Preaching As A Social Act: Theology and Practice http://www.servantofmessiah.org
God to be its legitimator. The second (verses 27-30) is the voice of Mosaic theology which sounds the second commandment through the Deuteronomist. In ancient Israel and in our preaching, this theological voice functions to criticize easy religion. The third voice (verse 9) which I have placed in the mouth of the janitor is a voice that debunks and in rather simple form returns to obedience as the center of biblical faith. This voice is congenial to that of the Deuteronomist, but the text (verse 9) bears none of the marks of that theology. In the fourth voice, that of the widow, the voice of hopeful marginality, I have obviously exercised homiletical freedom. I have done so to form a sharp contrast with verses 12-13 and have done soon the strength of the parable in Luke 18:9-14.1 did not want simply to dismiss the liturgical claim of verses 12-13. That would be too easy, too abrasive, and not faithful to the text. Instead of dismissal I suggest rather that verses 12-13 may be true faith or false ideology, depending on the social situation of the believer. What functions as faithful for "have-nots" may be false for "haves." Obviously I have made an interpretive decision informed by a conviction of "the preferential option of the poor." By going in that direction I hope to raise questions for future conversation among the listeners. The sermon intends to do four things. 1. To suggest that the issue of God's presence is urgent and complex. It is a complex issue with which the Bible itself struggles. Implicit in that affirmation is the suggestion that the issue is not settled even for us settled secure North Americans, but is an open question with risks. We need to pay attention also to other voices that are alive and involved in the conversation. 2. To enact the notion that our practice of faith is a conversation of many voices, some of which are congenial to us and some of which are not. We must be full parties to the conversation. Partly that conversation is a public, external one going on in the world church. Partly it is an internal one, because in our seasons of honesty we are all these voices and we are not of one mind and do not experience God's presence in one http://www.religion-online.org/cgi-bin/relsearchd.dll/showchapter?chapter_id=1109 (31 of 40) [2/4/03 6:16:03 PM]