![\"Highland](\"https:\/\/www.markdroberts.com\/images\/highland-park-pres-5.jpg\")
Recently I had the privilege of preaching at Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas. It\u2019s always an encouragement for me to experience a vibrant, Christ-centered, mission-oriented church. Thus I felt invogorated to be part of this church for a day.\nI preached twice on Sunday morning in the traditional services at HPPC. During the second service, two other worship services were happening on campus: a contemporary service with a band and younger (!) preacher, and the \u201call nations\u201d service that meets the cultural needs of folk from non-anglo cultures.
\nAfter each worship service, I stood at the door to greet the people. Those who came to shake my hand were kind in their greetings. I probably heard from at least thirty people something like: \u201cI enjoyed your sermon.\u201d Presumably, the folks who did not enjoy my sermon did me the favor of not coming by to tell me. But this got me wondering: Should you enjoy a sermon? Is this an appropriate response to the preaching of God\u2019s Word?
\nOf course I realize that the folk from Highland Park were using a common expression to be affirming. I doubt they chose the verb \u201cto enjoy\u201d with much forethought or intentionality. So I don\u2019t want to over-interpret their meaning, or even to suggest that I\u2019m criticizing those who were so kind to me. On the contrary, I appreciate their gracious words.
\nBut, now that I\u2019m an occasional preacher and regular hearer of sermons, I wonder if enjoyment is, strictly speaking, what one should feel in response to preaching.
\nI can imagine some preachers and theologians being most unhappy with the \u201cI enjoyed your sermon\u201d comments. In fact, some might even question the effectiveness of my preaching. If people were actually enjoying my sermon, perhaps I was entertaining rather than edifying, titillating rather than teaching. It\u2019s hard to imagine people coming up to Jeremiah after one of his prophetic messages and saying, \u201cI really enjoyed your prophecy this morning.\u201d If people enjoyed my sermon, perhaps that suggests I was failing to do my job as a preacher!
\nBut, perhaps not. To be sure, there are times when preaching needs to hurt, when the Word of God, which is sharper than a two-edged sword, ought to be preached in way that cuts. Preaching, after all, should lead to conviction of sin and repentance, among other things. I don\u2019t know about you, but I don\u2019t generally enjoy sermons that force me to deal with my moral failings. Yet there is a sense in which a Christian sermon ought to lead to enjoyment. I\u2019m not using the word \u201cenjoyment\u201d in its superficial sense. Sermons ought not to be enjoyed in the same way one enjoys a situation comedy on TV or an ice cream sundae. But the word \u201cenjoy,\u201d along with its derivatives, comes from an Old French verb meaning \u201cto give joy to.\u201d I would argue that this is, indeed, one key feature of authentic Christian preaching.
\nI\u2019m not thinking here of the superficial joy that comes from hearing a preacher\u2019s jokes or a compelling story. Rather, I\u2019m thinking, in part, of the joy that comes when learning something of value. When I hear a sermon that teaches me something about God and his Word, I do feel glad. I truly enjoy learning God\u2019s truth, and am thankful when preachers help me do this.
\nYet enjoyment of preaching can flow from something even deeper than learning something valuable. It can come from hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ. Though I have been a Christian for almost five decades, I still need to hear the fact that God loves me and that Christ died for me so that I might experience the fullness of life, both now and forever. I need to hear that God has called me to participate with him in the grand work of renewing creation. If a preacher helps me to hear, really to hear the Gospel, then I am apt to feel joy, the joy of knowing God\u2019s grace, the joy of finding once again my life\u2019s true purpose.
\nThough preaching ought to create discomfort at times, even bringing a listener to weep with contrition, it ought ultimately to lead to joy. When someone truly and fully communicates the Good News of God, the listeners ought to feel joy, deep joy, genuine joy, transformational joy.
\nSo, when people say to me, \u201cI enjoyed your sermon,\u201d I will receive this compliment as a kind gift. But I will also hope that what people mean is that they have learned something of eternal value from my sermon, most of all that God loves them in Jesus Christ and has a place for them in his great plan for the universe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"