Preacher sitting alone in the study

“The picture of a preacher sitting alone in the study, working with a biblical text in preparation for the sermon, is misleading. It is not the preacher who goes to the Scripture; it is the church that goes to the Scripture by means of the preacher. Those who have sent the preacher (into the study) have questions and concerns, and sometimes the text will speak directly to those questions. The text may, however, call those questions into question.”
Thomas G. Long, 2005. The Witness of Preaching 2nd ed,  Westminster John Knox, p 49.