It was Dr. Stephen DeNeff that took me by surprise. In his four-one-hour lectures on preparing to preach he laid out the standard work which any good preacher will know in studying a text. But his last class was the one that set me back for a bit.

“The final step” he stated looking directly it seemed at me, “is that the preacher must die”.

Yes, the preacher must die. Only when the preacher gets out of the way can anyone possibly hope to see Jesus?

It is widely known that on the pulpit of London Citadel are these words – engraved so that the preacher might be reminded. As I watched some of the folks who have been associated with the lay leadership of this corps it strikes me some of them might need this reminder in their own leadership, but I digress.

The story of course from the Bible is that some Greeks, that is some very educated and non-Jewish men had heard about Jesus and were looking to meet him, no doubt to debate the elements of truth and knowledge. Their request was they wanted to “see Jesus”.

Yes, wouldn’t we all wish to see Jesus? To see him clearly in order that, as the song says “to follow Him more nearly”… (day by day).

Let us live all our lives that people might see in us Jesus!