Every day, at exactly the same time, Margaret would go to the bathroom cabinet, open it, and take out a huge bottle of castor oil. Then she would head to the kitchen to get a tablespoon. At the sound of the drawer opening and the silverware rattling, Patches, her Yorkshire terrier, would run and hide — sometimes under the bed, at other times in the bathtub or behind Margaret’s sofa. Someone had convinced Margaret that Patches would have strong teeth, a beautiful coat, and a long life if she gave him a spoonful of castor oil every day. So, as an act of love every twenty-four hours, she cornered Patches, pinned him down, pried open his mouth, and poured a tablespoon of castor oil down his little doggie throat. Neither Patches nor Margaret enjoyed their daily wrestling match.
Then one day, in the middle of their battle royal, with one sideways kick, Patches sent the dreaded bottle of castor oil flying across the kitchen floor. It was a momentary victory for the canine, as Margaret let him go so she could run to the pantry and grab a towel to clean up the mess. When Margaret got back, she was utterly shocked. There was Patches licking up the spilled castor oil with a look of satisfaction only a dog can make. Margaret began to laugh. In one moment, it all made sense. Patches liked castor oil. He just hated being pinned down and having it poured down his throat.
This morning we’re thinking about preaching, and this story illustrates one of the pitfalls that preaching can fall into. Another pitfall also involves a spoon. But this is a spoon, that rather than being dreaded is depended on for sustenance. This is the spoon of the high chair and bib, the spoon that feeds an infant. Now there is nothing wrong with spoon feeding someone who, for reasons of age or infirmity, is unable to feed themselves. There would be a problem, though, if a healthy, mature, adult was still being spoon fed.
Now, to be fair, I don’t get the sense that either of these spoon related issues with preaching are ones that afflict this congregation particularly, but it is always worth reminding ourselves of them and committing ourselves, as a preaching team, and as those who listen, to avoiding them. This morning, as we reach our final sermon in our series looking at the book of Nehemiah we look at how preaching was restored in Jerusalem following the rebuilding of the walls. As we do, I hope that we will be able to learn or be reminded of some things that will make the preaching in this place even more effective.
Now, I will admit to having a bit of an axe to grind, a hobby horse to ride. I am a preacher. I love preaching. People have often been encouraging to me about my preaching. I think preaching is really important. But I would, wouldn’t I! Much more importantly, it seems to me that God thinks that preaching is important. The number of times in the Bible that we read of God raising up people to read the Scriptures, to explain them, to invite a response, seems to me to provide a fairly clear indication that God thinks that preaching is important. Because that is what preaching is – reading the Word of God, explaining it so that it is understood, and inviting a response.
This is what we see in the story of Philip and the Ethiopian, preaching to an audience of one. Philip reads the word of God with the man, explains it so that it’s understood, and invites a response.
We see it again in the passage we’ve just heard read from Nehemiah. The physical work that Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to carry out is complete. The walls are built and the gates are in. But there is still spiritual restoration to be done, community rebuilding, and it is to be done centred on the opening of the Scriptures. And how do they do this? They read the Word of God. They explain it – some of this would have been translation, as Heather helped us to understand a little earlier, and some of it would have been more like what we would recognise as preaching, helping people to understand what it meant for them and their lives.
“They read from the book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being said.”
And what was the response of the people of God?
Firstly, in verse three we read that the people listened attentively
This is important if we are to get all that we can from preaching. Are we listening attentively? Or are we hiding under the sofa trying to avoid that castor oil?
This is more than listening carefully to the person speaking, though it may include that. It is as much about having our mind and spirit attuned to what God is saying to us through it, what the Holy Spirit is prompting in your heart. We can become more ready to listen by preparing in advance.
You might suggest to your home group that you look at the Bible passages that are coming up the next Sunday in meetings sometimes. The reason that we print them in advance on the notice sheet is so that you can read them through the week. Nothing would delight me more than to receive an email or a phone call one week from someone saying, “I’ve been reading the Bible passages for the next Sunday and I have this question, or I’ve been struck by this insight.” It makes preparing sermons so much easier when you have this kind of insight into how the people you’re preaching to are actually thinking about the Scripture.
During the sermon itself you could be asking God to speak to you. You might take notes. You might bring your own Bible and annotate it with things that strike you particularly.
Even after the sermon you might keep on listening. You might order the DVD. I often post the text of my sermons on the internet. In your own quiet times during the following week you could spend some time reflecting on the passages that you’ve heard a sermon about. Again, I am always pleased to receive emails or calls in the week about things I’ve said at the weekend.
Secondly, in verse six we read that the people worshipped.
There is sometimes a perception that there is a division between preaching and worship, between word and spirit, between evangelical and charismatic. This is nonsense. If preaching, the opening of God’s word, does need lead us into a deeper and more profound vision of who God is, if it does not move us to worship the God who loves us, who guides us, who saves us, who heals us, who judges us, who abides with us, then it is not preaching. It might be a brilliant analysis of the text, it might be make us laugh or cry, it might impress us with rhetorical technique, but it is not preaching.
Then, in verse nine, there is weeping – Why did the people weep?
Probably because it brought home to people exactly how far they had fallen from the commands and the promises of God. Remember, this is the returned remnant of Israel. Centuries ago God had promised the land to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. God had promised that they would be a great nation, and live in God’s blessing. Before the promise could be fulfilled the people had been enslaved in Egypt, but God had sent Moses in power and authority to save them, to bring them out of slavery into the promised land. Through Moses, God had given the people the law and promised that if they kept the law, and worshipped God wholeheartedly and faithfully then they would enjoy the land and God’s blessing forever.
Under the great Kings, David and Solomon the nation had grown and become a regional superpower. These were the great days. A temple was built, God’s house in Jerusalem, a symbol of God’s presence and favour to God’s people. But it did not last. The people were unfaithful, they worshipped other gods, they disobeyed the commands, the oppressed the poor. Despite warning after warning from the prophets, they would not return to God. So, they were defeated, Jerusalem fell, the glory of the Lord left the temple, they were in Exile. Defeated. Humiliated.
And now they have returned to Jerusalem. The walls are rebuilt, but not yet the temple. They look back over their history, they read the promises of God and the laws they were to keep and they weep and grieve for what is gone. The weep for their people’s sinfulness and faithlessness. They weep for the departed glory. They weep for what was and is no more.
I wonder when you last wept whilst someone was preaching?
Weeping is not an inappropriate response to preaching, sometimes it is the only appropriate response, but I’d like to suggest that preaching should also give us hope that there may be a way through the weeping. That dawn may come, that there is redemption, that there is rescue, that there is one who is in it with us.
Nehemiah instructs the people not to weep. Not because it is wrong to mourn that which is gone, but because he is pointing them to the joy of the restoration that is already happening. This is the final response.
In some ways this week has been pretty rough. Many of you will know that my wife, Liz has had to go into hospital to receive intensive treatment for recurrent chest infections. To be honest, if anybody had tried to tell me this week, “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” I might not have responded very graciously. Lots of young people have received exam results over the last couple of weeks. For some that will have been a totally joyful experience, for others a disastrous one, and for many a bit of a mixed bag. For those struggling with disappointment, again I’m not sure that well meaning platitudes would have felt much good.
And yet, this morning, when I opened this book, which is part of my daily Bible reading pattern this year, guess what the verse for today is, August 27th, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” And as I sat and reflected on it this morning, something struck me. It is not, “The strength of the Lord is your joy”. It is “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Our strength comes from God’s joy.
The joy of the Lord is our strength. In the face of past failure, of pain, of disappointment, of uncertainty about the future, the joy of the Lord is our strength. This is not about painting on false smiles and pretending to be happy. This is not about hiding our real feelings in case we let God down by being authentic about the fact that sometimes we don’t feel joyful.
It is about hearing the word and promises of God and trusting them, even when we cannot see a way through. This is what faith is. Sometimes preaching can help us hold on to this. Sometimes it is enough to hear someone else recount the promises of God, and assure us that they do apply to us, that God does rejoice over us, that when God said that he would never leave or forsake us it included each one of us.
This morning we have opened the word of God, I’ve explained it, and I hope that it’s helped you to understand it. I also hope that you’ve been listening attentively, not just to me, but to the Holy Spirit. For some of us there will be tears to shed. For all of us there is hope, because it is true that whatever there is in our past, however we feel today, and whatever our anxieties for the future, the joy of the Lord is our strength and we can trust that promise.
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