Preaching epiphanies

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The story of Jesus, at least the way John tells it, begins unspectacularly. “There was a man sent by God, and his name was John.” What does John do for a living? He is a preacher. We can’t get to Jesus without going through a witness, no epiphany without preaching.

Jesus is the Word of God. But the Word requires somebody like John who has the guts to stand up and speak the truth. And yet, the reasons for any sermon speaking to the hearts, minds and souls of the hearers are always more theological than anthropological, due more to the nature of God than the nature of the preacher or the hearers.