Read the Word:
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Meditate on the Word:
Preaching is a very strange line of work. There are some Sundays that I have struggled to get a point across and people have responded enthusiastically. There are other Sundays that I feel things have gone really well and…crickets! Preaching is an occupation that subjects us to a lot of criticism based on our ability, speech patterns, humor (or lack thereof), or how much we are like (or unlike) someone’s favorite online preacher. Yet, what people see is only a small bit of what we actually do. Every sermon has many hours of preparation go into it. There is lots of study, prayer, writing and re-writing what to say, and sometimes even having the Holy Spirit change what you’re going to say on the morning of the sermon. Very stressful! This is why I have so much love for Apostle Paul.
The author of 13 books of the New Testament had his preaching criticized (see 2 Corinthians 10:10). He even actually had someone fall three stories to his death during one of his sermons (Acts 20:7-12). Ouch! But, as Paul reminds us in today’s passage, preaching is not about being a demonstration of our great oratory skill or persuasiveness. Preaching is about the power of the Holy Spirit. All of our prayer, preparation, and energy goes into making us ready for the Holy Spirit to work through us. People’s faith should never be directed at the preacher, but at the Lord the preacher serves. This is very helpful and comforting indeed.
Pray the Word:
Pray for your preacher as he prepares to serve the Word to you this week.
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