Carpenters work with nails and screws and lumber. Plumbers work with pipe. Electricians work with wire. Preachers work with words. They aren’t the only ones to do this, of course. Carpenters work with words, too. So do electricians, lawyers, doctors, bureaucrats, and auto mechanics. Words are the currency of culture.

But preachers particularly work with words. Words are the raw material for sermons. With words, the gospel is preached, and men repent and believe.

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. (I Peter 1:23-25)

Auto mechanics study engines and tools. Doctors study the human body and medicines. Preachers must know the Word. But knowing the Word requires a knowledge of words. If you love the Word, it is only natural that you would love words. Words are your craft. Despite the inevitable sneers, you are called to be a wordsmith.

Continue reading “Hey Preacher, Love the Word(s)” →