Preaching the Transforming Power of God
by the Rev. Sam Wood, pastor, Union Church of San Juan, Puerto Rico

There is a message that never becomes outdated: God is able to make a difference in our lives. God has the power to transform us by changing lives that are scarred by suffering, stifled by mediocrity, or stalled by insurmountable barriers. Regardless of race, gender, status, age or creed, all people are looking for something that will make a difference, something that will be the key to a more meaningful life.

To preach transformation is to be in touch with our own struggles and disappointments. If the message of transformation is to be more than a fairy tale or a "pie-in-the-sky" story, preachers must search their hearts and remember the now dulled pains and dimmed dreams of yesterday. From this personal identification with the human condition, the preacher can proclaim the gospel more effectively. And from this personal reflection, preachers themselves may find renewed vision for the work at hand and renewed hope for dreams left unfulfilled.

What does the message of transformation need so that modern people can hear it and benefit from its power? It needs contemporary relevance. A message with old heroes, couched in old metaphors is likely to be deemed "quaint, but not for me." The terrorist attacks of 9/11 gave the world and the church new flesh and blood heroes with whom to identify. Life is much more that 9 to 5, pay the bills, go to bed, and wake up tired! People long to hear that God needs them to make a difference in this world. Transforming sermons have the potential to do just that.

Transforming sermons are also practical. Long gone is the time when either theological musings or vague generalities have the power to inspire a congregation. At our Sunday evening gathering, members and friends of Union Church have asked for "down-to-earth"instruction in life skills. There is much that Scripture has to say about stress, family discord, and lack of personal direction. When coupled with up-to-date, inspirational real people who have been transformed by biblical principles, transforming sermons provide handles for the listeners to appropriate these principles for their lives.

I believe that those who hear transforming sermons need to be reassured that we are all people on a familiar human journey. Although many of the problems we face are particular to our times, they are not unique. We all struggle to make sense of a strange world and an unknown future. We all need to hear, again and again, that God is here to help us discover the greatness that God has placed in our souls. God is waiting and hoping that we all will join that great company that has found the faith to move beyond circumstance and despair, finding provision and hope for their lives.

About the writer: The Rev. Sam Wood is a member of the Kansas East Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, a confirmed Midwesterner (born in a Missouri Methodist family), a certified chaplain, and a past trainer for lay speaker events in preaching. The Rev. Wood is currently living in Puerto Rico with his wife, the Rev. Amy Jaime-Wood, and pastoring the Union Church of San Juan, a historic, English-language, interdenominational congregation. He also hosts a daily drive-time radio program, "Living Christian," which deals with the daily struggles for faithful Christian life.

Posted 11-05-03.