It Don't Come Easy

Some weeks the Sunday sermon comes easily. Other weeks, well….it’s tough. This week has been one of those tough weeks for me. I have probably already invested over ten hours of time in a twenty-five minute sermon and I’m still not sure exactly what I’m going to say. That is ridiculous. Worse, I am not really quite sure why it happens. I suppose there are a variety of reasons. Some weeks it is because the text I believe I am supposed to preach is a difficult one. Other weeks there is stuff going on in my own life or in the life of my church which makes preaching like walking through a minefield; every step must be taken gingerly. Some weeks my well is just dry; my creative gauge is on zero, especially after I have been preaching for 6-8 weeks straight without a break.

More often than not the problem is what is called “paralysis by analysis.” I read, meditate, and pray over a text so long that it starts saying a whole bunch of stuff to me; far more than I could ever cover in one sermon. Then there are the times I find myself thinking more about how to actually present the sermon, worrying about my illustrations, PowerPoint slides, etc…more than the content of the message itself. Tons of stuff is going on between my two ears, but little of it will actually make it out of my mouth come Sunday.

Usually when I get in these modes I do one of two things. I do a brain dump and write down everything I am thinking (usually pages worth) and then I eventually get on a track that I can sustain and which is logical and comprehensible. The other thing I do when I get “stuck” is I just get up and walk away from the task for a while. These times I believe God is telling me I'm just not ready to write the sermon yet. When I come back to the task, usually after sleeping on it, it comes into focus more clearly.

The Bible is a great book and its depths will never be fully plumbed by preachers; not in a million years. Still, crafting 45-48 sermons worth listening to a year is a daunting task. I thank God for His inspiration and pray He will always find me a willing vessel.