Preaching with blood and heart

Well, Chris Erdman has written another dynamite preaching post at Odyssey. Consider:

It’s possible to preach with masks . . . and we do. But I don’t think we can keep them intact over the long haul and preach Christianly. Christian preaching is, among other things, an announcement of the new creation, a whole new humanity in Jesus Christ, liberation from old captivities. When we wear masks, our preaching cannot spring forth from that newness. . . .

Preaching leads us all into God’s new world. But to go there we will need preachers who are learning to drop their masks, open a vein and live with as much honesty as they can muster for the moment. . . .

What I’m talking about is not mere self-actualization; preaching isn’t primarily about us. . . . Preaching is about forming congregations who are living witnesses to the newness of God, preaching congregations who are themselves open, unmasked, unadorned clay jars through whom the treasure of the gospel shines brightly . . . . Humanness, finally and scandalously naked and unmasked, is the bearer of the glory of God. To put it in my terms, our congregations must be led to “open a vein,” and live with a truthfulness that bespeaks the Lord Jesus Christ. And if congregations are ever to drop [their] own masks and enter the mystery and marvel of the naked heart, then their preachers will have to lead the way.

Well preachers, are we up to the task?