Whatever You Do….
August 19, 2008“Richard Baxter, a great puritan preacher, said of preaching, ‘whatever you do, let the people see that you are in good earnest…You cannot break men’s hearts by jesting with them.’”
(Mark Dever, in The Message of the New Testament – Promises Kept, p390 )
And all too often it is tempting to try to be humorous. Almost always to no avail.
I agree but only to a degree. I agree about showing how much you’re in earnest of course. But some of the most powerful sermons I’ve heard have had me in tears at some points (and I’m unemotional by and large) and laughing at other points. The preacher’s job certainly isn’t to be a comedian and make everyone feel good in a shallow sort of way, but surely a sense of humour isn’t an evil or wicked thing but a precious and wonderful gift of God which can be used to good effect if used carefully?