Preaching Is...

How to define preaching... By my desk I have a (mis)quote from Sam Seabourne in The West Wing: Great preaching should blow the doors off. (Of course you know its also a slight misquote from Michael Caine in The Italian Job). I will never find words quite glorious or encompassing enough for this wonderful task. Here are a few incomplete and inexhaustive definitions. Keep looking for fresh, biblically-rooted, glorious ways of defining the great task.

• taking God’s word and proclaiming it in such as way as his all-supremacy is seen and rejoiced in. Or…
• presenting the light of God, that is his truth, in order that, through the Holy Spirit, people might get taken up with the person of God. Ps119 talks about the word being a lamp and a light. Jesus says “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.” 2 Cor 4 says that our gospel that we proclaim shines in people’s hearts to give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. Proclamation of the eternal light in order that people encounter him. Or…
  
• speaking the words of God in order to extend the reign of God in people’s hearts, affections and wills. So that they yearn with David “as the dear pants for streams of water so my heart longs for you.” Or…
• proclaiming good news of peace with God in order to achieve the submission of rebels to God and their subsequent enjoyment of him forever. Or…
• presenting the surpassing treasure of God so that our hearers will love him more than life. Or…
• Leading in the ways of God for the edification, training and direction of his people. So that he is seen and known among us. So that we might be the church, well taught, corrected, reproved and trained in righteousness, equipped for every good work
• If I were to plump for one easy to remember definition of what we are doing, I would pick Cotton Mather’s definition “restoring the throne and dominion of God in the hearts of men.” That is magnificent!