Why

    According to the current ontology of work typologies, we preachers would fit into the category of“knowledge workers.” We don’t work in a physical trade; we don’t move from conceptual design to an actual “real-world” item. We investigate scripture, integrate that information with data from the world, and instruct the Saints that we might guide the Church and evangelize the lost. This week I wish to give a little thought to answering the questions “Why?” and “How?” These two questions are related to this whole process that began with a focused education and continues through a lifetime of study. 

    We don’t (or shouldn’t) physically threaten, bribe, or provide some shiny new object for our listener's approval. When we preach or teach, whether an audience of one (typically called a “conversation”) or an audience of many (a congregation), our currency is the veracity of scripture, the integrity of our faith,  the diligence of our work, and the clarity of our words. Paul put it this way to a famous protege

15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV)

I particularly like the way that the BDAG lexicon defines the usage of the word the ESV anemically renders as “do your best.”— “to be especially conscientious in discharging an obligation, be zealous/eager, take pains, make every effort, be conscientious ”. (William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 939.)

    Why work so hard? Why dig so deep? Why probe, investigate, question, quarry, query, test, review, skim, sketch, read, and annotate our Bibles, books, papers, periodicals, monographs, blogs, podcasts, magazines, journals, and random notes from our congregants? Why? Because the mission deserves workmen who work. 

    There are times when our education does not seem sufficient for the task. There will be occasions when you simply cannot find the information you need to answer the questions that are before you. There will be circumstances where it all seems to fall flat. That is simply how things work for us human beings. There is much about life and ministry that you cannot control. One thing that you can control is being especially conscientious in discharging your obligation, eagerly taking pains, and making every effort—in other words, you control the planning, pace, progress, and persistence of your own work. 

    You’ve got a good education? Great. What did you learn yesterday? Formative and empowering life experiences? Awesome. Bring it all into your study. A thoughtful plan? Execute. Execute. Execute. Why? Because an unashamed workman does the work. A faithful steward shows up. A preacher prepares. Doing the work even when it seems to yield little fruit creates its own reward. 

    My education laid the foundation for a lifetime of ministry work. Much of the actual “learning” is technically obsolete, as are many of the tools. Like you, I have had life experiences that have contributed to my pilgrimage of faith and my approach to preaching. Again, a lot of what I experienced maintains a fine balance between irreplaceable and irrelevant. It might hurt to face the facts but that is reality. What remains of the past and the experiences we experience is the capacity to turn those historical data faithfully and prayerfully into the next sermon, talk, or lesson. That’s how God works. He helps us ask “why?” to focus on the future.