The Problem
Preachers today are in direct competition with secular television, movies, music videos, radio, the internet, live theatre, concerts and secular bands for the attention of the postmodern congregations of churches, and other audiencesespecially in North America. Yet sermons presented in many churches appear to be insufficiently participative, relational, innovative and relevant to capture and sustain the interest of these fast-paced, post-modern, 21st century audiences. Many pastors do not impart the gospel in a fashion or form that resonates with contemporary culture, or that competes well with the many clamoring voices of todays world.
Despite significant increases in the use of the arts, multi-media, and computer-generated presentation technology in the secular culture, there has been very little audacious, expansive, blended use of the arts, in these areas when it comes to preaching. Therefore, there is a need, for serious, in-depth researches in discovering how the use of these important fields might, separately, or, in combination, enhance preaching and worshipbut especially preaching.
The Purpose of the Dissertation
The purpose of this project is to carefully study and observe the use of the arts and technology from the beginning, to current trends leading to more effective preaching. Then determine if and how these fields might enlighten preachers in making their sermons more powerful and effective in communicating the gospel to this unique, postmodern world of the 21st century.
The ultimate goal will be to demonstrate that the arts have been used since the beginning of the world both in Old and New Testaments, and then develop summary guidelines and practical strategies that will serve as a blended StrategyModelApproach for using the arts, including technologies to make preaching more powerful, appealing, absorbing, and holistic.
The Bible establishes many examples of art forms, when it involves God relaying His word to humanity. This allows the preacher to move forward confidently knowing that the arts and technology are within Gods design for preaching.
The Justification for the Dissertation
The arts have been used by God to make his messages more successful even from the beginning. The unchurched in this postmodern era have special requirements that previous generations have not needed in reaching them. Therefore preaching needs to be innovative with new methods, which include, the arts and technology so as to reach the unchurched. The Christian church will need to know how to use these resources if it is going to be successful in doing the great commission. In history for example Medieval times, there were examples of the arts, illustrating to the uneducated what God wanted his people to know through stain glass windows, sculpture, carving and other forms to name a few. This enabled people to be reached. People learn in different ways (orally, visually, kinesthetically, etc.), and have different learning styles, (innovative, analytic, commonsense and dynamic). Adding methods, which employ these various ways of learning, may give preachers new and significant tools for reaching their many varied audiences.
Second, advances in technology have made new methods of communication accessible to preachers, which have not been available in the past. Preachers need to know how to best useapply new technologies.
Third, since secular communicators are already adapting and employing knowledge from the fields of presentation technology, multi-media, and the arts to enhance secular communication (news reporting, commercials, signs at sporting events, business presentations, shopping malls etc.), it is plausible to conclude that Christian communicators may also be able to use them successfully for Gods work and gloryespecially since they are, in and of themselves, ethically unbiased.
Fourth, preaching methods and techniques have shown little innovation over the past decades. The results of this research in my opinion could speed up the process of experimentation and help bring about further positive new changes that can benefit Christian preaching. While some limited research and experimentation has been done in the fields of the arts, and technology, little appears to have been done to blend or combine the benefits of todays technology and arts with past tried-and-true methods, yielding a holistic or comprehensive approach to Christian communication. This study will attempt to propose that these mediums have been useful from the beginning and that there is a desperate need for them today and how the design, strategy, or approach for the modern proclamation of the gospel can be greatly enhanced.
Five, very few publications address the arts in the Bible and the how-to aspect of applying these fields for Christian communication specifically in the art of preaching. Pastors need access to the kind of practical information that this dissertation seeks to bring to light.
Six, Jesus used the literary and visual techniques of His day story, parable, and visual aids, all of which were relevant to His audiences. We should follow His example in using the best literary, visual and technological means that we have today to communicate His message to a dying world.
Seven, preaching is deemed to be a vital method of spreading the gospel according to Jesus and the scriptures (Luke 418-19 Romans 1014 1 Corinthians 118-21 Titus 13 Mark 114). Also, several recent surveys demonstrate that it is still important today. Anything that can be accomplished to enhance the performance of preaching is valuable. This study intends to significantly advance the practice of preaching in the 21st century.
Eight, teachers of preaching recognize the potential importance of the arts and technology. In recent years, both the Academy of Homiletics and the Evangelical Homiletics Society have featured the use of media and new technology in preaching as the theme for their annual professional meetings. This study, therefore, is very relevant to preaching professors, as well as to practicing pastor, scholar, and evangelistic preachers.
Nine, seminarians and ministers in the field are frequently asking for assistance in learning how to use the arts, media and technology in their preaching. The knowledge and experience gained in this project will help address their urgent questions. Also, some believe that female preachers use creative, artistic methods more frequently than their male counterparts. The methods of these female preachers seem to currently be attracting attentionand listeners. The success of any female pastors who may be using these methods with positive effect should be studied to see whether or not their practices could benefit other, non-female preachers.
Ten, research needs to be done to determine if using the arts, and technology can improve preaching, and, thereby, increase attendance at Seventh-day Adventist Churchs world wide, as well as in other Christian churches especially in North America. Some studies indicate that Adventists and other Christians in the West find current preaching and worship notably un-relational. It would be helpful to test the idea that using the arts, and technology in preaching has the potential to make sermons more relational.
The Methodology of this Dissertation
After the introduction, research will focus on a careful study to see if there is reference and examples of discernible art forms and images that could be used by preachers today from the Bible There have always been art forms through the centuries but not without dilemma I will also show the importance of imagination and how it is involved with all art forms and technology.
I will use Biblical examples in the Bible both Old and New Testament looking at todays trends, styles, and patterns in contemporary preaching. I will review key homiletical literature, and make a careful--but brief--observational analysis of the state of preaching today. A summary descriptive appraisal of contemporary preaching will be presented.
Next, I will study the contemporary world and the special challenges that it presents to preachers who desire to effectively communicate the gospel in the 21st Century. I will look at the challenges, which preachers face, such as the postmodern way of thinking, the radical paradigm shift in culture, which has taken place in recent years, and the mere fact that societal change is occurring at such an incredible pace.
I will also look at the characteristics of current Generations (X and Y), to determine the obstacles and opportunities that these generations present for preaching. I will further evaluate the challenge of preaching in an arts-rich, technology-advanced world, and then summarize and analyze these challenges with the intent of developing a preaching strategy to meet, and even take advantage of them, when possible.
After this, research will be done in each of the above areas to determine their value and usefulness for modern preaching. First, I will examine the use of the arts in the Old and New Testament. Second, I will study the use of the arts in todays preaching, including women preachers and the methods they use. Third, I will reiterate the use of the arts and modern technologies in contemporary preaching. In the process, I will also carefully define each of these terms the arts, and technology.
I will study Biblical literature and analyze the extent to which these communication tools (or their analogous forms) were used by the Old and New Testament prophets, andor by Jesus. Next, I will study secular literature, and secular communication to determine how the secular world, as a whole, uses these three tools. I will also study religious literature, the religious world, and religious communication to see how the arts, multi-media, and presentation technology are used in those arenas. At the end of each chapter, I will summarize and analyze how these three fields inform preaching and what potentialif any they have to make contemporary preaching more effective.
I will also look at contemporary examples of how the arts, multi-media, and presentation technologies are being successfully employed in both the secular and religious arenas to see if there are practical lessons that can be applied to the spiritual arena of Christian preaching. Of particular interest will be how effective businessmen, educators, pastors, teachers, and worship leaders have used, and currently use, these various communication fields. For example, there may be churches, which will serve as helpful case studies by demonstrating the overall usefulness of these communication fields in preaching, as well as in overall worship. If such churches are found, they will be carefully examined and highlighted as possible road maps toward more effective preaching. This study will also take time to briefly study the claims that female preachers may be using the arts and media more naturallyand possibly more effectivelythan their male counterparts.
In the final chapter, I will provide an overall summary of what contemporary preachers can learn from the use of the arts and technology in making preaching more effective for todays generations. A serious attempt will be made to present a blended strategy, model, or approach, incorporating the information learned from all these fields, that will be practical, duplicable, and more effective in the factual world of pastoral and evangelistic preaching.
The Expectations for this Dissertation
It is hoped that, first and foremost, this project will significantly help me to further develop my own preaching skills as a committed Gospel communicator. It will add new tools to my preaching toolbox, and prevent me from being one-dimensional in style, technique, and approach. Specifically, it will teach me how and why implementing new preaching strategies--based on the creative use of the arts, multi-media, and modern presentation technologies I have experimented with--will make me more effective than I have been in the past, as I seek to be the most effective Gospel preacher that I can be, given my personal spiritual gifts and talents.
Second, this project will help the pastors of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and other Christian churches, to overcome the numerous obstacles that prevent them from truly reaching the generations who are caught up in todays pleasure-seeking, media-driven, values-deprived, biblically-illiterate, fast-paced age. It will also provide them with the knowledge and skills to more ably communicate Jesus Christ to the contemporary, postmodern culture, and to practice Christianity in a more experiential way.
Third, I am optimistic that the findings of my research project will significantly contribute to the broader field of preaching, by bringing to light and sharing the new and important ideas, concepts, and practical strategies that I have gained from this study with other professional preachers, evangelists, and teachers of preaching. I will make these findings available in two ways 1) by writing professional articles and, possibly, by publishing other written works--such as books and training manuals, 2) by offering quality presentations at seminars, workshops, andor professional meetings for preachers.
Fourth, I hope that a significant core of fulltime, professional pastors and evangelists will become familiar with, and experienced in, my new preaching research and preaching strategies and that they will become more effective. I further hope that these pastors will, in turn, be inspired and equipped to train and equip numerous, gifted lay members to become powerful lay preachers.
Fifth, the results of this research, and the demonstration of these new preaching strategies, will not only show how weekly and evangelistic sermons can be made more interesting and effective, but also how weekly church worship, in general, can be enhanced, since preaching is a central element in the worship services of most traditions.
Sixth, this research will help inspire preachers to constantly keep searching for other new and innovative ways of preaching so that they may more effectively communicate the Gospel.
CHAPTER TWO
The Bible is replete with resources pertaining to the use of the arts in the proclamation andor preaching of the Gospel. Scholars and religious practitioners, however, are divided over the issue of the Bible providing any models for contemporary Christian practice in using the arts. The Reformers perspectives on this subject, for example, believed that Christian tradition had lost its way by using the visual arts and by expressing biblical appreciation via religious art forms. Martin Luthers 1525 tract in opposition to the heavenly prophets in the matter of Images and Sacraments explains his approach towards religious imagery I have allowed and not forbidden the outward removal of images Most commentators would point out that the biblical material, on first glance at least, appears to provide little help in the development of a positive view of art and aesthetics.
A typical example of such reformer worldview is depicted in C. S. Lewis perspectives on the New Testament and salvation of souls, in which he suggests that salvation is supreme and any other pursuit is secondary. Lewis argues that On the whole, the New Testament seemed, if not hostile, yet unmistakably cold to culture. I think we can still believe culture to be innocent after we have read the New Testament I cannot see that we are encouraged to think it important. Another such perspective is found in Derek Kidners study, The Christian and the Arts, in which he admits that, the whole weight of the biblical emphasis is on the dangers, not the advantages, of the leisured conditions in which the arts flourished and in which the Greeks sought to cultivate the good life.
Does the Bible contain models of art forms and images that could be presented to the church today Are there forms, which preachers could use to communicate the message of God apart from the audiblewords If there are, are these art forms just the figments of the imaginations of their authors, as the reformers would have the church believe Or are they a meddling of evil cultural forms andor symbols with the sacredness of the divine, as Kidner seems to suggest. He argues that, the Bible does not support the Greek view of leisured culture, which, unfortunately, to some extent, still pervades in certain contemporary academic circles.
While acknowledging the contention that some biblical materials may not support certain views of art that are current today, especially those that have their roots in the Greek tradition, a complete rejection of the relevance of the arts could be argued to be an unhealthy scholarly position and a perversion of the Creators intention. The Scriptures position on this issue is conspicuously unmistakable in the following text
The heavens declare the glory of God the sky proclaims His handiwork.
Day-to-day makes utterance, night-to-night speaks out.
There is no utterance there are no words, whose sound goes unheard.
Their voice carries throughout the earth, their words to the end of the world (Psalm 191-5).
The visual spectacle of the created word is His non-verbal proclamation of truth. Research has shown that there were Israelites who believed in the music of the creation sphere. Research also indicates that the text shows that the heavens convey a distinct message no words are necessary, it says it all by just being there. Mankind will be without excuse on judgment day because of this testimony alone.
For Gods wrath is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who are suppressing the truth in an unrighteous way,
Because what may be known about God is manifest among them,
for God made it manifest to them.
For His invisible (qualities) are clearly seen from the worlds creation onward,
because they are perceived by the things made, even His eternal power
and Godship, so that they are inexcusable
Because, although they knew God,
they did not glorify Him as God nor did they thank Him,
but they became empty-headed in their reasonings and their
unintelligent heart became darkened (Roman 118-21).
If God himself uses a visual imagea living painting, a perpetual dramato spread His truth across all cultures, how can we propose to honor Him by rejecting these methods as we pursue the great commission Geoffrey Wainwright points out that Gods prophets did not only experience dialogue with God by oral and aural means but as object and gesture so that there is a material density about the word of the Lord. The Psalmist spoke about tasting and seeing the Lords goodness (Psalm 34 8).
Part of the problem, as William Dyrness states, is the modern habit of dividing up life into tidy little areasart, morality, or businesseach with its own subculture and discourse. In contrast, the Bible presents life in a holistic perspective where matters of aesthetics and ethics are presented in a correlated manner. The real issue is that aesthetics, ethics and economics cannot be considered in their completeness without their linkage to the sourcethe Creator of all things, who set things in motion for a purpose including man. In Dyrness words, artistic issues are, according to the biblical perspective, profoundly theological from beginning to end.
Christian faith excels with unparalled clarity through the divine symbols given by God in Scripture. The circle, the rainbow, the lamp stand, the altar, the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat, the veil, the palm and olive branches, the cross, the dove, the lamb, the crown, the Alpha and Omega These symbols, and many others, are protected and depicted in stained glass, frescoes, mosaics, and books. It shows the geometric structure of text itself throughout the churches of Christendom.
An example is found contained in Noahs window, located within the Chartres Cathedral, which dates back to the 13th century. Below is a section of the window presentation Gods covenant with Noah, shown.
Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Genesis 914-15.
The Importance of Imagination
Francis Schaeffer was quoted as saying, The Christian is the one whose imagination should fly beyond the stars. When we look at the world and see what God has given us there is no denying that our imagination should be anything less. Albert Edward Bailey once said, The essence of the art impulse is to impose upon experience certain categories, to arrange the data of life according to some patterns or system. An experience re-created in this manner yields to the spirit of fuller satisfaction than the original. This could be said to be an activity of imagination. Without it there is no art, and no creative experience.
In all art, according to Bailey, feeling is primary. No masterpiece is born out of cold intellectuality. There must be fire and a definite urge. To represent the great human values of joy, courage, faith, love, and self-sacrifice, the artist must first feel them and out of that feeling, generate the will to give them form. Then the intellect comes more definitely into play. Through painstaking observation one discovers how persons in the grip of these emotions betray that fact to the world. He becomes psychologist and analyst. And finally, in his imagery, he imprisons these emotions through his skill in rendering spiritual states.
With generations growing up with visuals only, it is important to make good use of the imagination. This allows those who only know visuals, to fully engage in what is presented to them in an effective and positive way.
Einstein said, Imagination is more important than knowledge. Maybe he should have said that knowledge is powerful but how useful is it, without Imagination What concepts or images can be gained in knowledge only How can the mind produce ideal creations of reality without imagination
The product of imagining or conception or mental creation, is a powerful tool in the creation of new images directed at a specific goal. It is an aid in the solution of problems (creative imagination).
Many people associate imagination as a childish term that is used to justify the actions of someone. The fact is, it is a serious and helpful tool that is necessary for the creative artistic mind, to enhance their innovations for effective work. When imagination is used it can change lives and make people think about the possibilities that they may never have envisioned.
Calvin Miller writes in his book Marketplace Preaching,
More and more preachers who want to capture an audience and hold them are
going to have to use images. They are going to have to transmit those images
within the oral medium of the sermon. Preachers are going to need to think in
pictures to learn to transmit them.
We have the idea that images are born on the screen of the mind. When image
and soul are coupled, they bring the kind of communication I am advocating in
this chapter. Sermons will become more and more powerful as preaching is born
in pictures. Image communication may very well be the key to great preaching in
the future.
Preaching in images enables the mind to connect at advanced levels where the person not only listens, but also virtually visualizes what is being said. These mental pictures are more unforgettable and permanent than just acoustic.
Why is imagination important
If we look at the history of the world we live in, we can see God who imagined our world and spoke it forward. Was it a plan or was it imagination I would imagine it was both. The sanctuary was a piece of imagination and art modeled off the original in heaven. No one on earth knew the heavenly original plan they could only imagine what the sanctuary would look like when it was finished. It is the same with the temple, the kingdoms and cities, and even Noahs Ark. These were all plans that needed imagination and drive. Without imagination many things would cease to exist or become reality.
The Bible gives us the story of the Three Angels Message and all sorts of images form in ones mind. Then there is the description of heaven, ones imagination can only try to grasp and visualize the descriptions as you read about it.
In the last few centuries we can look at the invention of travel from the horse and carriage to the steam engine, to the car, to the space shuttle. Technology is constantly changing, or updating daily. There are computers, TVs, Internet, cell phones, DVDs, movies, iPods, the kindle, and all the other electronics and media that seem to control our lives.
Technology exists because someone imagined, visualized and then created themthey became reality. Without imagination, one will never have a full experience in their lives. Alberto Posse said, If we can visualize something, then we can take this vision and create reality from it.
Every human being was made in the image of God, the creator, and artist. Therefore we too have been given the gifts of artist to create and imagine. This allows us to be free to become the artist we need to be. While some of us have been given greater imagination than others, all have the gift to use it. That is why in my opinion, preaching without imagination is far less effective, and fewer people are reached when there is lack of imagination.
Chris Gruenler in his lecture Theology of Imagination in the Liberal Arts quotes Developing imagination is like slowly turning up the light, or even better, like a never-completed sunrise.
George MacDonald, the 19th-century British writer, in a classic essay called The Imagination Its Functions and Its Culture, gives a definition of imagination that is a good place to start
It is impossible for the human mind... actually to understand anything except by
the use of models in the imagination.... This is something that anyone can
experience for themselves, namely, the fact that when one tries to understand
something, one forms for the purpose some imaginary model to provide examples
in which one can, as it were, inspect that which one desires to understand. And
thence it is that even when we wish to make someone else understand something,
we propose for that person examples on the basis of which he or she can form a
model for understanding. (ST I-I.84.7 as quoted in Deely 659)
Why, then, is imagination important It allows everyone to be some type of artist in a way that relates to how they understand. This is especially important when preaching and teaching the word of God.
In the fourth century Augustine wrote about his struggle, both imaginative and emotional. He struggled against peer pressure, self-indulgent theater, and Gnostic religion. It hasnt changed much today with the only exception that technologyespecially multi media has attracted and enlarged their charm. We need to understand that our imaginations can influence many and we need to be responsible for what we create in our messages to others from our imaginations.
A teacher once said in class beauty nurtures imagination, and not just giving our attention to beautiful works of art, but taking an aesthetic approach to whatever is the object of our study.
Imagination grows in personal encounters with life and with beauty.
Imagination can be conventional, empathetic, or visionary. Conventional
imagination is what we use to evoke traditional emotions, such as singing Silent
Night at Christmas. Empathetic imagination is the ability to see ourselves in
someone elses predicament. Visionary imagination is the ability to see what God
is doing in the world and how to respond to it.
The Dramatic in Scriptural Narrative
David Butterick once contended that whatever drama may be or do it is not preaching. He contends that the dramatic monologue almost always ends in Pietism and that what is obvious about scriptural narrative is that it seldom enters the inner world of characters. Some might question whether or not Pietism is inherently, or always, evil, but the concern in this part of the study is in a different direction. He fears that the dramatic monologue might replace theology with psychologies of faith as indicated above and that the preacher might become a performer and be realized in the purest Aristotelian rhetoric. The Three-points-and-joke pulpit pounders are often pietistic, offer their own brand of psychology and perform by paradigm. Narrative theology and preaching is certainly not immune to such lapses.
Amos Wilder has also demonstrated that proclamation which was canonized into Scripture was made up of diverse genre including dialogue, drama and poetry. Wilder identified six essential features of early Christian rhetoric novelty in styles, dramatic importance, dialogue, common idiom, narrative and subordination of the personal role to the Spirit. This points to the fact that media appropriate to any age should be properly labeled preaching and that the dramatic monologue would be particularly appropriate as it incorporates a number of these essential features.
Erich Auerback has compared the styles of Homer and the Old Testament and arrived at some different conclusions from Buttrick regarding the nature of the biblical story. The less detailed narrative of the biblical writers requires the interpreter of each age to explore the greater depths of time, fate, and consciousness in the characters. Auerbach notes that Abrahams actions are explained . . . by his previous history he remembers, he is constantly conscious of what God has promised him and what God had already accomplished for himhis soul is torn between desperate rebellion and hopeful expectation his silent obedience is multilayered. Religion may well be the intersecting of human psychology and theological revelation. The scriptural narrative may be rooted in the implied inner world of characters, i.e. the depth at which they are encountered by the Divine. Auerback appears to dispute Buttrick with regard to the role of the inner world of the biblical cast, in his notation that the great figures of the Old Testament are . . . much more fully developed . . . more fraught with their own biographical past . . . much more distinct as individuals, than are the Homeric heroes. Certainly primitive characters or writers were not self-conscious of psychology as moderns are, but a blending of horizons would surely invite exploration of motives, process of decision making and analysis of thought and feeling. If so, the dramatic monologue can be a powerful form of proclamation.
The drama of redemption is an appropriate description of the literary content of the Bible. The Scriptures meet all the criteria for good dramatic literature. There is conflict, suspense, strong characters, and action.
The sources of conflict are universal making identification with people of all ages an easy matter. Good drama is always about life and that is certainly the subject of the Bible. Drama is most effective when it demands mental participation on the part of the reader or viewer.
From Baileys perspective, Biblical drama is different in that it is revelation. God is revealed in His relationship to the world and His interaction with people. The readers or listeners discover themselves in the divinehuman drama and learn about their possibilities for a meaningful life. The Bible is the record of the revelation of God. He reveals to us knowledge about Himself and knowledge about ourselves. Our attention is drawn by dramatic performances when we realize what is actually occurring on stage. We realize what happens to the characters can happen, has happened or will happen to us. Who can deny that the truth of Holy Scripture affects us most, when we see that it is truth about us and for us We do not interpret the Bible it interprets us.
There should not be any surprise in finding dramatic sermon forms. These types of sermons are increasing in popularity and proving effective in having an impact on non-believers as well as believers. Critics of sermons and preachers are vulnerable to the well-told story, the moving musical, the spectacular Easter pageant, the dialogue, or the dramatic first person sermon. Dramatic techniques can be powerful tools in overcoming natural resistance to persuasion as well as more common barriers such as boredom.
The Bible itself provides ample evidence of these examples for preaching devices. It would be to our advantage to view the Bible not only as the source of our authority but also as the best model of revelation. The Bible contains the worlds greatest sermons and should be studied for effective communication models as well as for truth. For centuries the story of Jesus has been retold in poetry and drama, sacred and profane. In the early days of American film, Cecil B. DeMille made a career out of Biblical spectacles. Biblical literature is always a story with a purpose, and its rhetorical intent would not stretch the category to describe much of the Bible as sermons. Preachers need to remember that the sermons most likely to evoke response are those, which are strong in form, communicate Gods story, which intersects with our stories.
Story and drama work as sermon for a number of reasons. First, the inductive character of drama and story bypasses obstacles that deflect persuasive language. John the Baptist used a direct approach in attacking Herod and Herodias. He pointed an accusing finger and passed sentence. There was no subtlety in his approach. As a result of his choice of sermon form, he suffered the fate of many bold direct preachers and lost his head and life.
The power of symbolic action demonstrated in the Old Testament could be seen from narratives such as the Passover meal (fulfilled in the New Testament in the form of the Lords Supper). It is the single most powerful example of the Old Testament dramatic act that communicates far more than formal discourses do. The story of Hosea and Gomer combines symbol and real life to form a powerful spiritual acted parable that captures attention and speaks to intellect and feeling with equal force. There is no doubting the fact that people are more likely to respond, and to sustain that response to appeals to both reason and emotion rather than a singular appeal to either.
Stories and actions are more easily recalled than statements or even carefully paralleled points in a sermon. Jesus preached in his own style not in the usual style of the day. He did not use speeches as His way of communication nor did Jesus argue or philosophize. Instead He told stories that engulfed His listeners. As they listened to Him they realized that the stories were about them. Their identification with the characters and conflicts demanded self examination and decision. People did not go home from an encounter with Jesus repeating cleverly alliterated points of a lecture or reconstructing arguments. They went home with a story, sometimes amusing, sometimes sad, sometimes uplifting or thought provoking but always about life, in which they could share with others. Jesus stories presented more than abstract rules for clean living they were models which could be acted out in the arenas of life. The stories of Jesus offered strategies for survival. One example is the temptation of Jesus. It brings to mind the mental, physical and emotional images of a lone figure facing one of the biggest decisions a human can face. Most people do not hear the name of Simon of Cyrene without a mental image of a man bearing the cross for Christ. Mention of Peter, Paul or Lydia will evoke a favorite story or scene, not a psychological analysis or theological dissertation.
The scene of Pilate washing his hands is more vivid than any words that he uttered during the trial. Pilate presents an intriguing case study for consideration of biblical and non-biblical sources for use of drama in sermon. Each of the Gospels has its own perspective on Pilate. Pilate plays the role of an imperial judge in Mark. Matthew introduces Pilates wife into the narrative and stresses the guilt of the Jews. Luke includes more detail and adds the judgment of Herod Antipas in support of Pilates position. Luke stresses Pilates declarations of Jesus innocence and attempts to set him free. Johns account differs from the synoptic Gospels. In John, the philosophical question of truth is raised and the mob participates more fully in the sequence of events. Pilate is assigned a much more prominent role in the Johannine drama. He and Jesus are the central characters in the trial. John presents a Pilate struggling with his own sense of justice and political expediency. Jesus is portrayed as telling Pilate that the governor is not in control of events and is a helpless pawn. But the script gives the official several opportunities to act justly. Each of these viewpoints has equal biblical authority and all make a compelling source for non-traditional preaching, whether in the form of a play, a dramatic reading, a scene from a movie, colloquial story time, interpretive song or dance.
Looking further reliable extra-biblical historical sources do not tell us a great deal about Pilate. Only one passing mention of Pilate is found in Greco-Roman sources. Philo and Josephus portray the Roman official as cruel and inept.
Post-biblical sources present conflicting opinions of Pilate. In some he is portrayed as a hero and a Christian convert in others he is remembered as a coward. Pilates wifes name does not appear in the Bible but is given in literature of the early church where she is identified as Procula. Pilate and his wife are depicted as converts and saints in the Coptic tradition. These varying biblical and non-biblical perspectives on just one man highlight the need for discretion in choosing source material for dramatic preaching.
Contemporary Challenges The Mandate for Preaching
This twenty-first century generation has witnessed an unparalleled attack upon preaching. Dr. Frederic S. Fleming, a former rector of Trinity Church, New York, made the following statement in his parish yearbook Why cant a Christian be permitted to go to Church to worship his God without always being assaulted by a barrage from the pulpit He recommended a moratorium on preaching for a period of time between one or two years, that the Church might once again bring salvation to the world, and begin to save its own soul.
Not only did Flemings idea of halting preaching, gain widespread attention, but more so widespread approval. There were many who sprang quickly to the defense, but too often the defense was indefensiblemere mouthing of traditional attitudes. In Winston Jones assessment it was a defense springing from outraged feelings rather than a re-examination of basic principles. Through the succeeding decades since Fleming, the debate has continued, and upon much the same termsa fact which emphasizes the continuation, if not the heightening, of general confusion on the part of both clergy and laity in regard to the essential function of preaching.
A year after Flemings publicity in the newspapers, there appeared in the Forum magazine an article by Bruce Barton entitled Must We Have Sermons The editors of The Readers Digest, finding it of general interest, carried it immediately to the public in condensed form. Sermons were all right in their day, according to Barton, but that day had passed. In the early history of Protestantism men were just emerging from the Dark Ages. Their minds were hungry and needed feeding. The sermon served that purpose, and people were willing to sit for hours to hear a clergymanlargely because he was the only educated person in the community. Todays culture is very different and our minds have been filled to overflowing with what the world has to offer. The preacher no longer has a monopoly on mental stimulation. People can get as much mental stimulation as they desire outside of the church. Within the church they want something else, and that something else has to do with beauty and artistry, music and ritual.
Paul gave this instruction to Timothy I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom preach the word be ready in season and out of season reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
Preaching that ignores deliberate purpose and plan of God falls short of the divine intention. J. I. Packer quest of preaching Preaching appears in the Bible as a relaying of what God has said about Himself and His doings, and about men in relation to Him, plus a pressing of His commands, promises, warnings, and assurances, with a view to winning the hearer or hearers . . . to a positive response.
Using the analogy of an electric current, Barton made this pronouncement in regard to the divine-human relationship Copper and silver are conductors wood is not. Music is silver, a conductor. One may shut his eyes and listen, and the something within is stirred. Incense too is conductor, and the dim light of candles. . . . But not logic, not argumentnot sermons.
This trend of criticism has been pervasive through the centuriesit is a typical criticism of preachingthat it is ineffective and useless, a waste of time for both minister and congregation. While on the one hand, we could argue for the justification of the criticism, in part, and should, therefore, be taken seriously on the other hand, however, it is not properly directed against preaching as such, but against what commonly passes for it.
Bartons phrase, not logic, not argument not sermons, gives evidence of a common misunderstanding of the fundamental nature of preaching. Jones analysis of the Bartons criticism is that though generally regarded, the sermon is not directed to the mind alone, but to the entire psycho-physical organism, which is much more than the mind. Mental activity is never absent in any of the higher human responsesnor should this fact be minimizedbut special attention must be given to the feelings.
The drama of redemption is fundamental subject matter of Christian preaching. Paul refers to the mystery of salvation as the subject matter of his preaching, The word is identified as the mystery which is the content of Pauls preaching which is in turn identified with Christ, with the Christ-fact or saving event. The mystery has been revealed to the saints (I Colossians 1 26) yet our finite minds cannot fully grasp everything that this mystery encompasses. In the context of worship, the spoken word forms part of the dialogue between us and God that characterizes worship, which has been described as a divine-human exchange. The reading of the scriptures and their explication represents communication from the divine. It is easy for preachers to forget that their task is to channel the divine word, substituting their own ideas and words. This makes preaching mundane, prosaic, didactic, sometimes turning the Gospel into a type of rule-book, instruction manual or freshman theology text when it is essentially mystery. If the subject of our preaching is Mystery itself we dishonor the mystery when we claim a clarity that exceeds the clarity of real life. This is not a mandate to confuse or bewilder. Rather, this affirms that although teaching and clarifying the meaning of scripture is part of the preachers task, this is secondary. What precedes teaching is offering a glimpse of God, a taste of the divine. God meets each member of the congregation differently, each according to their need. Some are searching, having not yet found faith. Some are mature in their faith yet need renewal. Most have spiritual batteries that require re-charging, to re-enter the world to continue to witness their faith.
It is in feelings that preaching has its opportunity to influence the wills of men. It is only as a result that it may properly be regarded as a sacrament. As Herbert Farmer once suggested
The sermon is not an essay in which you give utterance to your views and impressions of life, though it could hardly fail to contain in some measure your views and impressions of life. It is not a theological lecture, though it will contain theology and the sounder the theology the better. . . . It is not instruction in Christian morals, though that will surely not be absent. It is Gods great activity of redemption in history, in the world of persons, focusing itself in challenge and succor.
Paul Scherer sounds the same note in describing the difference between a lecture and a sermon.
The one explains, he says, the other at best must fashion. One instructs, the
other at best induces. The one points, the other at best provides. The teacher
informs the lecturer may exhort. The preacher does more. . . . What he says does
not go hand in hand with worship or break in on it for a while. What he says
occasions worship and provokes it. He does not discuss peace he gives it birth.
He does not point the way to strength he ministers strength.
The sermon is part of worship, not an intrusion. It should lift peoples spirits. It should be a means of grace, a sacrament. All worship, including the Sermon, is to be conceived of as gods work, Christian worship is fundamentally Gods work in or on us as Gods salvific purpose is worked out and accomplished. Worship is thus a divine activity an event of tremendous grace at which the community encounters God in holy mystery. The question that needs to be answered is, what are the means in which the sermon becomes, in effect, a sacramentsomething in which the hearer actively participates in and from which heshe draws strength It is at this point that confusion most generally prevails, and it is here that this researcher presents her thesis that the vital function of preaching is only fulfilled as it partakes of the nature of the drama. This is not to say that preaching is drama, in the narrow definition of the term, or that the preacher is an actorfar from it. It means simply that the preacher must employ dramatic techniques if shehe is effective in conveying the meaning of the message and to influence character. This is close to Alan of Lilles view that the ultimate purpose of preaching is to form men, that is, to bring forth fruit in mens minds, to set them on their way toward what God has in mind for them, to instruct their souls so that they so that they may concentrate not on who is preaching but on what he is saying. Alan thought that preaching and teaching were distinct. Preaching aims to touch souls more minds, to benefit people spiritually, so that although knowledge may be transmitted, it is never divorced from spiritual value so that Christian character is formed.
It is common knowledge in the experience of some, that apart from right feelings, the clearest logic and soundest principles are without power to affect human life. Yet it appears that humanity must continually re-learn this lesson. In public school education the knowledge imparted bears little fruit in terms of character development, although some schools and some teachers have made a sincere effort to remedy this situation. A recent psychological study of 2,523 people is worthy of note here. These people were questioned in respect to their social attitudes, and the results were summarized accordingly The better educated had more information about social conditions, but no more concerned than the uneducated about protecting the minority rights.
No message has a chance of exerting real influence unless it touches the emotional life of those, to whom it is addressed. Those who deal in public utterance should expect this yet many expound in blissful ignorance. Arthur W. Hewitt confesses that he used to doubt the truth of such an unvarying statement of principle. He was inclined to think that there might be hearers so logical or philosophical, that they would prefer to hear a well-organized message, even if it were as remote as Orion from their personal lives. But later, he conceded, I know these are not exceptions, for to such a mind the hearing of a well organized message is in itself an emotional experience.
The old saying that a person changed against his or her will is of the same opinion and cannot be truer here. A clear recognition, that logic and argument have only a temporary effect, if any. This argument is supported by Robert T. Oliver, on the basis of his studies in public speaking. The mind seems to be like a pendulum, he says, which can be moved forcibly from its position, but inevitably swings back into it. Therefore, a permanent change can be accomplished only by shifting the base or fundamental point of attachment. And this directly involves the feelings.
According to Charles S. Gardner, Feeling not only has much to do in controlling the direction of the attention, but also is very influential in determining the attitude which the mind takes. In other words, whether or not an idea is accepted or rejected depends primarily upon the feeling which is evoked in regard to it. Therefore a large amount of the influence in preaching lies in the moods created. A mood, as Gaius Glenn Atkins has argued, is no superficial thing. In respect to the mind, it helps to inform, in respect to motives, it releases and empowers and finally, in obedient responses, it wins.
Further proof of the importance of atmosphere in communicating the Word of God is brought out in an inquiry conducted by graduate students at the University of Edinburgh. Students were sent to hear a dozen of the best known preachers of that area and asked to record their impressions. One of the main conclusions of the study was this Preaching depends more fully than is generally recognized, on atmosphere and the play of spiritual forces between the preacher and the congregation. There was no exception to this witness. The report states further, that the chief factor in creating the atmosphere was the preacher himself. Other things told, such things as the architecture, and decorations of the building, the size of the congregation, and the physical contiguity of the individuals forming it, the quality of the singing and the type of hymns sung, the demeanor and behavior of those present, and the sense of expectancy with which they assembled but the determinative element was the preacher.
Before we proceed any further, there is the need to draw a distinction between influencing behavior and influencing character. They may or may not be closely related. A lawyer, for instance, may influence the behavior of a jury in getting a prisoner acquitted. But if another vote were taken the next day the jury might return a different verdict. This would be immaterial, however, from the lawyers standpoint, the case has already been won and the matter settled. The salesman and the politician may oftentimes content themselves with the same type of influence, although this is not wise salesmanship or good politics. There are preachers who have a bill of goods to sell and who think of their mission in terms of getting a verdict. This was especially true of the not-so-long-ago evangelists who specialized in mass conversions, and it accounts for the wholesale backsliding which invariably followed in their wake.
The preacher who is worthy of their calling is not concerned simply for winning decisions, which in itself are the mark of having influenced behavior and not necessarily the mark of having influenced character. This is not to imply decisions are not important. It is simply to regard them as a beginning or a renewing of the Christian life. A decision for Christ is not an end in itself, but the means to an end. And that end is Christian living something which is never finished here on earth. Preaching conceived of as a means of influencing character, lends itself to no exact measurement and can claim no immediate and final success. It is but part of a processGod ordained and sustainedfor ministering to the needs of men and women.
However, to get the kind of results from preaching that is desirable and have a belief with confidence, the emotions must be stirred. One cannot escape this fact, no matter how much one may be frightened by the abuses to which the emotions have been subjected. The very magnitude of the abuses, argues Jones, from which we rightly recoil, is testimony to the tremendous power which lies largely untapped by conventional preachers today. It is to their everlasting shame and discredit that instead of studying the legitimate place of emotion in religion and making use of it, they have left it largely to the not-so-serious preachers. It is no secret that some preachers have been so wary of the taint of emotion that they have embraced an intellectualism utterly barren, lacking even the semblance of life.
It could be deduced from the Apostle Pauls proposition in Acts 1728, that it is in the feelings that we live, move and have our being, and that religion either reaches us or it does not reach us at all. We need only this caution, which comes from a timely article by George F. Reynolds on the importance of emotional training in public school education We are all set on fire by something let us be sure that it is something that deserves to kindle the flame.
Whether an appeal to the emotions is good or bad depends upon the manner in which the appeal is made and the ends toward which it is directed. If in the name of true religion we must deplore the whipping up of the emotions after the manner of revivalism, it is of no less importance for us to recognize the legitimacy and the necessity of stirring the emotions after the manner of great art. Elbert Russell sums it up in this way It is the mission of art not only to make the truth look true but also to give it the feel of reality, and it is of more importance in religion to make the truth feel true than to make it look true. Religion must move the will, as the mere apprehension of fact and the assent of the reason can never move it. Religious truth must have the power which art gives to stir the imagination and emotions before it becomes spiritually effective.
When Reason is NOT Enough
In the previous section, we argued for the primacy of the feelings in touching the spring of human motivation. It is to be expected that such a position would be proven, especially, due to the fact that it is one that opposes the place commonly agreed to in the intellect in the study of man. This contradiction, however, holds itself up to contention. Winston Jones opinion on this is that contradiction is more apparent than real, and that the difference is largely in terms of definition and emphasis. Mankind is usually described as a rational animal, which implies that it is his reasoning, which most completely distinguishes him from the rest of the animal kingdom. But not so, says Richard Kroner in his The Primacy of Faith (1943). Kroner agues, Reason, narrowly conceivedand this is the common usageis but an element in a larger whole of complex forces which make him distinctly a personal being. And this larger whole is organized in terms of the will.
From the perspectives of ancient philosophers, Socrates represented intellectualism in its purest form when he held, that knowledge brings goodness into being automatically. The problem with this formulation, however, in my opinion is that it does not account for the question of freedom of choice, and thereby avoids a difficult, but fundamental psychological problem that is inherent in the human situation and which we must deal with if we seek to come to grips with life. Plato and Aristotle found the position of Socrates indefensible, as numerous notable thinkers since their time. Human behavior is exceedingly complex and many factors enter into it. Any single-factor theory will not stand up, either in the light of ordinary human experience or in the light of unbiased investigation.
To insist upon the limitations of reasonin the restricted sense of the terms ordinary usageis not to open oneself to the criticism of irrationality. Arthur E. Murphy, in an earlier book arguing for more reason, made a significant statement thus, It would be folly to claim that we can dispense with faith or that reason alone can remedy our spiritual ills. Indeed. . . . it is a distinguishing characteristic of reason when it is about its appropriate business that it never works alone, but has its function in the criticism, coordination and redirection of impulses, emotions and beliefs.
In the centuries-old contention between the defenders of reason and its critics, all the merits have not been on the side of the professed defenders, says Murphy. The champions of the heart against the head, of will and action against a vicious intellectualism and of life against logic have frequently had something sound and important to say, though they have not infrequently chosen a confused and misleading way of saying it.
Murphy points out that James, upon occasion, argued against reason with the best of reasons. He believed that experience plainly indicated that states of consciousness could be compounded, and the logic of self-identity denied this. In such a predicament he chose to rely upon experience to the neglect of logic. The misfortune was, says Murphy, that James often failed to distinguish between the two sweeping claims of intellectualism and its logic, and the authority of conclusions reasonably arrived at. His attack on the former was a contribution to the work of rational understanding, but his attack on the latter was a rebellion against all standards of intellectual integrity and responsible inquiry.
We can recognize the futility of appeals to unaided reason without suggesting any lack of rationality in the sum total of human behavior. The Gestalt position in psychology which has exerted a large influence even upon psychologists who do not subscribe to the system, has hastened the disintegration of false and artificial categories of separateness in regard to the various aspects of personality. The old debate between heart and head has been swallowed up in a larger unity of organismic response.
Depth psychology too, has given us a larger frame of reference for rationality in terms of the unconscious mind. What may not be understandable in terms of the conscious processes of life may be understandable in terms of the unconscious or subconscious. Appeals for actions which touch basic human drives may have a larger reasonableness than can be known, and the heart and head prove in this way to be but parts of an inclusive idea.
C. J. Jung conceives of the totality of the psyche in terms of four basic functions, which are constitutionally present in every individual, namely thinking, feeling, intuition, and sensation. Thinking, argues Jungs interpreter, Jolan Jacobi, is that function which seeks to reach an understanding of the world and an adjustment to it by means of an act of thought. The feeling function apprehends the world on the basis of audience or avoidance. Both functions are characterized as rational because they work with values thinking evaluating in terms of the viewpoint true false, and feeling evaluating in terms of the viewpoint agreeable disagreeable.
The other two functions, sensation and intuition, work not with judgment but with perceptions, and do not involve evaluation or interpretation. Sensation perceives things as they are. Intuition perceives likewise, but less through the mechanism of the senses then through an unconscious inner perception. Jungs break with the older psychology may be regarded as paralleling the break, which such thinkers as Whitehead and Eddington have made with the older system of physics. Their conclusion, says Jacobi, point to primary, formative, spiritual forces, which are mystic in character. The word mystic is not to be confused with the word irrationalism for it is precisely reason that here presses forward to its own limits, as modern logic likewise honestly attempts to determine its own boundaries.
Jones argues that a definite psychology of religion has been erected upon the foundation of the Jungian school of thought by Fritz Kunkel called the cross-roads of religion and psychology. Its essence, asserts Jones, is the We-experience, and it is described as a psychological reality which everyone can find within himself and which he may regard as his membership in the group, his sympathy, love or responsibility for his fellowmenor, in more general terms, as his humanity.
This psychology has been criticized because the We experience does not lend itself to clear-cut scientific definition, and cannot be verified in laboratory experiments. Kunkel admits that proof of this type is impossible, but maintains that only the deviations and diseases of the human mind are proper objects of exact scientific research. The positive side of the human mind, its creativity, love, courage and faith, cannot be described, andeven more importantcan neither be invoked nor controlled by scientific methods.
In this respect, argues Kunkel, the We-psychology is nearer to art than to science, but we must include the religious life and the life of the unconscious. These fields of experience are intimately related, and spiritual growth may be thought of in terms of the integration of unconscious energies into the conscious personality. The psychology of preaching, then, involves these three problems How to break down the egocentric shell, how to release the collective unconscious powers, and how to lead them into new creative channels, or, in other words, how to replace ego-controlled imagery with imagery which is more powerful and creative.
Kunkel illustrates the power of images to awaken unconscious energies by means of a hypothetical teacher who, in speaking of courage and patriotism, stepped on an accelerator of which she had not been aware. She touched off collective power, within her own unconscious mind and the unconscious minds of her students There was an enthusiasm in her voice and a flame in her eyes when she described the heroic fighter. The image of the hero arose, charged with the courage of her unconscious instincts. It conjured up the corresponding images within the students. And for a short time she was Joan of Arc and they were her knights.
This power can make for good or evil, both from the standpoint of the individual and from the standpoint of society, depending upon the direction it is given. Kunkel places too much reliance in what he calls an emerging real Self, which brings with it a new clarity and certainty, and an new and deeper consciousness. His clarity and certainty are too exclusively unconscious, to the neglect of processes consciously rational and thoroughly dependable. But he has rendered a great service in emphasizing the role of religion in utilizing the basic energies of the person, and in emphasizing the function of imagery in tapping into these energies.
This bit of practical instruction is provided for the preacher. Words are ignition-devices, says Kunkel. They should start movement in our imaginations. But if the ignition does not ignite, and if the images do not come to life, thereby releasing underlying collective power, then the people watch the time, some yawn, and some begin to whisper about their next bridge parties. Oh, yes, they recognize that it is a wonderful speech, but they whisper nevertheless.
Philosophy of Preaching
Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Mark 1615
As preachersspeakers of the word, it would be a good idea to ask ourselves if preaching is solely for reaching those you are talking to, or is the purpose of preaching to relay the truth that God has given us to speak for Him Campbell Morgan of Westminster Chapel and Stuart Holden of St Pauls, Portman Square have both said, The standard of preaching in the modern world is deplorable. There are few great preachers. Many clergy do not seem to believe in it any more as a powerful way in which to proclaim the gospel and change the life. This is the age of the sermonette and sermonettes make Christianettes.
Today, there seems to be many preachers who want to do quick, almost drive through sermons. The fact is there are, drive through churches and one wonders how effective these are in reaching people at a personal and spiritual level. For a sermon to be powerful and effective, the preacher needs to believe in the power of the word of God in which they are proclaiming. This would also include not only the spoken word, but also any art form or technology.
Art forms have been used for many years in reaching people, even in past centuries. There have been story telling, music, stain glass windows, woodcarvings, paintings, sculptures, stage plays, orchestras, poetry and other readings. In more recent centuries, the addition of photos, moviessilent and audible, radio, television, and computers, to name a few.
In striving to make preaching more powerful and effective it seems that there are numerous methods, not only in the arts, and media but also in modern technology, which was not available in reaching people and all societies previously, because preaching was usually only oral. Current culture seems to indicate the most effective way to reach people in this busy postmodern 21st century is, by using the arts and modern technology. This is also true when it comes to preaching. The combination is slowly taking place and is a very effect method in my opinion. As the Apostle Paul says be all things to all peoples.
In looking at todays society, you can find many places filled with large groups of people wanting to be entertained by the arts and modern mediums of technology. Sometimes it is hard to even find a seat at a performance whether it is a movie, film festival, stage play, music concert, poetry reading or art show to name a few, and many other forms of entertainment.
The fact is art and technologies are needed in preachingfor the audience and in communicating the truth. The Bible is Gods written revelation of Himself to humanity so that we can know who He is. The Bible itself also communicates to humanity the expectations of God and His love for creation and many times it is revealed through art forms for e.g. poetry, symbols and signs.
If we look at the way Jesus preached, we can see that He frequently used the arts to enhance what He was trying to get across to the people. One example is the story of the sower found in Matthew 13 Luke 8. I feel that evidence reveals that todays society (the communities we all live in) do not exist without some type of art whether it is sculpture, entertainment or even as simple as a billboard.
One art form that is often overlooked is preaching. The foundation of great preaching is ensuring that it is Christcentered. If it is always Christ centered then there is no possibility that the audience will be at fault in thinking that the message is for someone else. I believe that biblical preaching is for all humanity and it is an essential way for God to reveal Himself to us. Therefore, we as preachersGods instruments, should recognize and thoroughly understand the passages from scripture that we preach to our audiences.
Alger Fitch states in his book
What the Bible says about Preaching, gives the reader a deeper understanding of the core of preaching Preaching is love in action. Because of love, mans Creator communicated with His creatures. Because of love, God has given us His Spirit to enable His messengers to have both the story and the strength to tell it.
Who goes forth to preach, but one who loves the world and with Gods help hungers to get heavens saving message to the perishing earth What is the loving truth delivered, but that revelation regarding Jesus, that is so carefully recorded and preserved in the Holy Scriptures Love demands that only the message be preached that guides men to glory and never the false gospels that mislead men down roads that dead-end in destruction.Preaching that is Christ centered, people-concerned and love-compelled cannot be stopped.
There are many instances in the bible where God has said to go and speak this messagepreach to others. These are both in the Old Testament and the New Testament and this is still true today. Noah had a message for his day, Isaiah had a message of the coming messiah, Jesus spoke of truth and love, and many had the message of the risen Savior, while others like John had the message of faith and the signs and return of Jesus.
Russian writer Leo Tolstoy said Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced. That is what we should feel when listening and looking at preaching and the arts. Preaching is a feeling of what the Holy Spirit has revealed to the preacher and the preacher then uses the art form of preaching, whether it is oral, an art form or technology, to reveal what has been given to them through the scriptures to the audience.
In conclusion one can see that the arts and preaching are a justifiable and advantageous pursuit for any minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Just as God used imagination in creation, so we have the gift of imagination in this twenty first century, which can be used to glorify God. There are many examples of art forms being used throughout history. I believe that the use of the arts and technology are effective tools in preaching to todays culture, because some generations and those in future generations will only know or relate to visuals.
Art forms whether manual or technological are a necessary and important part of the survival of preaching, especially if we are to reach people in todays society with the great commission and the three angels messages. These expressions define who we are, and allow us to use technology for the future as global Christians.
Implications for Contemporary Preachers
How then can we as preachers use the arts and technology through preaching, so that it will improve and provide better understanding for people in our congregations and local churches How can these methods help the congregation respond to an enhanced understanding of God It is by research, knowledge of these mediums, experience, examples and training. In using these art forms and technology in preaching, we can get audience and speaker participation. It gives the audience visuals just as Jesus used visual examples, which most people remember compared to oral that is more readily forgotten.
With immediate global messaging, emails, you-tube, my-space, face-book, twitter updates and news on demand, we can see how important technological usage is. The arts deal with life and visuals surround us moment-by-moment, daily and yearly in our busy fast pace lives. Therefore we can see why visual forms are a necessary part of preaching.
To be effective preachers need to reclaim the biblical art forms and images. For example they need to do story telling, use imagination, live drama, poetry, film look at symbols and start communicating again through the arts. Media should be included in communicating as it shows the past, the future and the now.
There is no reason why art forms and media cannot be an important part of the preachers sermon. It allows the preacher to say this is who I am, this is who God created me to be, this is the message He wants me to portray so all can understand. If the arts are not used in preaching then preachers will not survive in the current culture and will not be seen as globally relevant. Art can help to retain the atmosphere that singing and prayer has created, pointing beyond words, beyond the preacher to the Mystery that is the subject of preaching. We need to look at the examples of Jesus, and the many times He used story as a genre in preaching. One such example is the lost sheep found in Luke 151-7. God has created us to be either poets, singers, storytellers, artists, designers, craftsmen, creators or one of the many other artists. Sometimes we are given more than one gift of an art form. We as preachers get to live the lives of others through the way we present Bible characters and stories from the Bible.
In my opinion preachers can either look at the scriptures as an art form of truth as Jesus did, and creatively direct what is required to be portrayed in allowing the congregation to also look at scripture this way, or they can deal with scriptures as only facts loosing the concentration of 90 percent of the congregation. One of the problems we have faced since Martin Luther over the years is the fear of heresy. This is why the arts have been denied and hidden in the area of preaching even though there is evidence that it was used throughout the bible. If we are creative in preaching it allows people to respond in their own ways and it engages their imagination. Use of imagery and non-verbal forms allows each individual to draw from the Word what they need. People take different messages away from a work of art, messages that speak to their individual needs. A preacher cannot know everyones needs or tailor sermons to perform a variety of tasks. God can, if we allow Him to do so.
In doing research I believe that we dont want people in the community to think that churches are irrelevant because they lack imagination, instead we want people to walk away having had an experiential and imaginative experience that allows them to meet a creative God who meets their needs in Biblical art. The future of preaching, the arts and technology is for advancing the great commission in congregations, allowing them to be in an environment that allows interactive capabilities that will long remain in their memories.
CHAPTER THREE
Biblical Arts and Dramas Three Examples
In this chapter, I further exhibit evidence for the importance and relevance in the use of the arts in proclaiming the word of God. I use Old Testament examples for substantiation to show that the arts were used even from early times. The examples are described and located within the Biblical narrative. Ideas about their meaning are offered but the idea is to present each as an art-form that people can appreciate, taking away their own thoughts, lessons and spiritual discoveries. By using illustrations as well as verbal description, the congregation will see before them beautiful examples of Biblical art. Ideas about meaning are not exhaustive. They aim to suggest avenues for reflection and above all for action preaching, part of Gods work, should result in action for God, in our participation in the Missio Dei, Gods mission. The purpose of being Christian, of the Churchs very existence in the world, is mission. Jesus sent the disciples into the world as preachers to complete His work, part of the Biblical process in which God acts, initiates and sends, The Missio Dei has always been the Gospel, good news about Gods goodness revealed in Gods Word through Israels experience, leading up to its climax and culmination in Jesus Christ God acts, initiates and sends. As each of us allows the art and the drama to touch our souls, we discern Gods specific will for within His mission, which is also our mission.
The first example is the Ark of the Covenant, an object that continues to attract interest due to its mystery and power. The focus will be on the lid of the Ark, which came to be known as the mercy seat in English. This example takes us deeply into the Mystery of our faith, reminding us that the God whom we worship is infinitely wiser, infinitely more loving and immeasurably more merciful than we are. We cannot always understand what God is doing in His world, why good people suffer, why evil seems to flourish. However, the stuff of our faith is the ability to trust Gods goodness. The path is steep and the journey hard but goodness and love will triumph.
This introduces the second Biblical image, that Shepherd of the 23rd Psalm, which is a metaphor for God, for the I AM who spoke to Moses at the burning bush, who instructed him to build the Ark. The image of the Shepherd is found throughout the Bible. God and Gods son are shepherds. Peter was commissioned to feed Jesus sheep. Pastors are shepherds, too.
The third example is a type of drama, Ezekiels silent, enacted message among the exiles. His prophetic ministry began with four dramas. God came to the Israelites in their time of need, listening to their cries in Egypt, raising up Moses and leading them from bondage into freedom. This, in the Old Testament, was the great redemptive act. God honored the Israelites with His presence, entrusted them with His Law, the content of the covenant He had made with Abraham when He first promised that they would possess Canaan. However, they forget that the Covenant was two-sided, that God would be their God if they kept his law. Forsaking Gods law, they broke the covenant, forfeiting the land God had given them. The Temple, where the Ark was housed, was destroyed. The gift of faith carries obligations, to act justly, to witness Gods love, to be agents for peace in the world. Ezekiels silent message speaks eloquently of the need to keep the covenant, to heed Gods word, to live God-centered, not self-centered lives. We are reminded that we have no claim on Gods love, which is freely given. A reference to Jeremiahs drama of the soiled loincloth concluded this chapter.
The Old Testament Sanctuary presents many art forms through visual aids and props. Through these symbols and representations we can see colors, craftsmanship, services and Gods dwelling place where He could be worshipped and communicate with His people. The Ark was to be a transportable sanctuary an incessant reminder for the Israelites in their wanderings of Gods love. It also exhibited that the great I AM had not forgotten them. Eventually, it would be taken by David to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6 12-15 17-19) then placed in the Holy of Holies in Solomons Temple (I Kings 8. 1-17). The Temple gives us more details on constructions and furnishing, representing Gods power, love, mercy, justice and grace.
The diagram of the sanctuary Moses received was a simplified form of the heavenly sanctuary, premeditated to disclose that Jesus Christ is our High Priest, and our mediator, in the plan of salvation. Augustine famously said, The New is in the Old concealed, the Old is in the New Revealed thus searching in the Old for signs of the New is one of the tasks that confront preachers and congregations. Gods gift of the sanctuary was a visual aid that goes beyond lexis.
What was the sanctuary or tabernacle, and why wasis it so important The answer to these questions and more can be established in the Bible, Gods written declaration to the human race.
They shall construct an ark of acacia woodtwo and a half cubits long, one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high. You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out, you shall overlay it and you shall make a gold molding around it. You shall cast four gold rings for it and fasten them on its four feet, and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it. You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark they shall not to be removed from it. You shall put into the ark the Testimony, which I shall give you. You shall make a mercy seat of pure goldtwo and a half cubits long and a one and a half cubits wide. You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on one end and one cherub at the other end you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat, at its two ends. The Cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat. You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony, which I will give you. There, I will meet with you and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the Testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel. Exodus 2510-22
The Numbers passage follows instructions on making trumpets of silver to summon the congregation. According Biblica, it is difficult to determine how the ancient Israelites understood the Arks function and the Numbers passage appears to describe it as a throne or footstool from which God gave forth to wage war, returning to it after battle. Leviticus 16 2 says that God rested above the atonement cover (the lid or mercy seat) so Aaron, the High Priest, should not enter the Tabernacle (the tent covering the Ark) at will. Rather, he should do so only the Day of Atonement and after ritually purifying himself. Certainly, the Ark represented the visible presence of the invisible God. Both when David installed the Ark in Jerusalem, his new capital and when Solomon did so in the Temple were occasions of great theological significance. What we do know is that a certain awe and mystery quickly surrounded the ark. Whenever it was moved, it was covered with three layers of cloth, so that no one could gaze at the Ark directly (Numbers 4 5-6.) It was to be carried on the shoulders of priests and Levites, as Moses commanded (I Chronicles 15 15). It was always carried ahead of the people as they walled through the wilderness. When God spoke to Moses once the Ark had been constructed, it was at the Mercy Seat (Exodus 25 22). In the Tabernacle and later in the Temple, it was hidden from view by curtain. The power associated with the ark is illustrated by such incidents as the parting of the river Jordan, when it was carried across at Joshua 3 15-16 and by the bringing down of the walls of Jericho at Joshua 6 4-20. Seven priest, blowing seven rams horns, paraded the Ark around Jericho for seven days and the walls fell down. When the Ark was taken by the Philistines, they sent it back because of they feared its power, send it back, it will kill us (I Samuel 7 11). Later, when it was recaptured all types of calamities took place including plagues of mice, again resulting in its return (I Samuel 6 5). Eli dropped dead as soon as he heard that the Ark had been taken (1 Samuel 4 12-22). Another account has Uzzah dying from touching the Ark (2 Samuel 6 2-7) because he was neither ritually pure or a priest. In addition to artistic portrayals of the ark, based on the Biblical description, it has entered the popular imagination through a work such as Steven Spielbergs Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). When the Temple was raided in 586, the ark was among the treasures taken away by the Babylonians. The Arks subsequent location, if not destroyed, has led to a great deal of speculation. Some think that it was hidden on the east bank of the Jordan, on or near Mt Nebo. Others think that the Ark ended up in Arabia.
What we know from Numbers and from Jewish tradition is the role played by the mercy seat during the Day of Atonement, the most important Biblical Feast, or High Holy Day. This seat is closely associated with Jesus, in Christian thought. It is identified with the throne on Gods right hand, where Jesus sits. The lid is mentioned at Hebrews 9 5. Often translated atonement cover the link with the Day of Atonement and the blood sacrifices is explicit, although the rendering as mercy seat was William Tyndales for Luthers Gnadenstuhl. It was there that the rite of Yom Kipur was completed, when the High Priest daubed blood on the lid of the Ark. This was the earthly mercy seat where, annually, the work of atonement was carried out. For Christians, Jesus is the once and for all sacrifice, ending the need for an annual offering. He now sits on the heavenly mercy seat, giving free access to His grace and power, Thanks to him, the throne of God is a mercy-seat from which they have free access and from which they may receive all the grace and power required The seat was pure gold. Gods mercy, freely offered, is worth more than gold. No longer does the High Priest need to offer blood sacrifices. Jesus sacrifice cleanses more thoroughly, the inside as well as the outside, purifying our consciences so that we may serve the living God (Hebrews 9 14). The new, spiritual covenant of grace replaces the old, legal covenant (Hebrews 9 14) yet the Old also reminds us that atonement with God is sometimes easier than with our neighbor. Gods nature is merciful, we can be less forgiving. At the end of Yom Kippur, the priest proclaimed that sins between the people and God were forgiven but for sins committed against another, Yom Kippur does not atone until one appeases ones fellow.
By showing the video clip and artwork, I will encourage the congregation to contemplate the mercy-seat, that golden symbol of Gods immeasurable grace, that none merit yet all can access. Gods mercy is ever new, always refreshing. It is constantly available. Why Gods forgives is a mystery. Yet He chooses to do so, forgiving wretches like us. Yet he does. In response, we must rise to the challenge to live lives worthy of His presence in our hearts, for they are now His Holy Tabernacle. Action in His world is our calling, not idle praise and adoration of His name without also furthering the Missio Dei.
The Lord is My Shepherd, I Shall Not Want Grace Abundant and Overflowing
The LORD is my shepherd,I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pasturesHe leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soulHe guides me in the paths of righteousnessFor His names sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I fear no evil, for You are with meYour rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemiesYou have anointed my head with oilMy cup overflows. Surely goodness and loving-kindness will follow me all the days of my life,And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Few passages from the Bible are as frequently recited or sung as Psalm 23, a standard at funerals. Set to music, the powerful imagery of God as Shepherd takes us back to the Mercy-Seat, where sins are forgiven. Gods mercy is endless, like an overflowing cup. How idyllic this scene is the Shepherd, green fields, his sheep safely in the fold, with no cause to fear. The Shepherd protects us with his rod, used to fend off wild animals. The crook or staff is the hooked tool used to prevent us from wandering off, or to lift us up when we stumble. This is a metaphor for God as the heavenly Shepherd, who wards off Satan when he tries to claim us, he uses the rod of his spirit and the staff of his Word to sustain and to deliver his flock he will not suffer us to be plucked out of his hand. The Bible is replete with references to Shepherds. Moses was a shepherd (Exodus 3 1) when God spoke to him in the Burning Bush. Amos was a shepherd of Tekoa when God called him to become a Prophet. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who lay down his life for us (John 10). Jesus also spoke of the shepherd who went off to look for the one sheep that was lost (Matt 18 1-12), again expressing His infinite love, His willingness to risk all for us. Peter was commissioned to feed Jesus sheep, which becomes the task of all pastors, bishops, deacons, priests and ministers of the church (John 21 15). The very badge of a bishops office is his crook, or crozier. The pastor of bishop represents God and Gods son, who are Shepherds, just as were so many prophets. Ezekiel picks up the metaphor of Shepherd when he denounces Israels kings for failing in their duties to care for their people, as shepherds care for their flocks (34 2).
They failed to strengthen the weak, heal the sick and bring back strays. They failed to keep the Covenant, to rule justly. Under their selfish rule, justice did not flow down like water or righteousness like an ever-flowing stream (Amos 5 24). Isaiah 40 10-11 tells us that God is like a shepherd who gathers us into His arms and carries us close to His heart. Yet this God is also Creator and Sustainer of the Cosmos, whose mind is beyond our reach, who has understood the mind of the Lord Who has offered Him counsel Who has instructed God Just as Job, challenged to identify his whereabouts when God set the firmament in place and divided land from water, said that he spoke of what he did not understand, so we must admit inability to fathom Gods mercy. Yet fathomless as that mercy is, Mysterious as Gods ultimate reality is, God reveals enough of Himself to satisfy our spiritual needs. This is what revelation means, the drawing back of the curtain on the divine. This reminds us of the curtain that hid the Ark. The Ark itself represents enough of God, yet God was much more than what could be experienced. The Ark symbolized Gods presence yet God was not confined to the Ark. He sat on, or was present above the Mercy-Seat yet the whole earth can not contain Him. Solomon observed, The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. Neither could the Temple but nonetheless, God would allow His name to dwell there.
God feeds us besides still waters. He nourishes us. In response, we are called to serve His purposes, to carry His word into the world, to heal the sick, search out the lost and strengthen the weak. Dont merely call me Lord, said Jesus, do as I did (Luke 6 46), to which Matthew 25 puts flesh visit the sick, clothe the baked, feed the poor, for when we do so we minister as it were to Jesus Himself. We can be confident that the Shepherd, who is God and Gods son, will sympathize with our human condition, because he plumbed the deepest depths of lifes experience as a man, being tempted as we are yet without sin (Hebrews 4 15). Jesus is High Priest and the sacrificial Lamb and the Shepherd who gives succor and comfort, combining all these roles and metaphors in His person. We meet Him on the seat of mercy and alongside still waters.
As we contemplate the pastoral imagery of Psalm 23, which assures us of Gods boundless love, we are reminded that the action of Gods grace in our lives is also a call to personal action, to Mission Dei. We all need to re-charge our batteries. Every worship service is primarily an opportunity to do this. We all need to lie down besides still waters, to retreat from the world of work and worry. Perhaps our burdens will be lifted or perhaps we will be given new strength to carry them. The experience of renewal, of encountering God, of meeting Jesus, more than leaning technical data about the Bible, is what sets us back on the path of faith.
In John 10, Jesus speaks of having other sheep also, not of this fold. What a rebuke this is to those who think they have an exclusive on Gods love, that they control who is saved or damned. Gods limitless love has no boundaries. Perhaps we should not be too quick to condemn others, or to assume that somebody else is outside the fold. We, not they, may be the one saying, but Lord, when did I see you naked and not clothe you when all are required to account for how they lived their life. This leads into the third example, Ezekiels prophetic drama. The Israelites, sadly, took their relationship with God, His protection, their Covenant, for granted. They failed to keep the commandments, to love God, to worship God, exclusively. They began to think that they were more precious than other nations, forgetting that God chose them not because he loved them more than others but so that they could become the instrument of universal blessing (Genesis 12 3).
If they kept Gods covenant of love he would bless them, increase their crops, keeping them from disease and pestilence (Deut 7). God rescued the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt so that they would become a model people, ruled justly, caring for strangers (gerim), orphans, widows, the oppressed not to see them act as the Egyptians had, with cruelty. Above all, they were to worship God alone. It was, it has been argued, the peoples incessant idolatry that led to Jerusalems defeat in 597 and the Temples destruction ten years later. Ezekiel was taken off into Babylonian captivity, as was King Jehoiakim. This was the first phase of the exile, followed after 597 by the rest of the population of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The Northern Kingdom, Israel, had fallen to Assyria in 720. This saw ten tribes scattered in Diaspora. Tradition has it that Judahs fall saw the remaining two taken into exile.
Ezekiels Prophetic Drama
Now you son of man, get yourself a brick, place it before you and inscribe a city on it, Jerusalem.
Then lay siege against it, build a siege wall, raise up a ramp, pitch camps and place battering rams against it all around.
Then get yourself an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between you and the city, and set your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This is a sign to the house of Israel.
As for you, lie down on your left side and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel on it you shall bear their iniquity for the number of days that you lie on it.
For I have assigned you a number of days corresponding to the years of their iniquity, three hundred and ninety days thus you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. When you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah I have assigned it to you for forty days, a day for each year.
Then you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem with your arm bared and (prophesy against it.
Now behold, I will put ropes on you so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have completed the days of your siege.
Metaphors and images, like parables, are stronger when left unexplained. Delving behind this prophetic drama may dilute the messages power. One can image that those who saw Ezekiel carry out this drama would have understood its message. Indeed, had they heeded an earlier, verbal warning, they may have avoided defeat at Nebuchadnezzars hands. Earlier, before Jerusalems defeat, Jeremiah had thundered a dire warning. Standing in the Temple gateway, he told the people that their worship, sacrifices and offerings were worthless if they then went outside and oppressed the alien (gerim), orphans and widows, shed innocent blood and worshipped false Gods (71-12). Amos had said, too, that God was not interested in song and music while their kings had set up shrines to false Gods and neglected justice (5 23-27). Now, with Jerusalem captive and many nobles exiled, Ezekiel was commanded to repeat the message, this time non-verbally.
At this point, Jerusalem was still standing. Many exiles hoped for a quick return. This rested in the belief that Jerusalem was the eternal city, protected by Yahweh, to which he would soon bring them back. Jeremiah had warned that they should not place their trust in empty words, This is the Temple of the Lord because God would not let them dwell in the land if they broke the covenant. Ezekiels actions show how Jerusalem would be laid siege and destroyed. The Hebrew text is highly repetitive here. Each action is to be against Jerusalem. This shatters the hope of return. The iron plate represents a barrier, separating the City from God, who will not come to its rescue. In turning his own face toward the city, Ezekiel is to do so in hostility. This all refers back to the words of Leviticus 26 11-20, when God explained what would result from failing to keep the covenant. Now, He is fulfilling his covenant curses. The 390 days on which Ezekiel was to lie on his left side may represent the period of time between the building and destruction of the Temple. Fredenburg says that the particular sin in mind here was Israels long history of idolatry, based on the centrality of this theme in later chapters of Ezekiel. Forty days on his right side reminds us of the forty years spent in the wilderness. The number also, symbolically, represents the 47 years of the exile that lay ahead, a type of atonement or reparation for wrongdoing. . The next segment of Ezekiel speaks of the hardship of the siege, with food and water in short supply, bringing home the severity of punishment.
The exile would allow opportunity for reflection, self-analysis and repentance. The covenant would be renewed. Jeremiah prophesied that one day, a new covenant, written on the heart not on tablets of stone, would replace the old (31 31). This predicts the covenant represented by Jesus, referred to in Hebrews where the mercy-seat is described (10 15). Jerusalem was not the eternal city. God, potentially, resides in every receptive, open, penitent heart. God is not confined to a temple in a single city. God can be served and worshipped throughout the world. Jeremiah even advised the exiles to plant vineyards, marry off their children, work and pray for the peace and prosperity of the city where they lived, wherever that was (29 4-7), suggesting the link between land and covenant was temporary. If we try to definitively define God, to reduce Him to a single formula, God will confound us. He will break free of restraints, showing qualities we did not know He has, perhaps pointing to His presence in unexpected places, outside the familiar. God has other sheep. The Spirit, says Jesus, will guide us into all truth since even Jesus could not tell us everything there is to know (John 16 12).
Jeremiah acted out a parable similar in some respects to Ezekiels. He was, says Dempsey, a living metaphor of Gods ways a symbol of the divine. God commands him to wear a loin cloth, which he must not wash. He is then told to hide the cloth, now soiled, under a rock near the Euphrates River. Finally, he is told to retrieve the now ruined garment. Picture this sequence of events How dramatic this is, without the need for commentary. He does not explain any of the gestures. Think of Ezekiels actions, mocking up the siege and destruction of Jerusalem, including the Temple. Here are the parallels. God is disgusted with the people because of their refusal to listen to Gods word and for their egregious apostasy and violations of the covenant. They were a priestly people (see Exodus 19 6) but now they are soiled, rotten, stinking, dirty, no longer part of Gods body. God has separated from them. They are as far from God as the Euphrates is from Jerusalem.
Jeremiah himself, however, no longer wears to filthy garment. He, too, is now separated from the sinners. He lives on long after Judah and Jerusalem are destroyed, reminding us that a faithful remnant will be saved from death. Ezekiels Valley of Dry Bones (37) saw new flesh and new life emerge. The nation was restored. Penitence leads to renewal. True penitence is always acceptable to God. God does not turn a deaf ear, but hears our cries. Just the Resurrection followed Jesus death, Exodus Egyptian slavery, so the Return followed exile. God does not permanently turn His back on anyone, unless they choose to totally reject Him.
The Good Shepherd takes risks, finding and returning lost sheep to the fold. The width and depth, height and might of Gods mercy may astonish us, as it did Johan when God forgave the Ninevites, whom he thought had no claim on Gods mercy. God, though, has other sheep. God comforts us when we call on Him, feeds us at His table, anticipating the Heavenly Feast of Revelations, prepared for all mankind, for people of every nation, tongue and race, washed in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7 9).
The Mercy-Seat symbolized Gods gift of atonement, Gods presence among His chosen people. Yet neither Gods mercy nor Gods presence were restricted to that Seat, or to the Temple that became its home. Nor did God love Israel to the exclusion of all others. God wanted the children of Israel to reflect His will for all people, to create a just society. When they failed, He did not stop loving them, even though punishment followed. The hope of resurrection, of life restored to dead bones, remained. Jesus died for the sake of all, for the many not the few, replacing the annual atonement with a permanent, eternal offering. Once loved and forgiven, cleansed and renewed, we are called to keep the faith, ever old, ever new. As God in Jesus incarnated love for us, we incarnate that love for others, God is love. No one has ever seen God but if we love each other, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us (I John 5 12).
