Preaching & John Grisham
A John Grisham novel has roughly 100,000 words in it. I’m not sure how frequently he puts out a new novel but I surmise it’s about every other year. It takes time to do the research and write such riveting tomes.
Think about the work of a preacher. I checked several of my sermon outlines – extended outlines – and, thanks to Microsoft Word, learned that each outline has between 1600 and 2000 words. If we take an average of 1,800 words per sermon (and many preachers typically teach four lessons a week), multiply 1,800 by 4, we get a “literary output” per week of about 7,200 words.
That means about every 3 ½ months, a preacher develops the equivalent of a major novel! So that every year, a preacher “writes” the equivalent of three novels! Does that help you respect the time and effort it takes for both preachers and teachers to develop lessons? The challenge is compounded, however, when you take into consideration the fact that the four lessons each week are all different and each requires study in, sometimes, vastly different spheres.
Once, I prepared a class on The Tabernacle and Jesus which required study in Exodus, Leviticus, and Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias. A textual class such as on 1 & 2 Timothy & Titus is easier since it requires simply focusing on that book. A sermon can require research in a half-dozen books.
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But Bible class lessons aren’t necessarily developed in a week. When I’ve taught a class on Creation vs. Evolution and prepared for that class, it is the accumulation of material and reading over a period of years. A preacher’s job is to strengthen the Church’s faith and defend it from attacks from all sides. One of those sides is science so we need to deal with it as thoroughly as we can.
A preacher’s job is to preach (2 Timothy 4:2). As you can see, that takes a lot of time, energy, and effort. That is why Paul told Timothy, “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:15). The phrase be absorbed in them literally reads, “be in them.” Check your own translation of that verse. The ESV reads: “immerse yourself in them.”
We show our appreciation to the preacher or Bible class teacher for their efforts by: 1.) being present for each lesson; 2.) listening attentively to each lesson; 3.) verifying each lesson against Bible teaching; 4.) offering helpful criticism; and 5.) applying each lesson in our own lives.
–Paul Holland
