March 26, 2019 (Tuesday)
Millions of people hear sermons. Will they remember them? Some will and some won’t. Some sermons will be memorable and some won’t.
So, what should I look for in a sermon? When I am a worshiper in the pew, I think I should open my heart and listen for a word from God straight to me. Whether the preacher shares jokes or humorous experiences is of no lasting importance. Whether the preacher says old stuff in a new and interesting way has no bearing on the condition of my soul. I appreciate a preacher’s efforts to make his sermons interesting, but it is up to me, the hearer, to listen carefully for the voice of God, speaking to me. When that happens, I will remember. What’s more important, I will act upon what I hear.
As long as I am an interim pastor, the only preaching I hear each Sunday is my own. I try, therefore, to take to heart for myself what I am saying to others. The day will come, however, when the church will find a pastor, and my work there will be done. I will once again be part of a congregation, and I will owe my pastor my prayers and my attention when he preaches. He is obligated to “preach the Word,” and I am likewise obligated to hear it and pay attention so that I may apply the teachings in my daily life. I will attempt to worship the Lord by following the example of the Bereans, who “received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11 NIV).
I feel about worshiping in church the way I feel about flying in an airliner. I may feel uneasy about the experience, but I know for sure I won’t be exiting the plane until it lands, so why not sit back, relax and enjoy the trip? So you made it to church. More than likely you will stay there until the worship service is over. So why not sit back, relax, and enjoy it? Then you will be able to say, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord'” (Psalm 122:1 NIV).