Preaching and talking are different. But although we know that, sometimes we seem to forget.
Most of us listen to sermons on a regular basis, and if we’ve been a Christian for any length of time, our sermon count will be in the hundreds, if not thousands. Maybe it is unsurprising then that, perhaps without quite realising it, preaching mode can begin to feature in our conversations about Jesus. And that can be deeply unhelpful.
It quickly changes the dynamic from ‘talking with’ to ‘talking at’. Preaching, quite rightly, brings a measure of authority. Preachers declare the word of God. There is often a prophetic edge – a ‘thus says the Lord’ element. When that dynamic finds its way into conversation it will often land badly. A measure of authority can be appropriate in personal conversation – we might think of situations of church discipline – but pastoral conversations normally involve collaboration. One person helps another explore an issue and together, before the Lord, they search the Scriptures and find a way forward.
