Below is a stark reality check for both preachers and those who regularly sit under preaching.  Just what should our expectations be?

“I want to prepare you by setting down a few home truths about preachers and preaching. The first can be put briefly. Great sermons will always be in short supply. Even in the case of first-rate preachers, the church occasionally has to settle for third-rate performances. And in the case of second-rate preachers . . . well, let’s just say that there are more of them than any other kind. That’s not a criticism. It’s one of the facts of church life. I’d only make matters worse if I tried to change the situation by making preachers feel guilty about it. It’s that way in every occupation. The world’s supply of top-notch saxophonists is miniscule compared with the army of honkers who live down the street from you — and the same goes for plumbers, professors, and for you as a preacher” (Capon, The Foolishness of Preaching, p. 55).

HT Doug Wilson