Monday Morning Preacher

So, you've heard of the "Monday Morning Quarterback", right? The MMQ is the person who likes to play the "expert" in his analysis over the previous day's games. Sometimes the breakdown of the action is spot-on. Other times, you really have to wonder if the MMQ was even watching the same game. We all like to be the MMQ; we have our opinions and key thoughts about who did what wrong and what the only possible solution is to correct the problem.

Well, I wonder how many "Monday Morning Preachers" there are out there? You know what I mean. We sit in church Sunday after Sunday and hear the pastor preach his heart out from God's Word. Sometimes we walk away really sensing the Holy Spirit's presence and clearly gaining supernatural insight into the Bible and our faith. And other times, if we are honest, we can't even remember what the sermon was about. But, I would venture to say that most people have at least some opinion or something to say about the Sunday's sermon. I'm not saying this this is necessarily a bad thing. I think it is imperative for God's people to weigh the words of a particular messenger according to the primary source of revelation: the Word of God. The people of Berea, in the Book of Acts in the New Testament, serve as a great example of this (cf. Acts 17:11).

I believe that God has been working on me as a servant to His church--the body of His Son--and one who seeks to "rightly handle the Word of God" (2 Tim. 2:15). I certainly haven't "arrived", but I feel like I am growing as a preacher. The weekly time of meditation in the Scriptures and the discipline that it takes to shape an effective sermon for the church is immensely significant. I'm sure that there are scores of people who could prepare and deliver a sermon for more effectively than I can. Maybe it really is as "easy" as you think it is. Maybe we all need to be reminded that there is something deeply sacred which is happening when God's Word is opened and expounded before His people. Preachers are certainly not immune to criticism; myself least of all. Let's just keep things in their proper, Biblical perspective whenever we are evaluating what we hear on a Sunday morning.

Do you look forward to the sermon time each Sunday at church? Why, or why not? What is one bit of advice that you would give to a young preacher (like me) who is seeking to become a more effective communicator?