Anybody listening? Maybe not. Many people resist the opportunity to hear the good news. John Duckworth describes this preaching moment in a poem called, "Casey at the Pulpit,"

The smile is gone from Casey's lip;
his notes are clenched in hand;
He pounds with great intensity
his fist upon the stand.

And now he starts to make his point,
and now he lets it flow,
And afterward the people tell him,
"Pastor, way to go!"

Oh, somewhere in this favored land
the Son is shining bright;
The organ's playing somewhere,
and somewhere hearts are light;

And somewhere folks are learning,
and somewhere Christians shout;
But there is no growth in Mudville
Pastor Casey's been tuned out.