How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” – Romans 10:14-15

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 2, 2018): Romans 10

The video showed a young man setting up shop on a busy street corner. His business – Jesus. He was there to preach the gospel to anyone who might have been passing by this spot. He was armed with a small public address system that could make his voice heard over the hum of the city. And make himself heard was exactly what he did. He spoke the gospel message directly to those walking by the spot. He shouted the message to those who had avoided him by crossing to the other side of the street. He declared his allegiance, although it appeared that few, if any, were actually listening.

Then she appeared. She called herself a Christian, a follower of this Jesus about whom the man had been speaking. But she was not amused by the man’s antics. Even though she claimed to be a Christian, she pleaded with the man to shut up and take his equipment home. And when the pleading didn’t work, she began to get angry.

The video was sent to me by a friend. Actually, I was among a group of friends to whom he had forwarded the video, along with the question – “Which Christian was right?” My response was quick, maybe quicker than it should have been. The woman was right. What the man had done was weaponize Jesus, he was not preaching, even though he may have thought that he was. His assault was resulting in nothing more than people deciding that they wanted nothing to do with this Jesus.

However, my response was not the response that my friend was expecting. And in his reply to me, he quoted this passage. How can they hear the message of Jesus unless someone preaches to them? There is an old preacher’s saying that as preachers of the Word of God “we need to be ready to preach pray or die at a moment’s notice.” A good friend of mine, and a Pastor, once remarked that “he would rather die.” Of course, that depends on how we define the word preach.

I am convinced that we have the wrong idea of preaching. Preaching is never to make the beautiful gospel annoying. It is not shouting our words louder than the words being spoken around us. Maybe a better definition of preaching is living our lives louder than those around us. St. Francis of Assisi is thought to have said: “Preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words.” Whether or not St Francis actually said this, and we can’t find the words in any of his writings, the saying holds an element of truth. We are to preach the gospel, and those around us will hear our lives a lot clearer than they will hear our words.

You are empowered to preach the gospel with your life. Jesus said that he would leave his Spirit with us to enable us to do just that. And you might be amazed at how often, after shouting the gospel with your life, that people will want you to speak it to them with your words. Preaching should always start with the way that we live our lives – and never be just a product of the talk that flows so easily from our lips.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Romans 11