Happy St. Patrick's Day! I am tempted to write about the venerable saint, but have little to add to what far more knowledgeable people than I have already written. Instead, I am thankful tonight for the opportunity yesterday and today to dig into God's Word in anticipation of preaching for pastor Joe this Sunday. One of my fears in retirement was how I would maintain my own spiritual life once the necessity for sermon preparation was gone. Someone years ago noted that many preachers are in the business to save their own souls. I believe that. We NEED the imposed discipline that our calling gives us. I've found there is an enormous difference between reading my Bible devotionally and reading it for sermon preparation. The latter provides a focus and purpose that intensifies the entire process, squeezing out of the text the Word of God for the moment in a way that just doesn't happen for me in devotional reading. The Word springs to life when I'm reading to give instead of to receive.
Sermon preparation may seem like child's play to some. When a sermon is well-prepared and presented with skill, conviction, and the underlying move of the Holy Spirit, it appears effortless, much like the tightly choreographed work of a stage production. It all looks so natural because it's been rehearsed so well. Impromptu performances usually bear the signs of their unpreparedness. So do impromptu sermons. Others may be able to pull it off, but I rarely have. So I am working hard, enjoying the process and grateful to be given the privilege of holding in my hands the Word of Life. I'm praying God will use it for his glory and his people's benefit. Pray for your pastor. He or she needs it more than any of us know, for they are given the impossible task of being a pontiff; a bridge between God and his people, knocking on the doors of people's hearts in the Name of Christ, that he may enter in with forgiveness, grace, hope, and salvation.
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