Have just written to Rev. Ian MacDonald, the wonderful Associate Minister at Holy Trinity in Wester Hailes to thank him for his sermon tonight, which was top notch in every way.

Just wondering, if you were blessed in church today by a sermon you heard, did you let the person who was used to bless you know you were blessed by them? Did you say, “Thank you,” not just to  God but to the person? I can guarantee if their preaching is preaching blessed by God, telling them so will not make them big-headed. It may well just stop them from getting a common disease that attacks preachers; the Monday Blues. Here are the symptoms of that disease that a preacher, pastor, leader can experience:

1 – an intense need to scrutinise adverts for jobs to see if there are any that a B.D. is required for, followed by;

2 – a facing the fact that a B.D. is the most useless degree imaginable when it comes to job seeking, apart from your M.A. in Philosophy and Religious studies; this results in feeling you are serving a life-sentence from which there will never be clemency; no escape from this  sentence to be a preacher that is possible practically and financially up until you are of retirement Age after which living will still be financially difficult.

3 – a tiresome repetitive asking of the spouse, “But, was the sermon really ok, yesterday? You are not just saying so are you, to try and cheer me up?”

4 – despite many reassurances from the aforesaid spouse, never being reassured.

5 – the feeling that a delusion is being unmasked and you are actually the worst preacher alive.

6 – a creeping suspicion that Mrs. MacClutchbutt was right after all when she said 2 months ago, “You are the worst minister this church has ever had!”

7 – a persistent depressing thought, “Maybe I was never called to this in the first place.”

8 – a growing conviction that nobody loves me, everybody hates me.

9 – the draw to add a Masters in Hebrew to the aforesaid B.D. followed by a realisation that such a notable achievement will not greatly add to  your prospects of finding alternative employment.

Folk in the pews: I now sit there with you and want to say this to you: we have the technology to remake such preachers: the tongue in our head speaking  forth strengthening, encouraging and comforting words from the heart of the Father.

God Bless

Kenny

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