excited that our church is growing, I am heartbroken to hear what people are experiencing in other places. I had a lady tell me yesterday that she visited 4 churches before coming to our church and none of them where preaching the word of God. Please be kind with your comments, but is this what others are experiencing across the nation? When did the call to preach and teach begin to speak about everything but the word? Church this should sound an alarm in our hearts and we need to pray that God will bring our people back to his word.

Most of the responses were of the order of the following:

* (T)hat new word is often an old trick.

* Absolutely. Preach the word and don't sugar or water it down!!!! Keep preaching my brother in Christ.

* When was it this happened was your question. Judas started desiring the money, and the love of money is the root of all evil. Jesus is and was the Word. Either love all of Him, or the devil will come up with the silver for you to sell out Jesus.

* Everything that is not Christ is antichrist. Whatsoever is not of faith is of sin. Many like Jesus but few really love Him. Love your enemies. Take up your cross. Deny yourself. All of these and many many more are words Jesus taught. Today's lying messages are your best life now, and the carnal man loves that, but it is one of hundreds of doctrines of demons swallowed whole.

* Like chugging a camel, there is nothing there that survives Bible searching.

I think that you can see from these sample responses that there are people out there who have strong feelings about how the word of God is preached and what that means. I believe that everyone who responded is sincere. There are some subtle or emerging disagreements and contradictions expressed in the responses that I believe are healthy.

I wrote a lengthy response---more of a plea, actually---and it was quickly taken down.  I believe that my comments were taken down because I challenged the premise of the pastor's questions. I did not save my response, and I don't want to engage in polemics, but my points came down to the following:

* Let's tread gently here. It may be that some of us are hearing something that we're not prepared for now in a particular church, but we may need that message later in life. It may be that we're filtering what we're hearing only through our experiences and how we analyze those expriences rather than through what the Holy Spirit is calling us to and hoew the Holy Spirit wants us to analyze our conditions. It may be that we're either being mislead by the so-called "prosperity gospel" or that the relative privileges we enjoy here in the U.S. condition us and bend us more towards Ceasar than Christ and that we're confusing the two. It may be that we have a trauma- or abuse-driven mechanism in our heads that pushes us to binary views of the world and of how we encounter Scripture.

* The real issue here may also be our hard-heartedness. Preaching the word of God may take many forms, and not everyone will grasp or feel good about how that happens in environments that they're not comfortable with. For instance, I have attended a church where the majoirity of the congregation were houseless, on various medications, self-medicating, and struggling with surviving on the streets and the mental and emotional challenges that come with that. That is a very different exprience than where Christians are better off and more comfortable. The word of God is necessarily communicated and shared and experienced differently across places, times, and social groups.

* The church has experienced the word of God differently since our earliest days. It isn't news that some Christians object to how the word of God is preached and lived in other churches. If you find yourself in a church where you don't think the preaching and the living out is consistent with how you understand the word of God, take some gentle time to discern where it is that you may belong and search and pray to land in that place. But please be open to the possibility that you may want to return to the place that you're now uncomfortable in some day and that the Holy Spirit may work in that place and lead it and give that place grace and blessings that you are not receiving. 

* Matthew 10:14-15 does show that Jesus gave clear instructions to His disciples about how to respond to those who who reject the preaching of the word in the Spirit, but that was a commandment given to the disciples that came with other commandments regarding "the lost sheep of Israel," the radical message that "The kingdom of heaven is at hand," and curing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, and driving out demons without cost. We should set ourselves the tasks of healing the sick and raising the dead through social action, a necessary form of preaching the word of God. But so many Christians in the United States do something else. We judge ourselves and others when we're told not to judge. Please try to leave judging to God and be about the work of taking care of the hungry, the thirsty, the poor, the naked, and the imprisoned. We are quite busy shaking the dust from our feet because of what we think happened at another church---and folks at that church are doing the same after encountering us. And, meanwhile, creation is suffering and crying out in agony.

* Who do I know who preaches the word of God? I know a fellow in Southern West Virginia who is not a preacher in a conventional sense but who is gentle and soulful and cautions folks not to judge, and you can feel the Spirit moving in him. His life is a good sermon. I know a preacher in Southeast Kentucky who is part of the Primitive Baptist Universalist community who preaches a Biblically-based universalism and Preterism that most Christians around there can't yet accept, but they can't explain why and he has gotten run off from some churches. You might come into my church on a Sunday and not hear what you think is the word of God being preached, but my pastor's sermons have moved the mountains of my conscience. There is often "something in the air" in my church that assures us and heals us. When our pastor absolves us of our sins as a pastor I can feel that healing taking place. These are among the continuing miracles to be found in the churtch to this day. Bishop William Barber II and Repairers of the Breach  preach the word of God and live the word of God. Why is their message sidelined or ignored by the church? You will need much more than proof texts to challenge these preachers if you don't believe that they're preaching the word of God.

* The idea that some pastors or churches are not preaching the word of God comes as part of a construct that seems to be saying that the word of God must come to us as harsh condemnation. From my universalist perspective, Scripture seems to say instead that the word of God is sweet ("sugarcoating"?) even when it calls us to repentence and correction. That construct also seems to be saying that it's a one-size-fits-all message, but God gave us diversity and gifts of the Spirit, and Scripture opens the door to many possibilities---and God is still speaking and creation still holds us despite our sins and errors. The preachers who I most often hear working within this conservative construct often pose as radicals. "I may get arrested or get in trouble for preaching this, but..." is often used. But, in fact, their message is not a dangerous one or out of step with the society we live in at all. The victimization being preached suits the Trump folks perfectly. It seems to me that "bring(ing) our people back to his word" (see above) at the present moment is very much about building new relationships with one another and doing this in ways that both weaken the conservative paradigm and builds God's kingdom from the kinds of people our Lord loved most deeply.  

* At this very moment the scandal that we are trapped in is not about a moderrn church not hearing the true word of God being preached, I think. It's about how deeply the legacies of relative privilege and power, racism, sexism, militarism, and trauma have conditioned us. It's about our excesses while the world is suffering, and it's about our lack of sobriety and healthy relationships. It's about the church being silent as Israel carries out genocidal policies and about how complicit we are in that. It's about living in a world that can still be saved if we make God real in our prayers and in our lives and in our daily work, and it's about how so many of us opt for forms of death (addiction, oppression, injustice, violence) when God offers life.

        

 

Pastor Jerrell Williams: We will know when God shows up

One of the nagging thoughts in so many people's minds who can take a minute to breathe and think during this time of year is how we can know when God is present, or if God is ever present. We are so doped by movies and other media that many of us think that if the sea isn't parting and if there isn't a loud authoritative voice speaking directly to us from above the sky then we're left to pray alone or in church on Sundays or that there is no God, or no God that cares for creation any longer. In searching for belief and faith and something to hold on to we can easily become despairing and give up.

Doubt and atheism are not "wrong" or invalid under modern conditions. These are understandable given the pressures of modern-day capitalism. And if you're not struggling with despair, whether you're a  believer in God or an agnostic or an atheist, then you're not paying attention. If we're going to ask where the search for faith leads us under these circumstances, and if one valid answer is despair, than we also have to ask where agnosticism and atheism lead us, and for some people the answer will be belief and faith. Leonard Cohen's "You Want It Darker" and his "Hallelujah" answer one another because faith and belief and whatever their opposites are are not really so far apart from one another.

Pastor Jerrell Williams, the pastor of the Salem, Oregon Mennonite Church, has written a brief article that is fundamental to a discussion of these themes in the contexts of Advent and Christmas. He knows what he's talking about. He graduated from Bethel College in Kansas and from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary with his Master of Divinity. He thinks a lot about these questions and you can trust his wisdom. Besides all of that, he's a parent, he's young, and he's Black and so he has a different stake in how these questions get answered than I do.

Pastor Williams' article opens with the following:

Christmas time is here! This is a day in which we gather with our families, friends and church communities to celebrate and remember when God entered our world to be with creation. While this is the central focus for Christians, here in the U.S, this time of year is not always the hope- and awe-inspiring season that we anticipate. Often, the Christmas season is riddled with capitalism and consumerism. There is the stress of constant gift buying. There is the mourning that takes place, because the Christmas dinner table may be missing a few members due to sickness or death. I myself am guilty of not being in the “Christmas spirit” this year. Maybe it is the cold, dark and rainy season that has me down. Maybe it is the constant busyness of work and personal life. Either way, I have noticed God’s absence more than I ever have recently.

As I have gone through the Advent texts from the lectionary with my congregation, I have been reminded that my feelings are not foreign to God’s people. They were carrying God’s promise with them for years, waiting for God to finally do something. Imagine the stories of this promise being passed down from generation to generation. It’s not often that I feel that I can identify with the Biblical narrative, but I do know what anticipation feels like. I also know what absence feels like: the constant asking of God to do something, trusting in the promise that God will not abandon you for good.

One question that I have been sitting with this Advent season is: “How will we know when God is here?”

How will we know that we are on the right track towards restoration? Recently, I was reminded that Jesus answered a similar question in Matthew’s Gospel. When John the Baptist was in prison, he had a message sent to Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” (11:3 NRSVUE). This is not only a question an uncertainty, but it is a question of hopeful anticipation. John knew his role in this story. He knew that he was the forerunner, and that the Messiah was coming soon. What he did not anticipate was that the Messiah would look like Jesus. Jesus sent word back to John by pointing towards the evidence. “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin disease are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me” (11:4-6 NRSVUE).

Really, you do want to finish the article by going here. A good sermon only ends after you think about it, integrate what you can take from it into your life, and move on and keep growing.

"...and I got to thinking about what Jesus said, and what if He was to walk into New York City and preach like He used to."

From The Woody Guthrie Center:

“I saw how the poor folks lived, and then I saw how the rich folks lived, and the poor folks down and out and cold and hungry, and the rich ones out drinking good whiskey and celebrating and wasting handfuls of money at gambling and women, and I got to thinking about what Jesus said, and what if He was to walk into New York City and preach like He used to. They’d lock Him back in jail as sure as you’re reading this.”---Woody Guthrie

Bishop William J. Barber II preaching a Special Sermon

 

Rev. Shyrl Uzzell preaching “Lost Can't Be The Last Word?” Luke 15:1-10

I try to say it every week: you can watch the entire service from Greenleaf or you can skip ahead to the hymns or to the sermons, but please give a look and a listen. Greenleaf is an exceptional church, and the messages are inspiring and will give most people a spring in their step and some good thoughts in their hearts and heads. This is the church most people need. There are Black and women dimensions to the preaching and to the work being done at Greenleaf that we don't see in many churches. People get affirmed here, but our lives get examined as well---no shaming, but there is struggle and victory. The Bible stories that we think that we know are brought into present time and interpreted in ways that will surprise and enlighten and strengthen.

Bishop Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II preaching, "Just When You Need Him Most..."

This is Bishop Barber's first sermon since the historic Poor People's Campaign reached Washington last week. Both the message today and the mass presence in D.C. last week are significant events in our history. Just click on this link and it will take you there.  

Hearing A Preached Word When You Go To Church

Listen to Bishop Barber, Rep. Ro Khanna, and the inspired congregation at Greenleaf Christian Church give you what you can't get in many other places. The clip says that you have to go to YouTube, but it will play if you click on it:

Listen to Brenda Ellis singing "We Shall Not Be Moved":

Pentecostals: The Light of the World Pentecostal Church in Fort Worth, Texas

Whatever you think of Pentecostals, you have to admit that the Pentecostal movement unites Black and white people and speaks to something that runs deep in the experiences of working-class and oppressed people when Pentecostalism is at its best. It can capture energy and beauty as well or better than any other faith experience can in those moments. Here is a clip from the Light of the World Pentecostal Church in Fort Worth, Texas that was recorded last night.

Does anyone want to go to church and have their solidarity and service with others affirmed?

This post is for people who want to listen in and feel that they have been to church and had their solidarity and service with others fully affirmed. We post videos from Bishop Barber and the Poor People's Campaign often, we rejoice in the warmth from All Souls Unitarian Church, we are affirmed by Pastor Gadson (and we have many posts up from him), the hymns and music here touches us, and the talk by Claude AnShin Thomas models sobriety and service for us. We don't expect anyone listen to all of these. Please take your pick and please listen in to what feels right to you.

From Greenleaf Christian Church, with Bishop William Barber and so many other great people witnessing to righteousness and justice. Just click on the screen and you will see the clip---no need to leave us.

 

From All Souls Unitarian Church---A great sermon!

Pastor Anthony F. Gadson preaching

A wonderful bluegrass gospel hymn from Ralph Stanley 

"Peace in Every Step" - Claude AnShin Thomas at the First Unitarian Church of Dallas

I'll Fly Away - Ransomed Bluegrass

You Fight On - (Church on fire with the Holy Ghost) - Plymouth Rock Church Choir

Pastor Kelvin Cockrell Sr. @ Tabernacle Baptist Church, Selma, AL

Please turn up the volume when listening. Concentrate on the hope expressed in this message.

 

Marz

 

Powerful Preaching & Hymns From Greenleaf Christian Church On Sunday, May 8

Inspired preaching starts around 20:22, but everything in this clip needs to be heard and felt. Listen in to Rev. Kazimir Brown here as well as to Bishop Barber.

Bishop McKissick: "Do not count me out!"

There are some recording problems around 21:20. That's okay. Reactions to this sermon will vary. I'm posting it here because of its energy and those parts of the message that affirm people and reassure them. Stick with it and hear what Bishop McKissick has to say. In my language there is much here about solidarity and much commonsense. The notion of an active God Who is present in human affairs and the need for faith and the point that "overcoming sermons" may have their value but that more is needed are strong points. I'm sorry that the clip cuts off when it does.

 

"Seeing Jesus"---Dallas Indian United Methodist Church April 24, 2022 Sermon

 

Pentecost and the Promise! Acts 2:1-4 (Pastor Julius Hawkins) 4.24.2022

I find lots of encouragement in this sermon. There is some real boldness also. If you can't put in the 43 minutes to listen to the entire talk, try to catch the last 15 minutes.

 

Sunday morning with Brother Thomas Jude at Buck branch United Baptist Church in Pilgrim, KY.

This is how some people work out and understand what's happening within them and around them. It's how some folks find community and support. Can I agree with everything here? No. I hope that in their faith journeys these good people discover the peace and justice of universalism and join the fight for social justice. I think that they might be further along on those paths than some people think, and with some good local people working with them I believe that much good could come out of that. I think that liberal and Left people could get some inspiration and teach and preach with this kind of power.

INNOCENT TIL PROVEN GUILTY? OR VICE VERSA?

 

'Rediscovering Lost Values' February 28, 1954---Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Evangelist Trina Robinson Worked It Out!!

 

Sunday morning service 4/10/22 at the Buck Branch United Baptist Church