I'm borrowing this a little from Mark Driscoll but --- Family is not the place where someone always feels most comfortable. A family isn't where everyone is exactly like-minded and it's not the place where you get served. A family is a place where you are committed to one another. Family isn't voluntary community - it's the binding of people together. Sometimes that means that you're laying down your personal will and agenda because you are a part of something something more important. Where the world sees constraints and shackles in involuntary community some of us know the joy and freedom of being part of a family - it's seemingly contradictory, but quite amazing.
I say that not because at my church we've been gritting our teeth and toughing it out in a place where I don't "feel" served. I say it because two Sundays ago I preached at my church and it was a beautiful reminder of the commitment that has taken place there. I have committed to serving as an Intern, ministering to the youth, and being a part of the life of the church. The church, in turn, has committed to helping me grow in godliness, becoming involved in my life, and now has given me the opportunity to open God's word to them. It was such a great experience.
I say that not because at my church we've been gritting our teeth and toughing it out in a place where I don't "feel" served. I say it because two Sundays ago I preached at my church and it was a beautiful reminder of the commitment that has taken place there. I have committed to serving as an Intern, ministering to the youth, and being a part of the life of the church. The church, in turn, has committed to helping me grow in godliness, becoming involved in my life, and now has given me the opportunity to open God's word to them. It was such a great experience.
For the first time for me, preaching didn't feel like a performance. I wasn't trying to prove anything to anyone, I didn't feel like I was being tested, I didn't feel like my worth was wrapped up in my skills or presentation of it. It really felt like an intimate family thing. I had been trusted to be a part of our sermon series on the 2nd Commandment and I got to share with the congregation what my hours of studying showed the text was about and how God wanted us as a church to hear and respond to it. Simple. Exciting!
That's not to say that everything went perfectly. I made some serious mistakes (talking FAR too long is one major one) and was uncaring in some of the ways I went about it. However, what's great is that from the pulpit there are only two things I could see: the congregation and the lone banner hanging on the back of the wall. It says "For God's Glory" "By His Grace." What a remarkable reminder for a preacher!
That's not to say that everything went perfectly. I made some serious mistakes (talking FAR too long is one major one) and was uncaring in some of the ways I went about it. However, what's great is that from the pulpit there are only two things I could see: the congregation and the lone banner hanging on the back of the wall. It says "For God's Glory" "By His Grace." What a remarkable reminder for a preacher!