SOMETHING IS MISSING

Thursday, December 28, 2006

In the last three years I have had occasion to listen to a lot of “bad” preaching. For almost 50 years prior to that I listened to a man struggling to get it right—I listened to me. It wasn’t until I was ready to “walk out the door” that a light went on in my head but then I walked away only to preach two or three more times in three years. Don't you think that's funny? I think it's funny, or maybe it's more sad that funny. Just when you get ready to do your best preaching--you quit.

Elders are partially to blame for this loss. If I were an elder I would say to the old, retiring preacher: "Stay here as Minister Emeritus and teach, encourage and motive us on to maturity for a few more years. We will hire a pastor to care for the flock and do the "daily" work of the church.

I recently read about the kind of preacher needed today: "He and his family had been through hard times... and it showed. There was a reverence in his pulpit manner, a deep respect for his task, a deep feeling for the words of Scripture as he read them. His sermon was not eloquent, but he was sincere, his humor was natural, and he had a wonderful, hopeful message focused on Christ. This preacher was passionate in the best sense of the word: authentic, exhortative at times, and also rejoicing."

AMEN!