I Am a Preacher

I once bristled when people called me a preacher. Preaching is only one aspect of my vocation and for some reason I did not want that part to eclipse everything else my calling includes.

I would introduce myself as a priest or pastor and someone would say, “Oh, you a preacher?” The term felt too narrow to hold the fullness of my calling. However, the more I preach, the more fascinated I become with the art and spirit of preaching.

When I think of a preacher, I think of someone whose profession is to travel around and proclaim the gospel. I definitely was not that. I had to preach because it was part of my job and for a long time it felt like the hardest part, which made me think I must not be good at it.

However, people always gave me positive feedback. I have consistently been told my sermons are easy to follow and relatable.

I once told someone I was not a good preacher. They asked, “Who are you comparing yourself to?”

Good question. I think I was comparing myself to the whooping preachers of my Pentecostal and Baptist upbringing, not my Harvard-trained Episcopal seminary preaching.

Real Impact, Real Lives

It is humbling to see the impact of my preaching in real time, in real lives. When parishioners repost my sermons or share with me how my words have impacted them, it reminds me of how important the preaching moment is.

I have heard it said that there are pastors who preach and preachers who pastor. I’ve often wondered which category I fall into. I already know the answer; I just do not want to admit it: I am a preacher, and I love it.

What an honor it is to interpret Scripture through the sermon. The people in my community trust me enough to relay a message from the Lord. I take that job seriously. I am accountable to God for the message I convey, because it comes from God.

Did God write the message? No. However, writing a sermon requires a certain amount of wrestling with God and Spirit before one reaches the final Word.

A Wrestling Match

I believe one has to wrestle with an angel, like Jacob, while crying, “I won’t let go until you bless me” to have the audacity to mount the pulpit. How can anyone who has not encountered God usher others into an encounter with God?

It may sound over the top, I know, but it is the truth according to me. Or, like Mary Magdalene, one has to be able to shout, “I have seen the Lord, and he spoke my name.”

Preaching requires personal struggle and personal encounters with the Triune God.

I recently saw the phrase “trauma-informed preaching.” While I understand what it means, my thought was that my trauma has informed my preaching. God has redeemed my struggles and given me a voice to praise God through preaching.

Why I Preach

I preach because I know firsthand that real lives are at stake if I do not make an impact on at least one heart. I preach for Black lives and trans lives, immigrant lives and single-parent lives, and teenage mothers who think nobody sees them at all.

I preach to open blinded eyes. That is my witness.

I preach because James Cone and Delores Williams gave me the lens through which I could see myself in Scripture. I preach because James Baldwin gave me permission to question the status quo in America. I preach because Pauli Murray gave me permission to be my most authentic self.

Last month, I was invited to be the guest preacher for Juneteenth in the Diocese of California. I think it was my first invitation to show up as a preacher, and I believe I rose to the occasion. I was invited specifically to share my gift and that felt special.

My mother came from Indiana and my parishioners traveled to Berkeley from San Jose and even as far as Watsonville. I was honored to be asked and honored by who showed up. It was probably the best sermon I’ve ever preached.

Am I just a preacher? No. But I am a preacher.

I often say I am never not working, because every moment of life is potential sermon material. Every fiction and nonfiction book, every walk on the beach, every encounter with another human can spark ideas for sermons.

Recently, I went to see The Mandalorian and Grogu. The Mandalorian said to Grogu, “The first rule before going into battle: Always check your armor.” That is definitely a sermon topic.

I also heard DMX say in a song, “You say you’re hungry for knowledge, well here it is, eat it!” I am still waiting to use that in a sermon.

Preaching and sermon writing are a bigger part of who I am than I realized. I am always making connections between life and Scripture for the purpose of interpretation. That is my gift and it is something I am unable to turn off.

I have come to love preaching and I take advantage of every opportunity to grow and develop as a preacher. I am not only a pastor who preaches. I am a preacher who pastors.