Philip Arthur Bence PhD Thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText

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celebration of the Eucharist, because it is here that all
of its elements reach their most original and highest
form." 1 '. God may speak through preaching,
particularly as it prepares for the Eucharist, but
preaching in itself never reaches "the full potential of
the kerygma." 1 '5 No element of the mass, seen in
isolation, is adequate, yet each contributes to God's
revelation. In preaching, in the celebration of the
Eucharist, in each part of the service, the priest serves
as God's agent of revelation.
"No piece of reality is excluded from the
possibility of becomin g a bearer of the holy."1'-
Those words from the pen of Paul Tillich describe his
view of preaching as revelation. Certainly God can speak
through preaching, but then God can also speak through
the Bible, an inner voice, the beauty of nature, or other
means that he chooses. The church, however, has
historically associated preaching with the Word of God.
and Tillich does not argue against this identification as
long as it is properly understood.17
God speaks through preaching when several factors
all fall into place. These factors include: 1. "the
words of preaching" [Do they truly direct the hearer
toward the Ultimate and the possibility of New Being?]
2. "the power with which they are spoken" [Has the
minister himself experienced what he describes?] 3.
"the understandin g of the listener [Does the preaching
adequately communicate something 'infinitely important'?