Whether sigh or groan, weeping or loud cry, Christ does not stand aloof from the world’s groaning. He, in fact, enters it.
This week, focus on the groan. Stenazō (“groan”) is repeated (at least in cognates) throughout this pericope: “Creation has been groaning” (sustenazei, Romans 8:22), “we ourselves... groan inwardly” (stenazomen, Romans 8:23), and “the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings” (stenagmois, Romans 8:26). A good word to study (you will find Paul repeat it at 2 Corinthians 5:2, 4, “In this tent we groan,” the mortal seeking immortality, the anticipation of Heaven), and you will see Jesus doing it as well.
Something a quick scan of usage may not immediately reveal is the etymological connection of the Greek “groaning, grumbling” verb with the adjective stenos, which means “narrow” (refer to the “narrow gate” at Matthew 7:14 and the “narrow door” at Luke 13:24 for examples). The root comes out in the verb stenokhōreō, which can mean “to restrict or confine in a narrow boundary” (as it is used in 2 Corinthians 6:12) as well as “to be distressed, despair” (as it is used in 2 Corinthians 4:8). No wonder the noun form of that verb is translated variously as “distress” or “calamity” (refer to Romans 2:9, 8:35 and 2 Corinthians 6:4, 12:10).
So, there is a connection between “compression” or “restriction” and “groaning.” A Christian preacher who understands the physiological physics and physical torture of crucifixion will readily appreciate this connection. I personally do not think the pulpit is the place to get into the nitty gritty of highly technical ancient dead languages (sparingly and seldom, if at all, is my advice!), though you may have some folks in Bible class who would not mind an interesting etymological detour. But I am quite positive that simply tracing just the “groaning” in scripture will prove sufficient to sketch a sermon that will preach itself. Instead of thinking about abstracts like “hope” or “waiting,” or limiting your focus to the practice of “prayer,” stay with the “groan.” This will be our central “image” (I know it is a sound, but we will call it an image nevertheless). Let us stick with it and listen to where else the scripture makes that sound.
Paul stacks it up in Romans 8. The creation groans, we groan, and the Spirit groans. Describe it! It is what happens when there are no more words. Indeed, Paul calls the Spirit’s groans alalētos, “ineffable” (which several English versions render “too deep for words”). It is the sound we make when our speech collapses under deep emotion, when explanation and argument fail, along with optimism. Your hearers know the sound. They have made it themselves in hospital rooms and at gravesides, during sleepless nights, over broken marriages and prodigal children, in chronic pain and under mounting bills, with secret sins and exhausted prayers. Help your hearer recognize themselves in that image.
It is the sound we make when our speech collapses under deep emotion, when explanation and argument fail, along with optimism. Your hearers know the sound.
Then, bring them to the other places God has used it. This is where tracing out the sigh, grumble, moan, and groan through the scriptures will give them a place to dwell (and likely inspire their devotion in the book of Psalms!). Israel groans in Egypt. The prophets compare suffering creation to a woman’s pains in labor. It is a characteristic sound of life under the curse, and of God’s people waiting for God to act. When your people hear that, they will remember scripture is one story, not just isolated verses here and there, and find themselves as part of the same story too.
The most important character in this story is Jesus, and His groans are what you want to draw your hearer to. Sighing deeply before healing the deaf man (Mark 7:34). Sighing deeply over the unbelief that demands signs (Mark 8:12). Deeply moved, even to the point of tears, at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:34-35). And, of course, all four of the gospels move toward the great cry from the cross, the final breath, the final loud voice, the completion of Christ’s work.
Whether sigh or groan, weeping or loud cry, Christ does not stand aloof from the world’s groaning. He, in fact, enters it. More than that, gathers creation’s groaning into Himself. The cross of Christ is not just one more groan among many. It is the groan which brings every other groan to its end, its telos: “It is finished” (John 19:30). This is so much more powerful in your preaching playbook than, “Jesus understands your suffering.” Rather, it delivers what Paul does: The fact that Christ’s groaning does something. His final cry was for you, for your hearer, for all. Christ’s groaning delivers forgiveness, reconciliation, and the redemption of our own groaning bodies. Christ resurrection is the guarantee that the labor pains of creation (Romans 8:22) are not Braxton-Hicks false alarms, nor contractions that lead to death, but the momentary pain which is leading to a new creation. The Gospel is not that Christ suffered, it is that Christ suffered for you.
The end of this is prayer, and a great answer to a theological stumper: “Why pray?” Paul’s answer is we pray because God is already praying for you. The Holy Spirit, here, is neither sage on the stage nor guide on the side, teaching, coaching, or encouraging the Christian in prayer. The Holy Spirit is doer. He is truly the intercessor (Romans 8:26-27). Your prayer may never be eloquent, may never seem complete. Indeed, you may not even know what to ask (Romans 8:26). Despite all that, and before any tooling, composition, or clarity in you as a pray-er, the Holy Spirit has already carried your need before the Father. What a magnificent comfort for exhausted Christians. The Gospel is not how you learned, finally, to pray correctly. The Gospel is that God Himself, God the Holy Spirit, will not stop praying for you. My broken words, thoughts, requests, my broken prayers are made whole, caught up in His perfect intercession.
Do not lose sight this week of Paul’s body-talk. We are waiting for revelation (Romans 8:19), freedom (8:21), adoption, and the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23). Creation and bodies that groan. Paul’s hearers are on the ground, in the nitty gritty themselves, just like your hearer, and their groaning matters just as much. The Gospel cannot deny that kind of materiality and you cannot either. You are charged with speaking the word that redeems it. Do not shy away from the aching knees and the anxious minds, the cancer treatments, the infertility, the loneliness, the ageing, the grief of being in these mortal bodies. Those are precisely the places where Christ’s finished work is delivered into real, dirt-under-your-fingernails lives.
Preaching the groaning Christ in the middle of a groaning creation, for a groaning-you, is where you as a preacher will deliver more than ideas and stories. You will be delivering Christ Himself, crucified, risen, and giving Himself through His Word and Sacrament. And you get to go about your task this week with the guarantee that the Spirit is interceding for you too, even now as you prepare to preach.
God bless you in your sermon craft!
Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out 1517’s resources on Romans 8:18-27.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you preaching Romans 8:18-27.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
