Saturday Night

October 30, 2021

For many people, Saturday night is prime time to go out to eat, to the movies, a concert, a play, or a sports event. It never worked that way in the Bailey household. Sunday morning was immanent, and I was always too keyed up to enjoy Saturday evenings. I can’t say how much my wife and kids suffered because of all this, but I do know there were plenty of missed gatherings. If it were something I couldn’t wiggle out of, my body might be present, but my mind was always elsewhere, refining and rehearsing the next day’s sermon.

These days, my preaching schedule has quite a bit more breathing room; once every six weeks or so, I am asked to fill in at one of the congregations under our pastor’s care. Having more than a week to prepare is a godsend, relieving my wife of a distracted husband, and me of the continual tenseness of always having to be thinking ahead about next Sunday.

I’m not complaining; sermonizing affects each pastor differently. I know pastors who eagerly look forward to the next opportunity to preach. They are fired up and ready to go, starting with Monday. Like a dog straining at the leash, they can’t wait to preach! Me—not so much. I was always like, “Do I have to do this again so soon?”

And yet…digging into the Scriptures, wrestling with the texts till I was able to squeeze every last drop of blessing from them, was always a challenge and an ultimate joy, even when those texts resisted my best efforts to unlock their treasures. I’ve been wrestling this entire week, and tomorrow will reveal whether or not I managed to get the job done. I’m praying, but until tomorrow afternoon, I won’t know. 

Preachers all around the world tonight are in the same boat; they’ve read, prayed, studied, prayed, written, prayed, and, oh yes…prayed some more, begging the Father to enliven their own souls so they can be avenues of grace to their hearers.  It’s Saturday night. Sunday is coming. May the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ go forth with grace and power! Amen.