In his book, “Beside the Briar Bunny Bush,” Ian McClaren tells of a young Scotch clergyman, recently ordained, who had come to the little church of his youth to preach his first sermon. The congregation received him very warmly. Their enthusiasm told him that they were expecting much from his sermon that coming Sunday. Consequently, he labored over the sermon for days until he was confident that it amply reflected his superior scholarship (in which he took great pride) and that it was theologically solid. He was staying with an elderly aunt, an uneducated woman, but a woman wise in the ways of life. She was extremely proud of her young nephew whom she had dearly loved since his birth. It was Saturday night and he had come down from his room to put a few finishing touches on the sermon. After dotting the last “I” and crossing the final “T,” he began to discuss the sermon with his aunt. She said to him, “You’ll…
To view this resource, log in or sign up for a subscription plan