Preaching Myths (V)

The first four posts have looked at issues of evaluation.  Let’s change direction. What other preaching myths are out there?  How about this idea:

5. Only well-prepared sermons get blessed.

This is what we might call a “yes and no” type of myth. There is truth to it, and there is myth too.

A. Ministry never depends on our ability, preparation, skill or learning. For a life to be changed, be it through salvation or spiritual growth, the Spirit of God has to be at work in the lives of those listening. 

It will never be based on what we bring to the situation, and yet we have no freedom to abdicate from our role, because…

B. Good stewardship expects proper preparation.  While we rely fully on Christ as we serve, we are stewards of the opportunity, stewards of the gifting, stewards of our learning, etc. 

Therefore it makes sense that we will give full and proper preparation for the ministry opportunities that we are given. However, this does not mean that our preparation has to be perfect, because…

C. God’s grace overcomes interrupted preparation. We all know that life has a habit of hitting us at inopportune moments. Family problems, pastoral crises, distressing emails. 

In a post-Genesis 3 world we will rarely have the perfect preparation for a sermon, just as any “gardening” in this world is now a sweaty business. But instead of despairing, we can celebrate God’s grace. 

He understands when life hits, and even when we struggle and fail. There will be times when we preach at our weakest and God’s ministry seems to advance at its strongest.  Yet we do not abuse this grace, but instead, remember…

D. A good sermon is built on macro as well as micro preparation.  There is this coming Sunday’s message, and there are decades of messages. How long does it take to prepare a message? 

It takes a good number of hours this week, but it also takes years of cumulative study and preaching. This means that when your preparation for Sunday is decimated by life’s circumstances, your sermon will rest on the strength of years in the Scriptures.

So the bottom line is that as a preacher you are being a good steward if you invest in preparation both for this next message, and for all your future ministry. At the same time, your dependence is not on your preparation, but on God’s grace, because apart from Him we can do nothing.

Peter Mead is mentor at Cor Deo and author of several books. This article first appeared on his blog Biblical Preaching.