Forever emblazoned on my memory banks (I can see the colors of the lettering) are the words over the seminary chapel doors. How many times did I look up to read them, pass under them, drink in models of κηρύξατε τὸ εὐαγγέλιον? The imperative drives home what we do—herald, proclaim, preach—but the direct object is what it’s all about, good news, THE good news that God rescued me and rescued you from an eternity under the horror of his anger, that his Son is our substitute, that we will be carried in the arms of his love without end.

So, how do we do 2 Corinthians 5:20 (God making his appeal through us) to the best of our ability? Homiletics classes prepared us. Vicar year helped to develop the craft. Can we get better at it, grow in the art, hone, and polish this privilege we call preaching? Of course!

Fifty years have passed since I sat wide-eyed and scared in Room 23, so ignorant about preaching that I didn’t even know what the term “homiletics” meant, much less how to go about it. Has my sermonizing changed since then? Absolutely! But not the core. It’s still all about Jesus (gospel) and my desperate need for him (law) and proclaiming him and that desperate need to others. So, how best can we keep Christus pro nobis clear, precise, and fresh in our sermon digging, development, and delivery? One answer is liturgical worship and pericopic preaching. Liturgical worship means regular use of the Ordinary, the Proper, and the Meal.

All of us know there’s no biblical mandate for that, and we are free to carry out worship without the Ordinary, to preach on “free” texts or create a home-grown thematic sermon series, and to shift the Meal to an alternate day and time for members only. But I’m not convinced the reasons for doing so are superior to swimming in the pool of Christus pro nobis blood that is the Ordinary, the Proper, and the unashamed, public “Do this” of the sacrament.

The Ordinary
Of course, we’ll set the “Kyrie,” “Gloria,” “Sanctus,” and “Agnus” into musical arrangements that fit the context, won’t we? So, why not have Christus pro nobis woven into the fiber of the soul, flowing from the lips of God’s people to each other, and embedded into the hearts of little children with a consistent, heart-warming, “Lord/Christ, have mercy on us,” “Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world,” “Hosanna in the highest,” and “Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world”? Who among members and guests will not hear the Christo-centricity of the Creed? For preaching richness, depth, and inspirational Christus pro nobis, think of the sermon as a rose, watered and fertilized in the garden of the Ordinary.

The Meal
Jesus’ Supper touches us with Christus pro nobis. Not every sermon has to preach God’s people to the table, but when it fits, why not link the preached Christus pro nobis to the Christus pro nobis hug of the sacrament? And what a thrill to respond to a non-Lutheran guest’s request to participate in the Supper with, “That would be great! Just not yet today. Let’s meet so I can tell you more about its impact.”

The Proper
The Ordinary consistently, memorably, foundationally proclaims Christus pro nobis from the lips of God’s people to each another, but it is the Proper that gives texture, color, flavor, and uniqueness to the Christus pro nobis of our sermons. Sure, there are brothers who see value in pursuing a biblical (or cultural) topic in a sermon series and strive to make Christus pro nobis stand out. But why not allow that life-saving message ring out in its full splendor by taking God’s people and guests from the manger to the empty tomb and back again year after year? I can only imagine the hours and hours and hours spent in creating a non-pericopic sermon series to find texts that won’t be pre-texts but preached-texts in sermons that champion Christus pro nobis. Surely it can be and is being done, but why scratch your head to come up with “What text will fit my theme?” and “Where will this text take me/us?” Christus pro nobis is not a Sherlock-Holmes-mystery lurking in The Proper readings since they all fit under the theme of the day, shaped by the Gospel of the day, and Jesus is right there!

The main benefit of preaching The Proper is its Christo-centricity. There are other benefits:

• My ninth grade Latin professor, drilled into this thirteen-year-old brain, Repetitio est mater studiorum. The annual cycle of the Christus pro nobis of The Proper does just that, the repetition of the life of Christ (Christus pro nobis) is what I need, what you need, and what members and guests need.
• The Proper offers a road map to members and guests. Check The Foundation resources, and see how each season of the festival half and sections of the non-festival half of the church year become a mini-sermon series. Advertise, publish, and use video links and eye- and ear-catching themes available in The Foundation resources to provide members with simple and clear “teasers” and invitations to friends. “Here’s what’s coming in worship at my church and how it impacts your life.”
• While remaining Christo-centric, the three-year Proper offers a wide variety of sermon texts, covering nearly all the books of the Bible. The preacher can enjoy the thrill of cover-to-cover Bible study in sermon preparation and can help hearers sense the Genesis-to-Revelation reality of Christus pro nobis.
• The Proper’s Gospel of the day theme and readings are complemented by the Prayer of the Day, the Psalm, the Gospel Acclamation, and hymn choices. The Foundation has resources for all those, relieving the busy pastor, especially pastors with limited musical gifts, from hours of research and selection. They also provide sermon fodder and memorable tunes that little kids sing and hum throughout the week.
• The Proper allows for long-term worship planning. You can see in advance texts you’ll be thinking about in the shower, as you drive to make visits, and as you read widely. Plus, your musicians will send you an e-note of thanks as they plan and prepare.

For preaching richness, depth, and inspirational Christus pro nobis, think of the sermon as the filet mignon in the smorgasbord of The Proper.

I realize that we all have different gifts and certainly different gifts and styles of preaching, but thanks for tuning in to this bit of encouragement from one preacher to another as you enjoy the humble privilege of liturgical preaching… for Jesus’ sake and in his name.

This article in Devote Yourself was contributed by the team that previously created and distributed Preach the Word. View past preaching-related articles at worship.welsrc.net/downloads-worship/preach-the-word.