aBeLOG
Welcome to the aBeLOG, a series of (hopefully!) fortnightly posts on all matters homiletical. I intend to touch on whatever grabs my attention regarding preaching—issues contemporary and ancient, ideas hermeneutical and rhetorical, personalities conservative and liberal, publications antiquarian and avant-garde. Essentially, I’m going to follow my own homiletical olfactory instincts up rabbit trails and after red herrings. Comments are always invited and appreciated.
Preaching is Doxological
Preaching glorifies God. Preaching abounds to the glory of God. Directly and indirectly, the greatness of God is expressed and exalted through preaching: directly, because of its integral role in the worship of God’s people; and indirectly, God is glorified as his children align themselves to his will (for preaching conforms listeners to divine demand).
While they stood in their place, they read from the book of the law of the LORD their
Preaching is Conformational
Preaching serves to conform the people of God to the will of God. In the account in Nehemiah, the exposition of God’s word leads to covenant renewal, the realignment of the community to the will of their sovereign: getting right with the King.
“You alone are the LORD. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them
Preaching is Applicational
That preaching is applicational means that preaching is not simply informational. Rather it is transformational, intended to change the lives of God’s people for the glory of God. It is not enough that people know. They must be. That is the goal of preaching. Preaching, therefore, has to be application-oriented.
All the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions and to celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words
Preaching is Theological
Nehemiah’s narrative describes the assembly of God’s people who had returned from exile; in the assembly the word of God was read and made clear so that they might renew their covenant with their God. In previous blogs I’ve noted how this paradigmatic gathering undergirds many of our assumptions about preaching. Here’s another implication of Nehemiah’s account: preaching is a theological activity of a special kind.
All the people
Preaching is Biblical
In the account in Nehemiah, of the post-exilic gathering of God’s people to renew their covenant with Yahweh, there is no question that the Word of God is given prominence. Preaching is to be biblical: there is this one book that must be preached in the assembly of the people of God. No more. No less.
And all the people gathered as one …, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had given to
Preaching is Pastoral
In Nehemiah 7:73b–8:18, when the people assemble for the reading and explication of the divine law, it is the leaders of the assembly that are at the forefront of this endeavor. Thirteen named leaders of the community stand by Ezra the protagonist, on his right and his left, as Ezra does his thing. The leaders of the assembly thus are the prime activators of the reading of the God’s word for God’s people.
Ezra the scribe stood at
Adam and I: An Interview
Abe’s Editorial Note: The other day I had the privilege of being interviewed by one of my former students, Adam Cavalier. This young man (and his wife Magan), after graduating from DTS, headed out to parts Far East to be a light for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What a pleasure it is, to see the Cavaliers diligently doing the Lord’s work! Though I had only a small role to play in Adam’s life, it is a delight to see any
Abe Kuruvilla is the Carl E. Bates Professor of Christian Preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY), and a dermatologist in private practice. His passion is to explore, explain, and exemplify preaching. 