Preaching and Preachers

Preaching andPreacherssermon? First and foremost, the preacher. Time is a very relativething, is it not? Tenminutesfrom some men seems like an age, while anhour from another passes like a few minutes. That is not simply mypersonal view, it is what congregations say. As it thus varies with theman, it is therefore ridiculous to lay down a flat rule with regard to thelength for all preachers. The length of the sermon should also vary,I think, with the matter. Some things can be said in a short time, in abrief compass, and we should always handle them accordingly, andnot feel that we have to spin it out so as to last for a given length oftime. It also varies with the congregation. The capacity of congregations,as we have seen, varies tremendously. This therefore shouldcome into our consideration of the length of the sermon, on conditionthat you remember all the qualifications I gave with regard to theplace of the congregation in this whole matter. Ifsome congregationswere the arbiter in this matter every sermon would be of ten minutesduration only. The preacher must not pay heed to that type of 'worshipper'but make his own assessment of them. If you come to theconclusion that they are people who cannot take more than a givenamount, give them that amount, and no more. You will be a badteacher and a bad preacher if you fail to do this.Are there any further rules that can be laid down concerning thelength of the sermon? There is no need to say that ten minutes isridiculously inadequate. How can anyone deal with anyone of thethemes of true preaching in minutes; it is just impossible. But then itis equally wrong to say that you must always preach for an hour. Am Iimagining these things? I fear that I am not. The new interest in thePuritans, at any rate in Great Britain, has tended I fear to produce anumber of young preachers who seem to think that you have notpreached unless you have preached for an hour. That seems to be thebig thing in their minds. They are thereby doing themselves and theTruth great harm. Their reason for preaching for an hour is that thePuritans did so. How ridiculous can we become INo, there are no rules about this. But, to be really practical, I feelthat we are in a kind of vicious circle at the moment concerning this242