Thoughts about Preaching

After not having preached for several years, this morning's preaching experience brought some important things to mind.  One is a good text.  Now some might say that no verse or chapter in the Bible is a bad text for preaching, but there are some which are so powerful it is hard to mess up the process of letting the text speak.  I preached this morning on the text which told the story of Martha and Mary hosting Jesus in their home.  It was a good text.     

Another thing of which I was reminded is the value of an attentive congregation.  People who are paying attention and whose faces responds to what is being preached make for better preaching.  It stirs the soul and spirit of the preacher.  There is always interaction between preacher and congregation.  When the pulpit area gets lit up with stage lights, the preacher loses the ability to make eye contact with those who are listening.  No chance of this where I was preaching this morning to a small congregation of less than ten.   

And finally, I was reminded of the need for the presence of the Spirit in preaching.  If preaching is to serve as a blessing to the church, it will not be because the preacher has a seminary degree, is a great communicator, or knows how to entertain folks.  Instead, it will be because the Holy Spirit chooses to be present to give life and power to the act of preaching as well as the act of hearing the preaching.