Preaching

In the last two days all twenty two 1st year cadets have presented a full 15min sermon, the result of many hours of study, research, sweat and tears. Was it worth it?

The comments and discussions from the class are helpful, so is the process of watching yourself afterwards and picking up on gestures you do or words that repeat, like saying 'um' or pacing around, or wringing hands together or avoiding eye contact with the listeners.

But the situation and audience are different from what we will encounter in the years/churches to come. This is the practise time - as in a few weeks we begin preaching to the congregations we have been attending for the past few months. So instead of a supportive group of cadets in the same boat, we have an unknown audience who will more than likely share exactly how well they thought you did... Will we be ready? How will we handle this new pressure? How will we handle the comments/criticism?

I think, luckily, that because we are 'cadets' there is alot of support and encouragement given whatever we do, no matter how big the nerves are!

There's a good quote going around that says 'if are not nervous before you get up to preach the word of God to people, then you shouldn't be doing it...' This is an awesome responsibility we are being given, to share and uncover biblical truths with people. I just pray that when the time comes - we will be prepared.