me I immediately shared his grand comparison of me and Chaucer, with the sharp bubble-burster of my home, my wife, who simply said, “Hmmm, yes, Chaucer. He was crude as well.” Typical. What does she know anyway?
Unfortunately we have upwardly diminished the power of the Bible in making it palace-worthy rather than pavement-worthy, making it a book for the studious instead of a book for the sidewalk. The common people heard Jesus gladly and I can guarantee you, He wasn’t received in the majestic language of the King James Version. The common people. They heard Him. They received Him. Gladly! I am not talking about dumbing down here either, but rather about tooling up with the words of the day.
We need to regain some street-credibility in the delivery of the Scriptures. Before that happens, however, we need to let loose the so long now muzzled, powerful jaws of the lion and allow it to roar once more. I wonder if the hidden and diluted Word of God which we are peddling from our pulpits now, which over the years we have also so tightly dressed up like a gay, and mincing, little white, and pink,padded-poodle-ette, is quite frankly too embarrassed to be taken outdoors? It is embarrassing, isn't it? For our misuse of the Bible in this way, and that is what the cultural diluting of the Word of God is, a gross misuse of the Bible, has robbed it of its awesome power and thoroughly embarrassed it. God help us, please! For this Word in its undiluted form is the very life-giving juice dripped from the leaves of the squeezed out tree of life! So, yes indeed, we need to let the juice loose even if it does cause so many letters to be written by ‘Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells, and Karens!’ I say again, Let the juice loose!
However, before we can let this juice loose once more, I wonder if we need to let loose most of the Christians who read the juicy book and especially those frightened little folk who we have sent to seminary-dentistry, where they have had their teeth removed and the rough and ready garments of the prophet replaced by smart and casual, Hawaiian-shirt, cool respectability. Lord God! (and that’s a calling prayer) Lord God! I hate respectability, and I hate it with a vengeance! You see, I reckon that nice speaking, polite little Christians, have done more damage to the Kingdom of God than the devil could ever do.
I have two things to leave with you tonight than:
First an equation, and frankly, maybe it’s just me, but I do find that in my life, that the more righteous I experientially and practically become, the less outwardly, pretentiously respectable I both appear and act. How’s your life adding then up in terms of middle-class, middle-England type respectability tonight? Are you above all things, nice? Or, are you above all things, holy?
Secondly, note that when a clawed, and sharp-beaked, sharp-eyed hawk even gently glides past the settled nests of the starling colonies, the little birds rise up and attack it. Prophet. Jesus street preacher. Watch out for the darling, little starlings for they are not as sweet as you might think, and I tell you, they do not want their nice little nest much ruffled, especially if their religion gets in a state. If you are not nice, like them, then they will peck you to death.
Even so, and, never the less, do remember to drink the Bible in its undiluted form, yes remember to simply let the juice loose and always preacher, I mean always, serve the Word like sushi. Raw!
Listen:- As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what did you go out to see? A proph