Brilliant…But Not Recommended
May 14, 2010Rather famously, Charles H. Spurgeon prepared his Sunday morning sermon on a Saturday evening. Spurgeon then readied his Sunday evening message on a Sunday afternoon. Thinking of trying it? Don’t. At least not until you’ve read the advice given over at Spurgeon.org:
“This is not a recommended method of sermon preparation, unless you are a highly gifted preacher with a photographic memory, very sharp wits, a lifetime of in-depth reading, an encyclopedic knowledge of theology, a superb command of the English language, and a deep personal spiritual life.”
[...] Saturday night and I am at my desk preparing for tomorrow mornings sermon whilst the family watch American Idol. Just to encourage me I found this post here: [...]
[...] Spurgeon would prepare his sermons on Saturday evening. Colin Adams checked it out and passes on Spurgeon’s own advice about the practice. I guess I won’t be pulling off a Saturday night [...]
This reminds me of an old joke about the three preachers who were meeting for their usual Friday morning coffee. The first preacher told how proud he was on having completed his sermon preparation for the coming Sunday. The second pastor was impressed and said he preparded his sermon on Saturday night. The third pastor looked up in puzzlement and said, “Well, what are you guys doing during the offetory?”