On this week's Things Unseen, I want to reflect together with you on the subject of preaching.

We've sometimes thought about that in passing on the podcast, but this week we're going

to do it each day.

It's a subject that's relevant to all of us, whether we're preachers or as all of us

are, preachers included, whether we're listeners, and no doubt we've all got our own opinions

about preaching and about the preaching that we regularly listen to.

So it's important that we don't just react to preaching in a, I like it, I don't like

it kind of way or take it for granted, but that we think about it, what it is and what

it should be.

And apart from anything else, that should help us to do what Paul asked the Ephesian

church to do, to pray for the preaching of the mystery of the gospel.

I wonder if you do that.

But first a question someone asked me quite recently, how important is preaching?

Here's something interesting in the short, our catechism, if you're not familiar with

it, it's the old catechism that begins with the famous question about man's chief

end.

Later, in question 89, the catechism asks this question, how is the word of God made

effectual to salvation?

That is, how does it point us to Christ and then transform our lives?

And the answer is very striking, the spirit of God make us the reading, but especially

the preaching of God's word, an effectual means of convincing and converting sinners,

and of building them up in holiness and comfort through faith and to salvation.

...