Pulpit Voices: What
Nazarenes Are
Preaching

by James Kinzler

In some ways the period of the Christian year known as Ordinary Time is characteristic of the way Christians live every day. It is the time between the two most significant seasons of the year. The Easter season has drawn to a close, and we are left to wait several months for Advent to roll around again. In a similar way, Christians live in such a "time between the times." We know that at one point God worked through Jesus Christ in a world-changing way that makes it possible for people to know Him personally. We also know that at some point still to come, God will again work through Jesus to bring all those who know Him to eternal fellowship.

One way to refer to this "time between the times" is the meantime. The meantime, as the dictionary defines it, "occupies the position in the middle." For the preacher who feels confident proclaiming the clear and powerful themes of the Easter and Advent seasons, the question may be, "What should I preach about in the meantime?" An even greater question, however, is the one that must be asked by every believer who stands convinced of Easter's message and Christ's second advent, "How should I live in the meantime?"

In light of that I recently preached a series titled "Living in the Meantime" over a four-week period ending on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I invited the people of our congregation to hear afresh four foundational themes of the Christian life. My hope was that our people would receive encouragement for their present walk and tools for their lifetime journey with Christ. My aim was to challenge our entire church community to gain a new appreciation for the seemingly "ordinary" time in which we live, experiencing it more fully as the time in which God desires to work in us and through us to accomplish His ultimate purposes for the world.

Although other scriptures and themes may be added in a series like this, here are the four I chose:

"Our Model: Jesus"
Philippians 2:5-11
This sermon answers the "who" question. It asks the listener to consider the example of Jesus set out in these verses as the pattern for life between the times: submission, obedience, blessing. Our focus on the person of Jesus led appropriately to the celebration of the Lord's Supper.

"Our Manner: Holiness"
Romans 12:1-2
This sermon answers the "how" question. It encourages the hearer to respond to God's offer of new life in Christ by yielding wholly to Him, and offers the invitation to live a life set apart from the present age, transformed by the power of God.

"Our Mission: Reconciliation"
2 Corinthians 5:14-21
This sermon answers the "what" question. It calls on those who have been made right with God to carry the message and ministry of restoration through Jesus Christ to broken people of the world.

"Our Motive: Thanksgiving"
Luke 17:11-19
This sermon answers the "why" question. I framed this sermon as a first-person testimony from the perspective of the lone leper who returned to give Jesus thanks for his healing. It is a charge for all to "rise and go" in service to God, inspired by gratitude for all He has done.

We live celebrating what God has done, anticipating what He is still to do. May God grant us, and the people to whom we preach, the wisdom and grace to live well--in the meantime!

James Kinzler is the senior pastor of Santa Barbara Coast Community Church of the Nazarene in Santa Barbara, California.