5-6 - The Wesley Center Online

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_ THE PREACHER'S MAGAZINE L THE "PREACHER'S MAGAZINE 3
i whetl_er tile plan is still followedi, " while servlna i_l the pastorale, I)r MoNna r_erved five hours {"
THESERMON AND THE MESSAGE
I every morning for the studX of the New Testament add-refused to he called away from this work
even for a funeral or a wedding. And now it is 'remarkable how many things which trouble the T_REACHERS and others frequently speak of the sermon and the me_-_ageas though they were
.most of ordinary mortals, seem clear enouL'h to him. Any way, I made up,my mind to devote _the same thing; but a little reference to his own expeiience will convinCe the preacher that they
i myself to Tile Book with renewed interest and zeal, j flJave _ are younot feltbythat anya means certainidentical llne of troth o_ atshould least they be'presented are not always at a gwen identical. time, and Foryet howyou man_, weretimes
not
I THE MORALITY OF THE PRF_CHER'S VACATION ;'dlear was the on the message text you and should itwas use youro_the task sermon to makeyou or. should recall a_reach? sermon.that Now would that ct:rtpin serve to'make line'o! truti_ tile
!! _ OME s)ig_i intimations of reflection upon the d_reacher's annual vacation have at times, message as clear and effective as possible. On the otherhand. Und at another timeyou have preached
_ appeared, but these intimations "are not well founded. It is the preacher's physical, mental, .a good sermon, bat you brought no.real m_age to the people.
spiritual and I_astoral duty to take a. vacation at le._st once a year, and this vacation should be " It is sometimes a difficult matter for the.preacher to decide ov jfist what to preach. Sometimes
a inontb in duration, should not i%speht somewhere in a revival, should not he made up too corn- he may have a sermon, _mctimes he may have a message---and fortunately indeed, sometimes be
pletely of travel, but silould be a time o[ real rest and change. . may have both. When he has _oth, it is easy, but when there is a conflict and th_ preacher must
Only a little time ago a preacher was commending blmself for having been "at it" for'fifteen choose between a well prepared sermon in which the message is not clear, or els_ he has an emphatic
years without a vacation, and he was even then ._peaking in a weary voice about, the many weeks
message which seems not to lend itself readily to o_ganleed form. the decision is not so easy, but if
allead during which be was sure that there would be no let up in his toils. He was trying to be he is as a rule a studious and careful man_ we think hd can safely allow the message to be the dccidinz
very religious about i1. but evdn a cazual observer could soe that he.was physically weary, mentally
iactor.
fagged, spiritually strained and not more than eighty per cent efficient. Such a preacber.needs a And in the actual matter of preaching, we believe the message, rather than the _rmon. shmihl
guardian. Some of these timcs he will break, th_n he will take a good long vocation'during which take precedence. Some preachers are bound to preach their sermon whether tllere is anyqne there .
he will not rest. He may not die, that would be. a.mercy upon his folly; he .may simply break to h'ear the last half of it or not. But it would be better under the circumstances if they would
down his nerves or fall into the _nare of the:Devil because of his over-strained condition, sttiye rather ta deliver the message and let the sermon suffer. The preacher probably had plannad.
The extremes of life are much closer together than' the means and one extreme, and an over: to preach an hour's sermon on holiness; hut therewas a collection and a number of other special
worked preacher, who scorns vacations is justthe kind of a.preacher who will overeat, eat food that "intecesta which osofipled the time until it is practically time for the benediction.. Now if this
does not agree with him, eat late at nlght.-wben the service is over. indulge in social intimacies th_.t p_eber is bound to preach his sermon, he will probably have no opportunity; or having one, will
border on evil, and tidally break down morally and go wrong not be able to use it_ But if the message_is burning on his heast, becan stand up and deflect hl.s
The preacher in order to be safe and efficient must be physically fit, mentally fresh, ahd spin- soul in twenty minutes and get seekers to the altar. Usualty it is a good rule for the preacher to
Rually keen, and he cannot be all thee all the time. The' only alternates are to bemediocre a lot of deliver themessage by all means, though he may content himself with preaching the sermon if there
the time or to be efficient part of the time, and there is no question but the latter is preferable, and
is opportunity.
it is.passible only if the preacher is religiously careful and punctual to take his vacation.
D. L. Moody never allowed himself to 1Jecomeso absorbed in his evangelistic work but that he _ And let us remember that sometimes the prop e remember the sermon and sometimes they get
the message The man who re_n3bers the sermon may have received it only as a llterary.produewould
religiously take off four months of the year and spend it in rest and prayer'and study. He tion, wtilla the one who eaunbt recall the ordec and lotto'of the"dtseou/se ma_, have received the
loved to get away in some mountain resort where the call of service would be the smallest. Here message of warning or of exhortation in a much more effective manner.
he would rest and pray and read and when he appeared in his next great campaign he would be as
fresh and rested as u boy. Beersheba, Tenn., a mountain resort which was so far away from the
roads of tr,qvel that in several years 6f preaching in that section,we never found opportunity tovisit THE PREACHER IN THE PULPIT
it, was one of Moody's favorite re_ting places. And Mr..Moody counted his rest period.of four
months absolutely es_ntial to hb eight month_ of strenuous activity. . • Although the determination to make the best spifittial apd intellectual preparation possffile is
- And you will find thai Spurgeon was careful to take his vacatlon_ and that other emineiatiy always commendable, still when _e actual hour arrives and the preacher mu._t stand up'to preach
,soceeminl preachers found it positively necessary to observe periods of rest and adjustment tn order %_theword of life to men, it is then too late to take lessons in homiletics or oratory. The only tiling
to do'what they did..It is June now, what are you going to do about it? Oh, you say my charge . . left then is for the preacher to iadnch forth with _/ilhis soul and strength to make th_ most of his
is too poor, I cannot afford a vacation. Thke an inexpensive one. That is the best kind any. way opportunity.
Go off and spend at feast two .weeks in the woods-_-you can live as cheaply there as you can at Between services let a preacher study, but in the pulpit let him drop the.student's air and pou¢
home, " and you will come back n new man. out his s_ul upon the people. Processes are no Iouger'tu place, results are now the demand. It is
This is the first time we ever wrote on this subject, and we do it now because we can plainly useless"to d_ctibe the course you took to reach your conelasion_, the conclusions age what count
see that life, health, efficiency and morality are all involved, and beca_usewe know that many who now. If you are still speculating, wait, don't preach off that subject yet.
read this (holiness preachers have not USually.believed in any hut enforced vacations) need to be " _!
. Duringthe week it is proper for the preacher to read books.on pobfle speaking and to critici_e
stirred on the subject. _ and seek 1o improve hls.mannerisms, but when he stands up to p_'each, let him put nil petty consideratlmrs
behind him and drive .quick and hard and fast right into the main issue and preach the
gospel to the.people.
.... '_he summer months offer opportunity to the zesJous preacher to hold street meetings, park - "{ There is really no w_y to learn to preach except to preach, and yet the preacher sl_ould pr_:ach.
services, and other out door and inforl:nal services, and the man-who is not too "eonveot'ional" to " _ "
enter these open doors • w have the .. record of much good accomplished to his el'edit when the season _ [ _/ndnot best effortl merely Thepractice only way preaching, to ever .every becometime h good he gets preacher up. To is tohim, he the the best present preacher effortyou shntdd can, be eve_ his
is over. !
time you try it.