The Treasury Within

Many years ago, I had a piece of jewellery made for my wife’s birthday. It was a cross – encrusted with two types of gemstones – one to illustrate the years she had been alive and the other to illustrate the years I had known her.

It was a gift to my wife, but it also contained a message of gratitude to God. The cross signified our shared faith, and the gems signified our shared life.

This image is one way to describe the preparation of a sermon – the process of crafting a theme for a message.

It’s an intentional, thoughtful, and potentially costly undertaking. It is birthed in a love for God and a love for others. It takes time, effort, and careful research. And the final product should be memorable and treasured.

But, of course, it also has to be wearable. If the messages we preach are unsuitable or impractical, they may never be appreciated or worn by the recipients.

Do you craft your messages with the same care as a jeweller?

Do you design your sermons with your audience in mind?

Are your messages beautiful and cruciform?

Robert