A friend of mine preached at church on Sunday without notes. It was a great look - he was standing there, no pulpit, no papers, just the Bible open in one hand. Lots of eye contact. Lots of good dynamic body language. The overall effect was very compelling - I imagine this is how men like Whitfield and Wesley used to look when they preached, standing before the crowds with nothing but the Word of God.

Of course, preaching without notes doesn’t mean preaching without preparation. Far from it. My friend tells me he had to learn the passage more thoroughly in order to hang his sermon from it. And I guess that is the main objection preachers would have to this - that it would take too much time to do well.

But I wonder - and I’m talking to our preachers here - perhaps your notes are a crutch that you don’t actually need anymore. Those who have been preaching from a full script, perhaps you would get on fine just using notes. And those who have been preaching from notes for a few years, well, perhaps it’s time to stretch yourself. Perhaps, one Sunday morning, you might just dare to stand before your congregation, with nothing but the Bible in your hand, a fire in your heart, and the living Word of God on your lips.