Impoverishment of the Preaching⤒🔗

The proclamation of the Word every Sunday is central in the congregation. We can see that in the fact that all church leaders do their best to include in their church councils a brother who has been blessed with special gifts: the preacher. It is also clear from the rules for church visitation, during which the preaching and the response to it get special attention. It is clear that the preaching is becoming more and more impoverished. That is enough reason to pay attention to a certain aspect of the preaching.

Storytelling in the Scriptures←⤒🔗

If I am not mistaken, preachers make more use of storytelling in order to bring the message closer to the hearers than they did before. That is the case for myself at least and I remember that one of my colleagues illustrated this in more or less these words: “In the eighties, when I started my sermon, I would just get straight to the point, whether I preached about Abraham or one of Paul’s letters. I would never do that today.” When I go back to my old sermons, I will have to say the same. Was that really an acceptable way back then? I have to say that at that time, knowledge of the Bible and the understanding of the connections were much more prevalent than is the case today. The culture of using an image was much less popular than it is now. Through it all, the preacher receives signals that say: make sure that you are in tune with the hearers and that the wavelength of the “sender” is the same as that of the “receiver.” If you do not, there is a big chance that the preaching is ineffective.

Now a statement like that can be met with the comment that the effectiveness of the preaching is in the hands of the Holy Spirit. It is his work to open and renew the hearts and to work a response to the preaching in the hearts of the hearers. Don’t we pray for that in every service? Nobody will deny that; in fact, the preacher who is not aware of it or does not often enough take it into account will sooner or later become discouraged. Leaving it to the Lord to cause the preaching to bear fruit protects the preacher from becoming disillusioned.

But that is not all there is to say. When we confess that the blessing on the preaching does not depend on us but is worked through the Spirit, then, as preachers, we may be unconcerned but never sloppy. For the Lord calls his servants to the proclamation of his Word. So, the question is then: can we find something in Scripture about the way the Spirit works through the preaching? And if we open the Bible with that in mind, we immediately notice that “stories” are often used to bring the Word to mankind and to God’s people.

Some Examples←⤒🔗

Who does not know the story and application of Jotham in Judges 9:7-15? Who does not recall the spiritual lesson that the prophet Nathan taught King David after his sin with Bathsheba by using the story of the rich man and his sheep (2 Sam. 12:1-4)? Isn’t the beloved Psalm 23 one great shepherd story? Sometimes the story was even played, or it was at least portrayed in real life to tell the story. In Isaiah 8:1-4 the prophet goes about with a sign with the text: the spoil speeds, the prey hastens. A little while later a little boy walks around with that name, which has such a clear spiritual message. The marriage of Hosea (Hos. 1:2) is a proclamation in itself.

And the New Testament is not much different: the Saviour continuously uses examples from real life in his preaching. Think of the parables about the kingdom of God in Matthew 13 or take the parable about the royal wedding banquet in Matthew 22.

I once read a comment of hesitation regarding the preaching using storytelling: but we aren’t the Lord Jesus, are we? That is true, but that begs the question: if the Saviour does it like this, who are we to disregard that? Are we better preachers than he was?

Finally, we could think of the letter to the Hebrews, where the histories of the people of Israel are constantly quoted in order to glean spiritual lessons from them.

The Story Supports the Message←⤒🔗

In that sense and used in that way, there is nothing wrong with a story embedded in the preaching. On the contrary, the story is apparently enriching the sermon. As long as it serves to better understand the Bible passage or the text which is being explained. The story has to remain just an example that serves to support the message. This is how the Spirit works and in this way the preacher follows in obedience while praying for insight.

Still, including an example in a sermon, or starting with one (because that is what we were talking about) is not that simple. One does not always succeed and that is nothing to be ashamed of. In some churches, it is customary for the preacher to talk to the children separately at some point during the service. That is also not as easy as it seems. It is important that the preacher really addresses the children, and asks himself beforehand: what is the message that the Lord wants me to bring to the congregation on this day and in this sermon, and which words and images do I choose that will resonate with the children? Starting a dialogue with the children in that moment and asking questions are a good way to measure if they truly understand the message. In this way, you will know exactly when they no longer follow you. Is the sermon really that different? Sure, we do not literally start a conversation with the congregation. On the other hand, as we are taught in Apeldoorn, we are actually doing just that. While preparing the sermon the preacher should have the congregation, which is entrusted into his care, in his heart and mind. He will try to imagine what their reaction to his message will be. Then the example, the story, can truly help to form the connection between preacher and listener. And the Spirit can bless that!

The Message Is More Than the Story←⤒🔗

It seems to be so self-evident: the message in the sermon is more than the story. And still, I want to address this separately. The complaint that is often heard about the preaching is: we have heard nice stories (or a nice story), but it was not a sermon! Now it is not that easy to weigh these kinds of complaints fairly. Preachers know some sermons resonate well in one congregation, while it does not do so in another one. The one is able to take a short remark and immediately apply it to practical life. Others need a lot more in order to be spiritually nourished. It is the task of each local consistory to sit down with the preacher and discuss whether the preaching is effective or not, or insufficient. And in case of the latter, they should discuss how to address that.

However, I want to elaborate further on the notion that the preaching on Sunday should be more than a story. Preaching should in principle be Christ-centered preaching. Paul calls that the wisdom of the Word: “preaching Christ crucified” (1 Cor. 1:23). Through that kind of preaching people come to understand that mankind is lost in guilt and that man is inclined to all evil, unless the Spirit of God causes them to be born again (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 3). That way of preaching shows the way by which man comes to repentance: by kneeling at the cross of Golgotha. Then it becomes clear how faith can grow: by continually abiding in the vine, which is Christ (John 15:1-8, speaking of imagery). I dare to say: preaching is preaching Christ, otherwise it is not preaching at all. I for one would not know how to preach without putting the Saviour in the center. Those who have been called to preach have the holy duty to look at the open Bible on the pulpit and at the text which has been chosen on any given Sunday, and to ask oneself: how is this connected to Jesus Christ? And that requires much studying. It is more than saying the name of the Saviour a few times during the sermon. Scripture has to be opened in such a way that it is clear that the Holy Spirit puts Jesus in the center of that particular text.

That requires special skills when preaching from the Old Testament. In short, it requires a good balance between the redemptive-historic and the exemplary in the sermon (that would be a good topic for another article).

The Essence←⤒🔗

In summary, the main question is: are preachers using the stories in their sermons to conceal the lack of true proclamation? Then indeed we can speak of impoverishment, regardless of how beautiful the congregation finds it. Or are the stories meaningful examples, used to bring the Saviour of the Scriptures closer to our hearts? Then it will be blessed. Only in the latter case will it be instrumental in building the congregation up, answering the spiritual questions that live in the human heart (or that should be living in the hearts)—questions about calling, conversion, being born again, faith, sanctification, questions about baptism, the Lord’s Supper, questions about heaven and hell, questions that deal with the practice of Christian living, questions about the place of the congregation in the world. These are all questions that arise in all of Scripture at one time or another. It is the preacher’s spiritual ability (or often a spiritual wrestling) to make sure the stories do not bury those questions (which will not build the congregation up, but rather break it down). The preacher ought to use the narrative to expose the questions and illuminate them with a biblical light.