How long does it take you to prepare a sermon?

I spend less time now than I did earlier in my ministry. I used to spend about fifteen hours on a sermon, but now it is about eight or ten hours. Over the years of my ministry, I have accumulated more information, more knowledge of the Scriptures, and more Bible-study skills. These allow me to dig deeper into a text in ten hours than I could in fifteen hours earlier in my ministry.

The big challenge facing me now is not just in the area of interpretation, but in communication. I have been at the same church for more than thirty years, so I have to fight to keep from falling into a pattern of similarity. It is a challenge for me to be fresh, and not just say the same things over and over in the same way.

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