Most of us who preach know about Charles Spurgeon, the man they call the “Prince of Preachers”.
I suspect many of us don’t know about one of Spurgeon’s contemporaries, Andrew Maclaren.
Maclaren was called the “Prince of Expositors.” He’s credited with changing the style of preaching in British churches to be more expository.
Over the past few years, I’ve read some of Maclaren’s published sermons. For sure, reading a sermon is usually far less impactful than hearing it. Still, I have found Maclaren’s messages to be spiritually nourishing. They are biblically solid and pastorally wise. He blends careful work in the text with strong pastoral instincts. He preaches through the text and to the heart in a compelling way.
I did a bit more digging to learn about Maclaren’s life and ministry, helped by an article by Lee Eclov.
Let me give you three lessons I took away from Maclaren’s life and ministry. These lessons can help any of us engaged in preaching and teaching God’s Word.
Devote yourself to the priority of preaching and teaching God’s Word.
That’s what Maclaren did. Evidently, he went to work at 9:00 each morning in the study he had in his home. It’s said when we stepped into his study, he took of his slippers and put on heavy work boots. This was his way to remind himself that he was ready to work hard at sermon preparation.
I realize life gets busy for all of us. Still, Maclaren reminds us to make it a priority to work hard at our preaching. This will involve setting a regular schedule for the study of God’s Word and the preparation of biblical messages. With the strength given by God’s Spirit, we need to put on our work boots and do the heavy lifting of Scripture study and sermon preparation.
Seek to communicate biblical truth in an accessible way.
Maclaren was known for preaching biblically rich messages. He brought out solid insights from his study of the biblical text. Being capable in both Greek and Hebrew, he did careful work in the original languages as part of his sermon preparation.
But as I read his sermons, I am impressed by the way he teaches biblical truth in an accessible way. He often uses metaphors and illustrations to help listeners understand and apply the truth of the Bible.
Maclaren sets a good example for us to follow. We should dig deep into God’s Word as we prepare. But we should also seek to communicate biblical truth in a way people can readily receive. This will involve adding illustrations and personal applications to show how biblical truth plays out in daily life.
Stay faithful at preaching for the long haul.
Maclaren preached his very first sermon at the age of 17. At that time, he began keeping a log of the date and text of each sermon he preached. When he finished his last sermon and retired 61 years later, his sermon log said it was his 6,860th sermon. For 45 years he preached to the same congregation in the city of Manchester!
Most of us in ministry won’t match Maclaren’s longevity in preaching or pastoring. But we can make it our goal to stay faithful at preaching for as long as God allows us to do so. It’s privilege and joy to give ourselves to the high calling of preaching God’s Word.
Rick and Linda Reed 