How does one approach the task of preaching? I remember posing these questions to seasoned officers as a naive second-year cadet: “How do you keep up with it? How do you keep your preaching ministry interesting and relevant?” While our conversation took a number of different directions over the hour that followed, I walked away with one basic message. I was going to have to work hard at my preaching ministry, living with the inevitability of one Sunday always being followed by another. I don't think I fully understood at the time, but it certainly hit home in the initial months of my first appointment. I found myself asking: “Who is it that keeps pushing the fast-forward button to Sunday? Didn't we just do this? How can a seven-day week feel so short?”

Alongside this reality, preachers face the additional pressure of meeting the needs of an expectant congregation. Yes, for those of you sitting in the pew Sunday after Sunday, we know that you come with a spirit of anticipation! You come to receive an authoritative word from God and to hear how his voice can speak into the trouble and turmoil of your lives. You expect the preacher to say something important and to say it in a way that will be engaging. After all, if you are going to sacrifice the leisure of a quiet Sunday morning at home, surely that time spent should be well worth the investment.

And so now, fully thrown into this preaching pressure cooker, with tensions pushing in from every side, where does the preacher begin? Sunday is coming! The people expect something of substance and worth. Most of us probably start with a large cup of coffee, an open Bible, a few favourite commentaries and the morning edition of the local paper. God's would-be messenger sits in the sacred space of the study, staring into the empty page. Questions loom: What text to choose? Which direction to take? What to say that hasn't already been said? What offering to present that will truly make a difference in the lives of God's people?

It is in these moments that the spirit of God hovers over the empty page and the potential for great preaching exists. The challenge however is that God's would-be messenger may be tempted to short-sheet the preparation process. After all, one cannot ignore the fact that there are many legitimate voices calling for attention outside the preacher's study.

Does it then become an either/or dilemma for the preacher? Not necessarily. The carefully crafted sermon that is truly in touch with the issues facing the congregation becomes the means through which pastoral care is given to both the corporate body and the individual. And so preachers close themselves away, in essence, to prepare a spiritual feast for their congregation. The possibilities are endless.

When you're staring into the empty page, questions loom: What text to choose? Which direction to take? What to say that hasn't already been said?

Often, however, after a brief time into the process, the preacher may give up on the feast that “could be” and settles for the fast food lane. The richness of a spiritual feast is now sacrificed for super-sized fries and a burger to go. In this moment the potential for a great sermon is compromised.

All of this is offered to make a point. If we are looking for ways to renew the power and appeal of our preaching ministries, it all begins with the hard work of preparation. Great preaching begins with great preparation. John Stott in his book Between Two Worlds speaks about a young preacher who boasted publicly that all the time he needed to prepare his Sunday sermon was the few minutes it took him to walk to the church from his house next door. Perhaps you can guess what the Church mission board did: they bought him a house five miles away!

Thorough preparation for preaching is fundamental to an effective pulpit ministry. Haddon Robinson, named as one of the 10 greatest preachers in North America, has suggested that “nothing significant can come out of a preacher's mouth unless something significant has gone into the head.” In order for the church to begin realizing renewal in its pulpits, preachers must be called to re-think their approach to preaching.

Are there new ways to prepare for preaching? Congregations are invited to enter into this discussion with their officers. Are there ways the church family can help preachers nurture more time for personal study and reflection? What forums for congregational feedback can be created so the preacher truly has an accurate understanding of the view from the pew? Paul Sherer in his book For We Have This Treasure writes: “The only thing in God's economy that can ever take the place of preaching is better preaching.” How shall we realize this in The Salvation Army? The challenge is to re-examine how we are preparing for the Sunday feast.

1. Effective sermon preparation demands sustained attention to one biblical text. Paul Wilson in The Four Pages of the Sermon argues: “Most preachers do not have enough time to expound more than one text in any given sermon. While it can be appropriate and often helpful to refer to supporting passages to develop a given theme, most listeners cannot manage more than one main text at a time.”

The preacher must therefore begin preparation with a resolve to be decisive. Clear textual boundaries must be established. Once this is achieved the preacher begins a process of playful interaction with the passage. What does the text look like? What questions evolve? What part of the passage grips you with intrigue? What are the voices of the text saying?

In some respects, it is as if the preacher becomes an investigative reporter. The goal is to dig to the deep truth of the text and undercover God's intended story. Sustained attention must be given to this effort until the goal is fully realized.

2. Effective sermon preparation involves looking for “what is new” versus “what is remembered.” I am indebted to Fred Craddock for teaching me the importance of this lesson. Craddock, a skilled preacher for over 40 years, was preaching a sermon on Luke 15:11-22; the story of the prodigal son. (It was one of those messages that truly rated on my list as unforgettable.) Subsequently, Craddock unpacked for his listeners the challenges he had experienced in crafting this particular message. He spoke about how he had to get past the father and the lost son being central to the text. Granted, the father and lost son were of course the most prominent characters in the story; take them away and you probably aren't left with much to say!

Every time Craddock came to this text for preaching, he, like most of us, saw these two individuals standing centre stage. The emphasis previously given to these two characters formed ongoing memories that pre-determined the way Craddock approached his study of Luke 15. The challenge was to look for something that hadn't been seen before―to preach something new.

Craddock's eye suddenly fell on a character standing backstage. He is a low profile individual in this story that many of us have not normally given a lot of attention. He is the older brother, the one who cries foul when the father throws a big party to welcome home his wayward son. This older brother says: “This isn't fair, Dad! I'm the one who has stayed with you through the long haul. I'm the one who has been faithful. This brother of mine doesn't deserve your favour. Look at the way he has squandered your wealth!” Now a new voice is being heard in the text and the spotlight falls on the older brother with all of his issues. How are we to preach about him?

For Craddock, this is a God moment. There is something new to be explored. Out of this journey, a powerful sermon is born about how there is something of the older brother in all of us and how God's grace is still given regardless of our sin. It is only as we seek to move beyond what is familiar that we uncover what is fresh and new for preaching.

3. Effective sermon preparation means wrestling with a text to find what is deeply profound. In my early experience as a preacher, I remember being completely consumed with finding the subject and complement of every passage. After all, this was the textbook rule for preaching. If you could isolate one dominant subject, find the limit the writer was putting on the discussion of that subject, then you were probably on your way to preaching a good sermon. Later in my preaching studies, I learned to read for the homiletical plot; to look for the good news versus the bad news; to create sermon points and subsequently sermonic moves.

While there are all helpful strategies, the most important thing I have learned about sermon preparation is to look for what is “deeply profound.” It is that great “A-HA!” moment of preparation. It is that point in which the Spirit of God grips the preacher's heart with a depth of insight that is overwhelming. It is that moment when we dive beneath what is floating at the surface and we uncover the deepest treasure to be found. It is that moment when we say: “I've never thought of it that way before. I've never imagined that picture of God. I've never understood that part of God's story.” In these moments the empty page fills with ideas for preaching. They are God's ideas that are now being channeled to his messenger.

Is stronger, better preaching possible in The Salvation Army? Absolutely! It begins with the thoughtful preparation of the preacher, supported by the prayers, encouragement and openness of God's people.

Stand guard then, Lord, over my corps officer's time this week. Help them to encounter your Spirit in their wrestling with your Word. May that great “A-HA!” moment experienced in the sacred space of the study be realized in your sanctuary. Help our hearts to be ready to receive the spiritual feast now being prepared.