Judy Malone
Deep in the heart and soul of every preacher is the desire to preach the “ultimate sermon”—a sermon so deep, so laden with spiritual truth, so profound that it reaches out and settles in the hearts and souls and minds of the hearers, making a radical change in the lives of the audience.
I am no different. As a preacher, I want to preach such a sermon.
I have to admit that talking is the easiest thing I do. It is living consistently on a daily basis that is the most difficult for me.
I heard such a sermon once, a sermon that affected every listener. It came out of the preacher’s agony, at the death of his only son and of public humiliation. His church had just told him that he had to leave, that they didn’t need or want him anymore.
That sermon came out of the daily struggles that we all have, to put bread on the table and deal with great grief.
Great sermons do not come out of shallow lives. The preacher has to pay the price for sermons like this. They cannot be separated out of the other parts of our lives. We pay that by preparation and lifestyle. Great preachers cannot be empty promisers. We are accustomed to politicians who promise us the world and deliver nothing.
It is hard to be a prophet and be faithful to the calling, giving the bad news as well as the good.
The servant of God must remember his calling, and who called him. Then his life and sermons will be effective tools in blessing the lives of those who hear him speak and those who see him live.
Thoughts From the Garden 