The Rev. M. Craig Barnes believes that preaching is a holy calling that a preacher responds to. “The best reason to be afraid is not that you are going to say something inappropriate or offend someone. But the most important reason to be terrified when you preach is that you are delivering the Word of God. It’s an incredible calling.
“If anyone pays attention to this call to stand in front of a congregation and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord,’ it’s an enormous responsibility and so that’s the best reason to be afraid of this holy task because it is a call that overwhelms your whole week not just that Sunday morning as you stay focused on what is going to happen when you stand in that pulpit and proclaim holy words, not just your words, to the people.”