Sunday Recap

• There was an overwhelming presence of the Lord in our service today. From the very first song, Joy to the World, to the last, Glory in the Highest, our building was full of the Lord's glory. It was very moving, encouraging, beautiful and free of manipulation. The good crowd and their participation in the praise portion of our worship service filled our building with a fresh sacrifice of praise. It was good.
• I had known what I was preaching on for this Sunday for several weeks. We were concluding our series The Christmas Conspiracy with a sermon called "The Child Who Would Save the World." A gospel message should be the easiest sermon a preacher could put together but on Saturday night I still had no sermon. Over the last 5 years, I can remember only one other time being in this situation. My usual routine for sermon preperation is study, read and listen for the first few days of the week, then I need to leave it alone and let it all cook. Then its like God takes all that I have learned then "downloads" it in sermon form later in the week. It literally feels like God downloading it for me to preach. Well Saturday night, I had not received the download. I was not paniced or stressed about it. As a matter of fact I took all of Saturday off to be with my family and to shop with my wife. I felt confident that God had a plan. About 3:30, Sunday morning I woke up refreshed and hearing God's voice. He was leading me to a passage that I hadn't even studied this week, Romans 5. I laid there and dozed and listened until 5:00 am and then showered, dressed, hit the McDonald's for breakfast and was at the church a little before 6:00. God downloaded the message and used it in the lives of our people. His presence was evident. I say all this to say that preaching is a mystery. It's more about listening than studying. It's more about what is on God's heart than my heart. It's His Word not mine. Sermon preparation is not an academic exercise but a spiritual endeavor. God often has to remind me of such things. He keeps me humble yet lifts my soul. He keeps me dependent but gives me more than I need. He gives me silence so I can hear Him clearly when He speaks. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
• I'll write more later but I just got a call and I must run.