I have friends who amaze me with their preaching. They seem to prepare effortlessly and deliver the sermon the same way.
Many of you have heard me say that preaching is easy but preparing is difficult. In some ways, it’s all difficult (and exhilirating at the same time).
But there is one thing about preaching which is harder than any other–the members of the congregation going through so many different situations.
For example, recently I preached Father’s Day on fathers and their importance. This is a really big issue in American culture. Fathers are under attack from many different areas of our society.
We know many of the ills of society result from the problem of fatherlessness. Most men in prison, for example, did not have a father in the home.
In recent years we have even learned that children do best when they have a father and mother in the home who are married. In other words, commitment to the institution of marriage seems to have an effect on children as well. Who would have assumed that fact?
This leads to what makes preaching hard. I, and most who preach, have an intense commitment to the power and truthfulness of Holy Scripture. We believe God knows what is best for individuals and families. Therefore, we must preach the truths of Scripture.
Unfortunately, many people live under less than ideal circumstances. When I preach about one man and one woman as a marriage, there will always be those people who don’t get to live in those conditions. What should I do?
I once knew a preacher who took about the first ten minutes of his sermon explaining what he was not doing, such as condemning women who were widowed, etc. I don’t think this is the answer.
This is my hope. I hope and pray people will hear my spirit and my heart. Following the plan of God is the ideal. We must teach our children the ideal even when we know much of the people of the world live apart from the ideal.
This makes preaching very hard.
As you listen to your pastor, please pray for him. Ask God to help him preach God’s ideal with God’s love. Ask God to let the pastor’s love for the people of the congregation come through loud and clear in his preaching. Finally, ask God to speak in such a way that the congregation hears both the ideal of Scripture and the deep love of the Father.
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8 Responses
The one thing I have always felt each Sunday when listening to your sermons is that you were preaching from the Bible and from your heart. You make every sermon relevant to our daily lives in some way. I will pray that God will continue to work through you as you deliver His message to us each week.
Thanks for your affirmation.I really feel pastors (preachers) have to work at helping the listener make the leap from interpretation to application.
I feel God’s word speaking through you! All that you teach us makes an impact on our daily lives. The topics that are presented to us are powerful and appropriate lessons that we take with us and employ that learning in our lives. Thanks for being such a wonderful Pastor and Preacher.
Thank you. I believe this series on forgiveness has the potential to make a profound impact.
Waylon, Thanks for preparing biblical sermons and declaring the truth!
Perhaps the easiest thing to do is Preaching God’s Good News when it is like presenting a paper or dissertation. When it comes to internalizing life experiences and sharing them with others in Light of Scripture, that is hard.
Once upon a time I was asked on a Friday evening when I came into the Lafayette office to be ready Monday morning to fly to Huston to make a presentation to Phillips Petroleum. Cambe Log Library was still open so I was able to quickly amass all the information, well logs, in the subject area. It was an area I was unfamiliar with and the Tuscaloosa Trend was in its early stages of exploration. Since my office/sales clothes were in New Orleans, I purchased what I needed in Lafayette. I spent the next days and nights in the office. In the middle of my presentation, the Decision Maker at the other end of the long engineer packed conference table was nodding off, having just returned from lunch. So I addressed him asking him if he agreed with the statement I had just made. Sold.
That was a piece of cake compared to what you have to do. Three times this month I have just broken down at different times being reminded of my parents. I think of your Dad as you described him and know he’d understand. The Holy Spirit does His work through His Salesmen. May we each bring Glory to the Father through the Son and all of His recognize the best presentation is one that is made by His Team: out of many, one.
Blessings
Thank you so much.
I know that you speak from your heart and truly care for those that will hear.
We miss being at First Baptist Covington