The interesting thing about writing sermons and leading services is that the preacher brings to each situation a whole load of hang-ups. The first thing I was taught by a wise tutor, was that in three months any congregation will know the Gospel according to Freda Marshall. What he did not explain was that there is a trap waiting for the unwary. Everyone wants to be loved or at least liked. And that goes for the worship leader. Of course we know that God loves us……but we want the congregation to love us too. Only human, but fatally flawed. You don’t have to search far in scripture for examples of prophets and leaders who were definitely not liked by their audience.
Given all of the above, it is not surprising that I ended up writing a sermon for today, then discarding it and writing another. Both are in the folder, waiting to go to church. I wonder which one I shall preach. The cleverer one? Or the simple one? If I was preaching every week there would be no problem, simply because there wouldn’t be time to fuss. But in truth, I think I already know which one needs to be preached. One is safe, the other is risky. Who was it that said the spelling of faith is r-i-s-k? I’ll let you know how it goes. Or maybe some of the congregation will!
Freda,
oh go on, tell us which sermon you used, and let us know how it went. While I’m on, any chance the web camera could look over your back garden, just thinking of all the beautiful photographs you have posted of birds and deer, also we could all be entertained by Misty. Just a thought, we are supposed to be getting snow over the next few days, now wouldnt that be pretty.
Thanks Ellie, I used the risky one. Basically it meant simpler and fewer notes, more room for saying what seemed right; that meant it was hopefully tailor-made for each of the two services. Either way, it felt OK and was well received by the listeners. Re: the webcam – it still sits and stares at me and I procrastinate yet again.