Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
In the 8th Century, a Christian missionary ventured into a pagan community in what is now Germany. History knows him as St. Boniface.
His mission, to convert the heathen to faith in Jesus Christ, was initially quite unsuccessful. He soon realized the big issue was a large, oak tree in the village that was worshiped by all, the Oak of Thor.
So, in about 723 A.D., Boniface took a sharp ax to the tree and chopped it down in broad daylight. The crowd was horrified. Thor had been impiously challenged and would certainly respond by thunder and lightning. Time passed, though, and as the days went on, it became obvious that Thor wasn’t about to do anything.
The pagans converted to Christianity, numbering in the thousands. The wood from the felled oak was used in the construction of a church building.
Now, as a guy who’s trying (with varying degrees of failure) to function as a pastor, I see in this story a parable about the art of preaching.
By all accounts, Boniface was the preacher you would want to listen to: bold, sincere, and honestly concerned about his listeners. This failed to move them, though.
To move them, he had to take a literal ax to the literal root of their idolatry. The Oak of Thor, where they made sacrifices, including the sacrifice of children, had to go. And it had to be taken down in front of God and everybody.
I am convinced that much of what passes for good, solid preaching in our day amounts to an exercise in showing everyone what fine axes we have in our shed.
We hold up our Bibles (axes) and invite everyone to admire the sharpness of the edge and the sturdy construction that attaches the iron to the unbreakable handle. Do you see how nifty this ax is? Then we all nod and head home, taking the most convenient detour around that tree, the one protected by the God of Thunder.
Don’t get me wrong. I believe we have the best ax ever! Crack open a door for me and I’ll barge in and tell you all about it. The issue is that most sermons never actually get around to swinging the ax into a tree.
Don’t just tell me that the word of God is a sharp, two-edged sword. (Hebrews 4:12) Let us see you attack an idol with it. We love that satisfying “thunk” sound of the blade sinking into dry wood.
In front of God and everybody, preach like you’re swinging an ax. The Oak of State-worship; the Tree of Socialism; the Willow of Tribalism; and, all the rest of the bad ideas that are believed by people in your congregation — all must go.
Let them see you do it. You’re worried that they’ll be either horrified or enraged. Don’t worry: they’ll be both. But when they see that their idols have no answer for your impudence, you might just wind up teaching something.
Gordan Runyan is the pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Tucumcari. Contact him at:
