A couple weeks ago, I got a call from my pastor. He told me that he was scheduled to preach in a couple of weeks but had to be south of the border in the evening and he asked me if I wanted to preach. My answer:
OF COURSE I DID!
Those of you who know me know I've never turned down a stage and a microphone in my entire life. However, in addition to my perennial spotlight-seeking, I had actually been wrestling with a topic in my own devotions and study for a couple of months and had slowly been building up the courage required to ask for a chance to preach on what I’d been learning. I’d finally decided I’d ask the next day and here I was quietly minding my own business and Steve was asking me if I might preach. The “yes” flew from my mouth before my poor paster had a chance to finish his question. So I was in.
I spent the next two weeks wrestling with the material I’d found in the scriptures. For me, writing a speech is an easy thing to do. But one realises that when teaching the bible, the stakes are pretty high in terms of accountability to scripture. As I waded further and further into the texts and the commentaries and the books and references on the shelves of my library I found myself feeling less and less confident that I was up to the task. I was floating in some deep waters without my habitual life preservers of liturgy and scheduled readings.
By the time I finished preparing my notes, 2 hours before the service started, I was a mess. For the first time in a long time, I found myself very nervous as to whether I could make it work. I was keenly aware of what I hoped to say and utterly convinced that I could not say it as clearly and persuasively as it needed being said.
By the time I finished the sermon, I was elated. It just felt really good. For all of you who missed my one-time engagement and wanted to hear the sermon,
you should be able to download it here.
Peace.
