Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ

by Fleming Rutledge

Hope and promise are at the center of the Advent proclamation. A great many sermons are essentially exhortations, and exhortation (“Let us . . .”) is powerless unless the hearers are already on their feet doing whatever it is. As I have tried to pass along to young preachers, every biblical sermon should give a reason for hope, and every biblical sermon should contain a promise. Sermons that end with statements like “we are called to . . .” (feed the hungry, celebrate diversity, build shelters for the homeless, and so forth), or questions asking “will we” (seek justice for the poor, fight against racism, march for various causes, etc.), are self-defeating. When sermons end that way, the hearers feel defeated and powerless—except, of course, for the few who are already doing whatever it is, who then can feel superior. For that reason, hortatory sermons are divisive. Sermons in the mode of promise, however, are uplifting and empowering for everyone. Every person in the congregation should feel that a promise has been made to him or her by the God who, unlike human beings, keeps his promises.

I understand but i am not sure if is really universlly true. God is the center, but we still have a role .