Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Another long day at work and I'm thinking about preaching this Sunday. I always find the task of preaching interesting. Sometimes I look forward to it, sometimes I see it as a burden and I resist it. Most of the time I read the text as soon as Sunday afternoon when the preaching and tasks for the current Sunday are finished. I find myself always thinking. I talk about the process of writing a sermon for me being much like making a good stew. I put the base ingredients in (text), then add other ingredients throughout the week (commentaries, other readings, illustrations, movies and books I've read or seen recently, activity in my daily life) and it all just simmers around. I stir it occasionally all week long. Then, at the end of the week I find that it's done and I have a stew (sermon) - sometimes rich, thick and deeply satisfying. Other times a little watery. Sometimes adequate but still lacking something. I don't know any other way of doing this preaching thing.