Rev. Peter C. de Vries, Ph.D. has served Old Union since November 1993.
To learn more about Rev. Dr. de Vries, go to FaceBook, Linked-In, or his blog.
FROM THE PASTOR
As your pastor, I recognize that the most important part of my call is preaching sermons on Sunday morning. After all, the nickname for “pastor” is “preacher,” not “session moderator” or “hospital-visitor.” So, what does it mean to preach a sermon?
“Preaching” and “sermon” are words that have a bad rap. After all, if someone is nagging at you to do something, you ask them to stop “preaching” at you. And if someone is long-winded, you might tell them that you don’t want a “sermon” from them. When I say that I “preach sermons” as a major part of my calling, I’ve already lost you before I’ve even started! So, let’s take a moment to consider what “sermons” and “preaching” really means.
First, what makes something a sermon? Most importantly, a sermon is a way to help people apply a passage from the Bible to their everyday life. A sermon might teach and provide information, it might offer comfort and assurance, it might challenge and convict, it might urge action, it might offer a different perspective…. The list goes on. But if it’s not based on Scripture, then it’s not a sermon; it’s simply my opinion. Often, the message of the sermon isn’t new information; it may be something that all or most people in the congregation already know. I’ve learned over the years of my ministry, however, that my job is to remind people of what they already know. A good sermon will bring to mind, or will add a fresh insight, into what you already know but may have forgotten. But let me say it one more time: if it’s not based on Scripture, then it’s not a sermon.
Second, what is preaching? On the very first day of my first preaching class in seminary, our professor used several images to help us think about the preaching task. One might consider the preacher to be a herald or town-crier, who announces the word of God to the congregation. Or the preacher may be a therapist who responds to the needs of the people with God’s word. Yet again, the preacher may be a storyteller who seeks to draw people’s imaginations and hearts into the word of God. But the fourth image is the one that has stuck with me the most. The preacher is an explorer, who has been sent on behalf of the congregation to explore the mysteries and wonders of God’s word. But the preacher is not a miner who unearths the message; it is the message that captives the preacher, like a jaw-dropping mountain-top vista or a sparkling, crystal-clear lake. My task, as preacher, is to do my best to convey to others the marvel and mystery that God has shown me.
A pastor friend of mine recently referred to preaching as “bringing a message,” and that’s what it is. The sermon is not a message that I create or produce; it is a message that, through the wondrous work of the Holy Spirit, comes through my frail, fallible human words to deliver God’s message to each heart. I as preacher am simply bringing what God has shown to me, for me to share with the congregation.
Peter
Old Union Presbyterian Church | 200 Union Church Road, Mars, PA 16046
724-538-8672 | OldUnionChurch@gmail.com
724-538-8672 | OldUnionChurch@gmail.com