A sermon delivered by the Rev. Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min. on October 29, 2023.

The late Frank Harrington, the former pastor of the nation’s largest Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia, tells the story of how he received an angry phone call from one of his parishioners late on a Sunday afternoon. The man was the father of a graduating college senior and just learned that his daughter, who was finishing up at a prestigious university was, “Throwing it all away!” Frank was confused and asked the father to tell him the background of why he was so upset.

“Well, we were sitting around the table having a nice Sunday dinner when my daughter from out of nowhere begins to say she’s been thinking about the direction of her life. Today she concluded what she wants to do with it: She is going to become a missionary! I about died! I immediately told her that was a crazy idea and asked her why she would want to do something like that!”

His daughter said, “It was the sermon Dr. Harrington preached this morning about challenging us to use our gifts and go out into God’s mission field.” At this point, the father gives his priceless response; he looks across the table and says to her, “But come on honey, Frank was only preaching!”

Frank was only preaching. In other words, the father was suggesting Frank was just waxing eloquently in the pulpit and really didn’t mean what he was saying; he was only doing his job and doing what he was supposed to do.”

We preachers are the butt of many a joke or comment. We are told our sermons go too long, are too short, are too boring, are too complicated, are too controversial, or my favorite, “You’re just not feeding me.” There are those times when we preachers just want to tell the congregation, “You should try doing this sometimes and see what it’s like week after week!”

Our Story this morning is about a preacher and his congregation. The congregation has had a tough go because people have begun persecuting members of the church because they believe in Jesus. On top of that, the preacher’s reputation precedes him to the pulpit. People have heard about him and his companions before they even arrived. This is the Story of the Apostle Paul and the church he established in Thessalonica. Turn in the pew Bible or the Bible you brought with you to what is believed to be the earliest of all of Paul’s letters, 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8. Listen to the Word of the Lord!

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

¹You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, ²but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. ³For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, ⁴but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. ⁵As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; ⁶nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, ⁷though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. ⁸So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.^[1]

Paul lived during a time when there were professional speakers who would travel around and make public speeches and have debates in order to build a following of students and disciples who would pay the speaker a fee for teaching. These were the Joel Olsteen’s of the first century. These folks were trained in Greek rhetoric and philosophy and could really grab your attention. Paul is comparing himself to these speakers in verse 5 and following as he reminds them that he is not speaking to impress them, to flatter them, to get money from them, or to achieve fame and glory from them. No, Paul reminds them he is preaching because he believes God, “Has entrusted us with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts.”

Yes, there are times when we preachers simply want to say, “You should try doing this sometimes!” We preach because we cannot help it. We are compelled to do it because this is what God is telling us to do. Like Jeremiah, there are times we would rather remain silent but as he exclaimed, “If I say I will not mention (the Lord) or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and “I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.”^[2]

Preaching is a risky business. It nearly killed Jeremiah because he was so unpopular. It got Jesus crucified. Stephen and Paul were stoned because of it. German abbess Hildegarde von Bingen was declared a heretic by the Pope because of it. Martin Luther King was killed because of it. Yes, I say, you should try doing this sometimes!

Preaching the gospel is messy, friends. I would venture to say that those preachers who make their people feel good all the time are not preaching the gospel. Gospel is good news, absolutely, but gospel is revolutionary in its goodness. How is the gospel revolutionary?

It’s revolutionary because it’s a message of reconciliation and reconciling with someone who has hurt you, dishonored you, or mistreated you is not an easy behavior to do.   

It’s revolutionary because it’s a message to live your life in a totally new way. When we live our lives differently, it means we have to put away old values and live into new ones. It means those people we openly disliked now have to be treated with grace. It means we learn to see the world and people in it through the eyes of Jesus instead of 21st-century media outlets and politicians. It means we learn to communicate with others in a life-giving way versus sniping behind their backs at every turn.

It’s revolutionary because it’s a message of humility and service on behalf of the other and in a selfie-obsessed Tic-Tok culture that is difficult. Our American ethos is one that says if people want to get ahead, they simply must try harder. The Christian ethos is I must try harder to help others get ahead. The gospel message is revolutionary and messy. A good preacher will make you squirm more than assuage what you already hold important.

Years ago, I had an elder at one of my churches leave one Sunday morning and tell me, “Preacher, I give that sermon a B-minus.” Now, I have to believe he meant it as a compliment, but I was nonetheless stunned and speechless. The first thing that went through my mind was, “Paul, you should try doing this sometimes!” What came out of my mouth was more intentional. I replied, “Thanks. You do realize the grade you give me says more about where you are in your faith development than in my ability to preach?” He never graded me again.

We preacher-types are expected to follow some unspoken rules while preaching. One of them is that preachers are told not to be political in the pulpit and that is frankly quite silly. Jesus preached politically because he lifted up the power structures of the day and held them to accountability. I would rather say that preachers should not be partisan. There are value judgments to be leveled against Republicans and Democrats alike as we have witnessed the circus in the House of Representatives the last three weeks. I think the moment of my biggest regret in my years of preaching was when I failed to preach the gospel during the 2020 election cycle. I failed to call out the moral and ethical behaviors of a Christian candidate who had and was not acting like a Christian man. I regret that to this day, and I am ashamed of myself because I did not want to alienate wealthy givers and offend people. I stand before you today and repent of that. Today I realize that quite frankly, sometimes the gospel of Jesus Christ is just plain offensive to others, and I have to get over that fact; indeed, I already have.

Yes, I really wish you could do this sometime and see what it’s like. Like Paul, preachers aren’t doing it for the money but are preaching because we are compelled to preach the gospel. It means we will not always say what you want to hear or what you will agree with. It means my words may make you unsettled or uncomfortable sometimes. It means I will risk not being liked by some of you because preaching the gospel is messy. But you need to know, beloved, I do it because, one, God compels me. Second, I do it because like Paul says in our scripture today, I love you as a mother loves her children; I am ready to not only share the good news of Christ with you, but I am willing to share my very soul with you because you are very dear to me. Please remember this as we grow together.

In the Name of the One who is, was, and is yet to be. Amen.

© 2023 Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls, 8 West Notre Dame Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801, and may not be reproduced or repurposed without permission from the author. All rights reserved.

[1] New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

[2] See Jeremiah 20:7-9.