Prep It Early & Let It Simmer

Why to write your Sunday message as soon in the week as possible.

In this lesson, I want to share the benefit of prepping your Sunday message as early in the week as possible.

The caveat of the “or” is there’s not a "one size fits all" when it comes to the best day to prep your Sunday sermon.

But I do think there are some best practices to consider.

Over the years, I've just about tried it all.

Early on, the plan was to start my study on Monday, study a bit more on Tuesday, then again on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Somewhere in there I came up with an outline and filled in some gaps.

But inevitably, by Saturday night, I was re-working it. And by 1:00am, I was lost in a confused state of exhaustion and desperation, knowing I had to give that message in just hours.

I couldn't help but think, "There must be a better way."

And there is.

The better way is to prep your Sunday sermon on Monday or Tuesday.

And I don't mean start it. I mean finish it.

The practical benefits are obvious.

If you prioritize your preaching early in the week, imagine how the rest of the week opens up.

There is time for meetings. Time for lunches. Time for all kinds of stuff.

Even time for a day off. Time for a walk. Time to take a nap. Time to date your spouse and play with the kids.

If you get your sermon ready early, there is time to rest and recover between Sundays. The Bible calls it sabbath. And we need it for the good of our mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health.

But as I said, there is not a "one size fits all" approach, which is why I added Tuesday as an option. 😁

For me, Monday was admin day. I'd meet with staff, follow up with Sunday visitors, and catch up on email.

With a ton of admin out of the way on Monday, I was free on Tuesday to prepare that coming Sunday's sermon.

My goal was to have it ready to preach in one day.

Using a preaching system, over 90% of the time I was done with a complete message manuscript by mid-afternoon.

That does not speak to my sermon prep skill but to the value of a sermon prep system.

That system enabled me to reserve Wednesdays for people.

Breakfasts. Lunches. Counseling appointments. It all fit. And without lingering sermon stress.

You know what sermon stress is. Knowing you still have so much to do on the message but feel like time is running out.

But you don't have to live with that stress anymore.

Also, having your Sunday sermon done early in the week allows it to marinate in your mind and heart all week.

And just like a well-marinated steak is better, so is a well-marinated sermon. 😉

The key to all these benefits is having a preaching process.

And prayer, of course! Now, with the PPGR Preaching System, you have both.

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When you’re ready, feel free to check out my full preaching course here.