This is not a book about the theology of preaching or about its place in the structure of worship. It does not discuss either preacher as herald of the gospel or his authority to proclaim God's Word. Least of all is it concerned about the way the material ought to be presented, the nuts and bolts of sermon construction (an introduction, three points and a conclusion). It does not set out to provide sermon outlines; it may even lead to the destruction of some that already exist. Its purpose is to see how we get from scripture to God's message today, how the Word which was embodied in the words of scripture may be embodied in the words of the preacher, how the Jesus who spoke to the readers of Paul and John may speak to us now.