Resonance and the Incarnation of Christ: Tracing Mystery in Four Christmas Sermons

Abstract

This article examines four Christmas sermons for their strategies in connecting listeners with the mystery of the incarnation. This analysis of the sermons leads to three categories that describe the ways in which preachers attempt to make the connection. These are 1) ‘Identification with the story characters,’ 2) ‘Experience of the heart as access to the mystery,’ and 3) ‘Pondering Scripture.’ The latter two are closely related. The experience-oriented preaching style in the four sermons offers perspective for homiletic reflection today. The experience of the heart is nourished by a pondering of the Scripture. In the sermons, the preachers urge listeners to imitate certain characters from the biblical story. To gain a better understanding of the complexities of such identification, homiletics needs to be informed by literary scholarship.