A sermon in five words

When I was a baby Christian, I could count on two things in every church service. There would be an altar call at the end, and the pastor would utter only one sentence before praying for the morning's offering:

"Let us prepare to invest."

I don't remember too many of Howard Sugden's sermons. However, I do remember him shuffling to the podium (he was over eighty years old at the time), placing his hands on either side to brace himself for the weighty duty of prayer, and uttering a simple sermon in five words before thanking God for the provision He was about to make. I think of it almost every time I put something in the plate. It's investing.