What Doesn't Make It Into a Sermon

When I was writing the sermon last week, I began with a bit on what it takes to write a sermon. Frankly, it didn't belong in the sermon so it never made it there. This is a good thing. But still, I believe there are some words that may be valuable about the creation of "the interpretation of the Word of God."

Hope you enjoy... of course if you don't there are those "reaction buttons" at the bottom of the page and as always, a place for comments.

There are days when writing the sermon is easy. Those are days to be reckoned. No matter how easy the gospel seems to be, no matter how easy the words seem to come, the easy sermons are always the ones that lead us into peril.

The hazards of the sermon make themselves known in many ways. Some days they come up as a just a surface rendering of scripture. These days the sermon is like a wood veneer on some sort of cabinet. The outside says it’s oak, but on the inside it’s just so much sawdust and glue. It looks sturdy, but in truth, once the rubber meets the road, it’s not durable at all.

Another way the sermon can become a hazard is when the sermon is all sunshine and flowers. The opposite side of this same coin is when the sermon is nothing but doom and gloom. Neither of these sermons can carry the full weight of the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of them discounts the reality of sin and devastation while the other foregoes the reality of grace and redemption. The promises made by both of these sermons are incomplete. Yes, there is sin and devastation and there is grace and redemption, but one without the other is imperfect.

There is another quality to the sermon which when neglected causes the word of God to sound like a banging gong or crashing cymbal, a lack of love. The better way to say that for this situation is a lack of pastoral care.

Extending that musical instrument metaphor, I know that God will use me as his instrument. In God’s way, one of the extremes of how I will be used as his instrument is like a fine Stradivarius violin. This instrument, in the hands of a master will be in total harmony. The music will be finely tuned. The melody will be exquisite. The song will give glory to the one who plays it. In fact, while the Stradivarius is the finest violin ever made, its only glory comes from the one who plays it.

The other extreme is that God can play me like a cowbell; a one note, 1-2-3-4, hit-it-hard, keep-the-time cowbell. It’s useful. It keeps time as well as the one who hits it, and if it’s the Lord our God banging on the cowbell, it will be perfect. Of course, there are other ways to keep time. If all I can be in the pulpit is a cowbell, then the Lord can easily have me replaced.

In short, I need to approach sermons, and all of life, in a pastoral way. A way that glorifies God, shares the Gospel with the world, and sends us into the world to live the life God wants us to live. Let’s just say that this week; I have been played like a cowbell, hoping not to preach God’s word with the substance and nutritional value of cotton candy

Pastor Paul's August Newsletter Article

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today that salutation is particularly appropriate. I consider everyone who receives this newsletter to be a friend in Christ.

Some of you are far, far away from our beloved Marshall, Texas. You have long been faithful to this part of the body of Christ, longer than I have been alive. You have been faithful to this part of the body of Christ over the tenures of many pastors. You have been faithful at times when you have been the pastors to this part of the body of Christ. You are saints of this congregation even in absence.

Some of you have been doing God’s work in this part of the Body of Christ for a long time and are still active. You are the people who have served as Elders, Sunday School Teachers, and volunteers. You are the saints who serve everyday, many with nary a notice. You are the saints of this congregation and you are noticed.

Some of you are new to the area. You have been a part of the community for a year and even less. You are like Marie and I; we have been here less than two years. As I type that I think wow, two years… It’s not long at all and the time has just flown! These are the new saints of this congregation.

There have been lots of changes too. There have been weddings and there have been births. There has been great sadness too, grieving for those who have died. These are the saints in the church triumphant.

All of this talk of the saints may seem out of place, but it is not. In his many letters, Paul referred to the believers as “saints.” Especially at the ends of his epistles Paul asks the recipients of these letters to pray for the saints in…such-and-such a place. It may not seem usual, but it is real. It is true. Those who believe are saints—now and forever.

Friends in Christ, some are near and some are far. Some of you I see often, some of you not often enough. Friends in Christ, those of you who are far away I miss and hope to see soon. Friends in Christ, those of you who are near I hope to see soon. Saints of Christ, faithful followers of the Lord, I hope to see you soon.

See you soon,
Pastor Paul