Core Message: What Do You Preach?

Last week I spent two days at Mount Wesley, our United Methodist center in Kerrville, for the spring meeting of the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. On one marathon day we interviewed sixteen candidates for ordination, an arduous, sometimes difficult, often joyful task.

Candidates come into a large room to find 40 people seated around a big open square of tables. After a brief introduction and prayer, the interview begins. Any Board member can ask just about any question, from something theological (“What is the role of the Holy Spirit in salvation?”) to practice of ministry (“Suppose someone in your congregation comes to you after a spiritual experience, asking for re-baptism. What do you do?”) to personal (“How do you take care of yourself?”).

Having served on the Board for ten years now, I’ve learned that some Board members have their favorite questions, whoever the candidate is. One of our members almost always asks, “What is your core message? If you had just one sermon to preach, what would it be?”

Apart from Board meetings, I’ve heard veteran pastors say that every preacher has one sermon in his or her heart, and that every sermon will give that message. After some reflection, I think that may be true, and I think it’s true for me. I hope I don’t preach the same sermon over and over, but I think just about every sermon I preach has in it, to some degree, my “core message.” The text is found in the first few verses of Genesis 12. Stated simply, it’s “Blessed to be a blessing.”

That Scripture passage describes the call of Abram (not yet ready for his new name, Abraham), and God’s promise of blessing. God says to the not-so-young man, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing….and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

I look back on my life…I consider what each new day brings…I look ahead…and I see blessings! Life has not been perfect; I’ve had my share of failures and disappointments. But in every experience, God has found a way to bless me…and, to my joy and gratitude, God often finds ways for me to bless others.

I see those blessings when I look at our congregation. I know many of your stories and your struggles. Some of you have been through incredibly difficult times, and yet you’ve found blessings, and you bless others. I look at our common life as a church. Again, there have been incredibly difficult times, real struggles, and yet we always find blessings and we continue to bless others.

Those of us who prepare a sermon every week are not the only preachers. All of us who are baptized are called to be ministers of Christ. St. Francis said, “Preach always! When necessary, use words.” So I ask you—what is your core message? If you had one sermon to preach, what would it be? There’s no vote involved, no pressure, but I invite you to reflect on the question. Look at your life, and see what you are preaching. And if the answer is not clear, take some more time. In this season of prayer, spend some time listening to God, and to your life. It will be time well spent!