Preacher: Start your prep early

On a Monday morning I'm always exhausted. Sundays take it out of me.

That means I often use the lion's share of Mondays to get admin done, or other things that take time but don't require the most intensive thought.

But over the years I've learnt the value of starting my preaching preparation early in the week.

(Before going further, I know: Sermon series preparation can usefully be done 6-9 months ahead, and you shouldn't first think about the passages you preach in the week before you preach them. Take that as read).

So, Monday mornings, minimum one hour, maybe two: Reading, re-reading, possibly translating, jotting down a few thoughts on - the passage for the following Sunday's sermon.

The thing about preparing to preach is that it's not a mechanistic process. There aren't a series of steps that you go through, and at the end out pops an effective sermon that enables people to feel the force of that Scripture passage. It's a much longer, slower process than that. It needs to infuse, be mulled over, be applied to the good and bad news you hear during the week, be in your mind as you speak with other people and so on. I'm not saying that the full preparation of a sermon can be done in the shower or while doing the washing up. Preparing to preach well is really hard work that takes hours of study, thought and crafting. But preparing to preach a text that has come alive for us, to us and inside us does require the shower / gym / walking / running / washing-up time as well.

The Bible needs time in our hearts.

So, the earlier in the week you start, the better. Even if it's just for a few minutes. That way, the week is begun by starting to drive that text into the preacher's life.

Now, what am I doing writing this? I must go and read Matthew 7:15-20 a few times.