It seems that nearly every day I receive junk mail and spam emails advertising sermon aids and illustrations. I can’t remember the last time I have used any of them. This is not to brag about my abilities or to criticize those who find these helpful, but simply because I have found that canned illustrations and stories seldom speak to the specific needs of people hearing the proclamation.
I am surprised that in the endless catalogs that fill my recycle bin that I have not yet seen a complete volume of sermons from Genesis to Revelation, bound in leather, from which the preacher could pull a book from the shelf and just speak a perfectly crafted word.
The reason this doesn’t exist (or I hope it doesn’t) is because true proclamation takes place at the intersection of where people live and the power of Christ’s presence.
Barth warns against the extremes of young preachers relying on books and older preachers relying on confidence. Either extreme can detach the preacher from the life of the people. These extremes leave preaching to an academic, instead of a transformative, act.
Proclaiming the Word of God is most effective when content intersects culture and the hope of Christ touches peoples' needs.
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