Preaching

Society today really does not like been reminded of when they are doing evil, like shipping off jobs to third world countries so that they can exploit them unseen to maximise profits, killing babies or old people. They say Christians, or the Church when they criticise these evil deeds and the evil people that do them are being judgemental. But it is the duty of the leadership of our Church to do so and our task as well in the exercise of our ministry even as laity and we share in the work entrusted to the ministerial priesthood and those entrusted to their care. Perhaps one of the the best models of this ministry that I have seen is in Psalm 50. I runs around 10 paragraphs and 8 of those lays out the necessary ongoing conversion and correct order of the Christian sinner's ministry and then in 2 paragraphs demonstrates that although this process is always ongoing, our own sinfulness as ministers should not paralyse us to confront the evil and evil doers in the world. This is because we are not presenting ourselves as the model for the way our world should be, but God. This imago Dei is fundamental to both the Old and New Testaments: We are called to love because we have been loved first. I think it is a beautiful and rich model for the priesthood, diaconate and even lay ministries. I have not included the whole psalm here, but the core verses to give the gist:

Have mercy on me, God in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.

My offences truly I know them;
my sin is always before me.
Against you, you alone have I sinned;
what is evil in your sight I have done.

Indeed you love truth in the heart;
then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.
O purify me then I shall be clean;
O wash me I shall be whiter then snow.

A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

Give me again the joy of your help;
with a spirit of fervour sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways
and sinners may return to you.

O rescue me, God my helper,
and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.
O lord, open my lips
and my mouth shall declare your praise.