Epiphany #9: Preaching

 Jesus came preaching. (Mark 1:14)

 Reading up on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.; caused me to think of my own life. That’s what biographies do—especial at this point in my life. I was taken, even moved, by what we have in common. Let me list a few: 1) We are both PKs—preacher’s kids raised in the sanctuary with the sound of our father’s voice. 2) We both found ourselves preachers, like our dads. 3) We both respected our preaching fathers, but sought a different voice—a different way of preaching. 4) We both got educated—introduced to a different world than the world of our fathers’ church. 5) Yet, we both had more of our preaching fathers in us than we suspected.

That big thing we both carried from our fathers is the memory of preaching as a uniquely church event. Somewhere, down deep in our bones, lies that Sunday morning memory of how people, with names and faces, gather, greet, love, hug, talk, pray, make announcements, sing, worship; and then, listen to the sermon. Apart from the congregation—the “Beloved Community,” preaching is not preaching. We learned that from our fathers and the church community they pastored.