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The first conviction is that preachers must work hard at clarity. I’m still trying to figure out exactly what my father did to present his ideas so clearly. His clarity struck me because I hear (and hear complaints about) a lot of sermons which are hard to follow. I guess I’m also trying to figure out what preachers do to make their sermons so hard to follow! My initial impression is that my father-in-law achieved clarity because he arranged his ideas in an orderly flow, he used transitions, he restated or repeated his ideas, and he explained the biblical and theological terms he used. No amount of creativity or content or passion will cover for a sermon that is not clear.

A second conviction is that preachers never arrive at a saturation point in this life with respect to the Scriptures. My father-in-law knows the Bible like few preachers I’ve ever met. Yet, he still immerses himself in the text daily. I quizzed him Sunday afternoon about his reading habits. I was impressed with how he reads the Bible to know the God of the Bible! He still reads the Bible through annually, although he doesn’t follow a reading plan like he did in the past. James and Shirley, my mother-in-law, read a psalm or two every night. Then, during the day, James tends to read shorter books or blocks of longer books in one sitting. It’s no wonder that his sermons are so biblical, so Christ-centered!

I thank God for last Sunday’s sermon. But I also thank God for the convictions held by my father-in-law which resulted in last Sunday’s sermon. As a result, I’m re-visiting my own strategies for achieving clarity and for saturating myself with God’s Word.