Preaching can be an emotional experience. Each person hears the sermon differently. Like any form of communication, it is only effective if the speaker and hearer are in a similar frame of mind. Think for a moment how hard it is to interpret emails. We think someone is angry when they aren’t. We can see the person’s face and body language in a conversation. But even that is open to interpretation and liable to be misinterpreted. At least in conversation, we can ask the person’s intention and meaning. Person A says something, but person B is unsure how to interpret it. They can ask. When preaching, we can see people’s faces and body language, and they can see ours. That is one reason I may repeat something in a sermon. I can see the look on someone’s face, which leads me to believe they are not understanding. Yet one thing is missing. Preaching is most often a one-way conversation. The preacher speaks, and the audience listens.
The problem with this is that when the pastor speaks, the people cannot ask questions to understand what is meant. Even if the pastor would be OK with questions, most people have been trained to sit quietly and take in the sermon rather than interact with the speaker. Problems may arise when people misunderstand the purpose of what is said. A common form is the assumption, “He’s talking about me!” People can get hurt and offended thinking the speaker is preaching at them. I’ve had this happen on a few occasions. Many years ago, a woman spoke to me about an issue. The next day, I preached a message that touched on that issue. I could tell that she was uncomfortable with the message. Afterward, I approached her. She said, “Well! I know never to come talk to you again!” She assumed I had preached that message against her. I could only respond with the truth: “I planned and laid out that sermon two weeks ago—long before we talked.” I hadn’t even expected her to be there that morning.
Over the last few weeks, I have preached messages calling for repentance. I understand that many may think these are directed at them. There are some things I want people to understand:
- I will never scold anyone from the pulpit. That would be unfair in a place and time where you would not feel comfortable responding immediately.
- When putting together a message, the only face I see is my own looking back at me. When I call for repentance, I am speaking to myself. I will never be perfect, so all calls for repentance will be self-directed.
- If you feel it is directed at you, perhaps I am not the one talking to you. The Lord should use sermons to prick our hearts and lead us to repentance. If that is happening, go to him.
- You can always come to me afterward and ask.
I love you all and will never use the pulpit to attack you. Why would I do that to friends if I would not do it to public figures?