P T Forsyth on the Soul and Calling of the Preacher

This from P T Forsyth, a wee book of reprinted articles, The Preaching of Jesus and the Gospel of Christ, page 55

When I speak here about the preaching of the Cross of Christ, I mean ultimately the Cross itself as a preaching, as God's 'preachment' which gave Christian preaching birth, made it inevitable, prolonged itself in it, and provided its perpetual note. As God's preaching of Himself in the Cross was an act, the act of giving Himself, so all true preaching of it is an act also, and more than speech only. It is a devoted act of the preacher's personality, conveying God in His grace and self donation. It is not merely exhibiting Him. It is sacramental.

Against all forced or habitual informality in worship

against all thumbing down and dumbing down of the preacher's role

against web sourced anecdotes, and power point aides memoires

against every attemtpted reduction of vast Gospel realities to the pragmatics and pressures of relevance

against the consumer demand for undemanding uncomplicated 'how to' teaching

against the habits of superficiality and the reduced appetite for sacrifice and cost and passionate love of the Crucified.

against anaemic concessions to surface skimming communication

P T Forsyth presents the soul and calling of the preacher,

and insists the Gospel of the Cross is worthy of our deepest pain,

requires the greatest reaches of imagination and emotion,

and consumes the devotion of the preacher's heart

in the context of a community where awe, surrender and passion

draw on the great Passion of Christ,

and inspires a discipleship of uncalculating, self-donating devotion.