I was leading a discussion about preaching among a group of laypersons in an affluent Washington, D.C. parish.

"What do you look for in a sermon?" I asked.

"I like a sermon which makes me think about things in a new way," said one.

Widespread agreement. Yes, I thought, that's preaching. Helping us to think about things in a new way. And, particularly around here, we love to think about things.

There was a time when I took this as high complement for my preaching.

You emerge at the end of the Sunday service saying, "That was so interesting! We'll just have to think about that!  So very, very interesting.”

Until I knew you better, I took it as a complement.

“That was so interesting! Yes, we'll just have to think about that! [We're not going to do a darn thing about it, but it was soooo interesting!…