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Text: Luke 4:16–30
Liturgical Date: Epiphany 3 C
Calendar Date: January 26, 2025
Location: Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church, Forestville, WI
Preacher: Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Jackson
Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church serves Ephraim and other areas of Door County, Wisconsin.
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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Today, we are going to reflect on our Gospel lesson as we discuss the importance of preaching and its proper place in the Christian church.
Before I begin, I owe you a bit of an apology. Earlier this week, I had a cold. Now, I feel 100 percent healthy everywhere in my body, and I don’t believe I’m contagious. However, my voice hasn’t quite caught up with the rest of me. My usual booming, powerful voice is weaker today, so I apologize for that.
I know you all love and beg for those long Pastor Chris sermons—but today won’t be one of them! However, I must warn you: there will be no refunds on the offering.
My apologies for that.
The Importance of Preaching
Preaching is a central part of the Christian life and faith. To remind ourselves of this, I’d like us to recite together where we are taught about preaching in the Ten Commandments.
If you open your hymnals to page 321, you will find the entire Small Catechism printed there. Let’s recite together the Third Commandment and its explanation:
Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.
That is the core of today’s sermon.
We must first understand what preaching is and why it matters, so that we may, as God desires, gladly hear and learn it.
Preaching has always been central to God’s people. We see this throughout Scripture, including in today’s readings.
Preaching in the Old Testament
When the Lord returned the captives from Babylon back to Jerusalem, one of the first things they did was to retrieve the Book of the Law from the rubble of the temple. Then, they gathered together as one people to hear it read.
This is one of my favorite moments in the Old Testament. It paints a beautiful picture of people who treasure God’s Word—a moment where Scripture was read in its original language.
However, because centuries had passed and many had lost the context of the language, the priests and Levites explained the Word in a way the people could understand—in other words, they preached.
The people were moved to tears—not only because they realized how they had failed to keep God’s Word, but also because the priests reminded them that this was a day of rejoicing.
The Example of Christ
In today’s Gospel reading, we see the beginning of Christ’s preaching ministry in Nazareth. Throughout His time on earth, Jesus gave primacy to preaching. He went out preaching and performing miracles.
Often, we think: Wouldn’t it be amazing to have seen Jesus perform miracles? But in reality, Jesus placed greater emphasis on preaching than on miracles.
Remember when the crowds gathered around Him like sheep without a shepherd? His first response was not to perform miracles—though He eventually did—but to preach to them.
This was how He exercised His role as Shepherd—by teaching, guiding, and feeding His people with the Word of God.
The Example of the Apostles
Not only do we have the example of Christ, but also the example and encouragement of the apostles—Paul, Peter, and others—who were great preachers themselves.
They also taught about the importance of preaching. We know that salvation is by grace through faith—but how is faith received?
Paul tells us:
Faith comes through hearing.
Thus, preaching remains a central part of the Christian life and the life of the Church.
What Should Preaching Be About?
This leads us to an important question:
What ought preaching to be about? What should it look like?
First, preaching must be based on and help us understand the Scriptures. This is a consistent principle in today’s readings:
- The Levites preached based on Scripture.
- Jesus preached using a passage from the prophet Isaiah.
Likewise, all Christian preaching must be faithful to Scripture. It should help us learn it, mark it, and inwardly digest it.
Preaching should never go beyond what Scripture teaches, nor should it preach anything less than what Scripture teaches.
The Two Messages of Scripture
Scripture presents two main messages, which good Christian preaching will always proclaim:
- Our Captivity—Our Sinfulness
- Our Liberation in Christ
We must first acknowledge our captivity to sin before we can receive Christ’s liberation.
Jesus came to proclaim liberty—but how can we be set free if we don’t realize we are bound?
This is why good Christian preaching must confront us with the truth of our sin.
The Heart of Christian Preaching: Christ
This brings us to our final point:
All preaching must be centered in Christ.
Every sermon should:
- Show how the Old Testament points to Christ.
- Show how the New Testament proclaims Christ.
- Apply His saving work to our lives—both as individuals and as a congregation.
Christ must be the focus.
Pray for Faithful Preachers
I have two prayers for you this morning.
- That you would gladly hear and learn the Word.
- That you would pray for Christian preachers.
Right now, authentic Christian preaching is in a dire state in the United States. Many sermons do not even mention the name of Jesus.
Pray for pastors to remain faithful to the Scriptures and bold in proclaiming Christ.
Pray for me and for St. Peter’s—that this pulpit will always proclaim:
- The Word of God opened.
- The name of Christ lifted high.
- The Gospel preached for the salvation of sinners.
I firmly believe that if the Lord does not return first, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church has centuries of ministry ahead.
May it always remain a house of the Word, a place where Christ is proclaimed, and a beacon of truth in a world that desperately needs the Gospel.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.