Some Reflections on Preaching

In my experience there are two ways to preach. The first way is to preach to the individual. Such sermons, to me, take on a feeling of the Pastor, from the pulpit, trying to deal with my personal sin or psychological problem. The second way is to preach to the community, telling the community how it is to live in relationship to one another and what the community is to be. This type of preaching often receives the criticism that it does not provide me practical application to apply in MY life. After thinking about this for some time, I have to say I prefer the second type of preaching despite the criticism. Notwithstanding the criticism, the first type of preaching is like the little boy who put his finger in the dike. If the sermon scratches the particular sins and hurts of the individual members, it is addressing the symptom of the problem. If the sermon has its desired effect, the walking wounded are bandaged up for a time. If the sermon addresses how the community lives with one another, however, it is rebuilding the superstructure of the dike. Let us build a beautiful superstructure of the church and allow the beauty of the superstructure to minister to the needs of the individuals.