"Effective sermons occur at the intersection of God’s Word and human need. I would argue, however, that there is a third component—the authenticity of the preacher.
This is the part that is most difficult. It is easy to take refuge in the knowledge that sermon is not about me, that the Word is a means of grace that operates independently of me, that even if I don’t do a particularly good job of communicating, God will cover. In reality, God presumably could have, as Luther often remarked, sent angels to do this task. He didn’t. There must be a reason. Could it be that we are actually part of the message, that as the Word becomes alive and real in us, grace is illuminated? Did he choose to use fallible humans because in that crucible where the message intersects with life and heart, it becomes alive in a way that neither polished media, nor professional speech writer, nor orator can ever compete with?"
"What strikes me about a lot of preaching I’ve heard lately—and I probably get more opportunities than most to hear different preachers in a variety of settings— is how seldom it seems to come from the heart."
Roger Kruger, In Jars of Clay: reflections on the art of pastoring
http://injarsofclay.com/images/Chapter3.pdf
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