Preaching is not voicing thoughts from ancient texts. Preaching is giving voice to God — the sound of whose voice can break cedars, heal broken hearts, repair relationships, transform commitments, alter lifestyles, overturn philosophies. The aim of preaching is not to make the Scriptures come alive but to awaken oneself and help one’s people come alive to the Scriptures, to be alive to the living story, to increase our capacity for pleasuring in the Word, and for embracing and experiencing Jesus: “The text is being fulfilled today, even as you listen.
