Albert Camus, distinguished French author, once described a fellow-writer who kept searching for the right word. Because he could never find it, he was last seen sitting motionless before a blank piece of paper.

I feel like that sometime in my sermon preparation - sitting motionless before a blank piece of paper. What I want to communicate is so important, I must not fail. I feel the powerful impact of the scripture. The truth of it is so crucial, and I’m so committed to being faithful in preaching God’s word to you, that I will often sit motionless there before a blank piece of paper for an hour without putting anything down.

But the preacher doesn’t have the luxury of the poet or the novelist. The pressure of Sunday morning wrenches the preacher into action.

Our scripture lesson today…