Preaching Emmanuel: A Sacramental Reason to Preach

Abstract

Based within a Lutheran homiletic, this article provides encouragement to preachers about the value of preaching in the dynamic cultural setting of the twenty-first century. Through engagement with the work of Martin Luther and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, we see that God becomes fully present through the sermon. The sermon offers a vital relational component for church as well as deep responsibility for preachers. The language of Emmanuel, particularly the fullness of meaning entailed in the “God with us,†gives preachers a reason to preach within our postmodern context.