There is a terrible old preacher joke about the name of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah’s horse. The correct answer would be Is Me. How do I know? Well, because Isaiah was constantly saying, “Whoa Is Me!” GROAN! I do know that when it comes right down to it if I don’t preach the gospel, woe is me!

What does this phrase, “woe is me,” mean anyway? According to the internet Phrase Finder it means, “I am distressed; sad; grieved.” The Book of Job in the Old Testament is one of the oldest books in the Bible. In it Job intones this plaintive cry:

If I am wicked, woe to me!
If I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head,
for I am filled with disgrace
and look upon my affliction.

(Job 10:15, NRSV)

Now, of course, for all you New Testament scholars out there you know this idea about how terrible it would be not to preach is not original with me. None other than the apostle Paul said it originally to the church at Corinth:

Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

(1 Corinthians 9:16, NIV)

I have known since I was a very young man of eighteen that God called me to preach. The times in my adulthood when I have not preached have been some of the most miserable of my life! I often tell people tongue-in-cheek that I preach for free; I get paid to do everything else that is expected of a pastor.

Why is my conviction about the centrality and importance of preaching so strong? I was reminded of this recently teaching a Bible class from Romans the tenth chapter. Listen to Paul’s words:

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

(Romans 10:14-15, NIV)

The “beautiful feet” quotation comes from the prophet Isaiah, sans his horse, in 52:7. The reference is to a messenger arriving with important news for the people. My physical feet are not much to look at; I inherited them from my mother’s people. However, I know God has made my spiritual feet solid gold in beauty as I bring “the Word of God to the people of God, thanks be to God. Amen!”

It is my hope and prayer that God grants me many more years, even more decades to faithfully preach the good news of Jesus Christ so that others may hear and believe for I am compelled to preach. If I do not preach the gospel, then woe to me!

Stay tuned,

John