It is common advice I and others give to married couples. Stay away from words like never and always, especially in the heat of an argument. Because if the wife says, “You never listen to me,” the husband will be sure to remember and bring to his defense the one time he truly listened four and a half years ago for 15 grueling minutes.
I would suggest that the same advice is wise for those called to preach to God’s people. Stay away from always and nevers, at least when talking about the people of God. Perhaps the most common trespass in this regard is the funeral sermon that makes the deceased into a saint they never were.   In these sermons , the always and the nevers usually abound. Rose always had a smile on her face. Bill never spoke an unkind word to anyone. These always and nevers often leave those in the pew, and especially the family of the one being talked about, wondering if the preacher really knew their beloved at all. Yes Rose was a happy person, but they saw the anger on her brow more than once. Bill was very pleasant in public, but he could let loose at home from time to time. Funerals sermons like this not only misrepresent the life of the deceased, but also rob Jesus of the glory due him in saving such sinners who do not even after baptism live always good and never bad lives.
But I would suggest there is am equally faulty tendency among Lutheran preachers in the pulpit on an average Sunday morning. While it is often not noted as problematic, I believe it is important to note. Lutheran preachers tend to speak in sermons as if the people of God have done nothing good at all and do evil all the time. I believe that these preachers while trying to guard the glory due Jesus by such preaching actually rob him of the same. When we say that the Baptized and Spirit-filled people of God never do good and always do evil, we not only speak in a way not consistent with the scriptures, but we also rob Christ of the glory due to him for working his good work in his people through his Spirit.   You see the people of God after baptism do not live never good and always bad lives precisely because Christ works in them to do his good and perfect will. It is proper to speak of how often we fail, but to place our sinfulness in the realm of always is to make the baptized to be no different than those not baptized. And to equate those two realities is thoroughly unscriptural.
So preachers, do not say that the people of God always ignore the word. They do not by God’s grace. Do not say they are always filled with greed. They are not through the Spirit. Watch your always and your nevers when talking about the baptized people of God.
If you are talking about the lost, never good and always bad is proper scriptural talk. And certainly you should bring out every always and never in the book when speaking of our Savior. Never sins. Always Saves.  Never forsakes. Always abides. Jesus is all the always and the nevers we could ever need.
