The Word and sacrament do not compete with one another, any more than preparation and fulfillment compete. Cooking and eating are not competitors, and so we do not set up a false antithesis between the two.
It is common in the churches of the Reformation to have the pulpit occupy a central place, as ours does, in order to symbolize the centrality and sufficiency of the Word of God. Faithful churches will never neglect the central importance of declaration and exposition of the holy Scriptures, given to us for this purpose.
But the Table is also in a central place, and for the same reason. The one who hears the Word, but does not do it, deceives himself. The one who hears the word of life and who does not pick it up and eat it, is self-deceived. The one who sees the word poured into the glass, but fails to drink it is deceived in the same way.
But it is necessary to hear, eat and drink in true evangelical faith. Otherwise, hearing sermons becomes just a ritual, as does participation in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The Word and sacrament are nourishment for your life. They are to occupy as central a place in your life this coming Tuesday as they occupy in the architecture of the sanctuary.
You are confronted with many things during the week. What does the Bible say? And how has God imparted strength to me so that I might obey Him? Nothing is accomplished in the kingdom of God apart from faith. So hear His Word in faith. Eat His Word in faith. Drink His Word in faith.