Lent is a time for reflection. In that regard I was thinking about what I should reflect on through the season. Today I reflected on sermons, messages, or talks (whatever you want to call them) As part of that reflection I watched a video about delivering sermons and the speaker talked about two sides of the spectrum.
1. One side of the spectrum: You have this sermon that you just know you are going to hit out of the park. The topic is right, the timing is right, you have a total understanding of the text, and you love it (then you deliever the sermon and it totally bombs)
2. The other side of the spectrum: You have this sermon that you have struggled with all week, you know its not your best work, and something just feels off and you know it's going to be awful (then something happens and somehow it is awe-inspiring to those who hear it, and you are stunned)
Has anyone ever experienced this? I know I have been in this situation and two talks jump right to the front of my mind:
November 2008: I had what I thought was a great talk prepared about music and making a joyful noise to the lord. The timing seemed perfect, it was a great chance to open up to the youth after having only been here a short time and I just knew it would be awesome. And it totally bombed, it was like the room was totally deflated when I finished. I thought to myself: "what just happened, I have no answer for that."
June 2010: It was last year on our Mission Trip in Oklahoma and I had been struggling with what I was going to say at the client night at Tohwali Church after we had eaten dinner there. I had talked to Jennifer (the greatest center director ever), some of our AUMC youth, and some adults about what I was going to say. The common response was: you'll do great or you'll figure out what to say. (which incidentally didn't help my angst much) Even right before I was to speak I wasn't happy with what I had. I got up to speak and just left my notes in the pew. I didn't even want them. Then something happened: I looked at our youth and at the people we helped and I somehow knew exactly what I was going to say, and not just what I was going to say but what I was supposed to say. It was emotional and everyone seemed to "get it." I left with a great feeling of hope and accomplishment for something that 20 minutes before seemed jumbled and totally wrong.
I think most pastors, church leaders, youth directors and so on have probably felt both sides of this spectrum. So what keeps us going? Why would anyone want to give a sermon? Well when you deliver that sermon like I delivered in Oklahoma last year for God, for those youth, for those we helped-the feeling could not be explained. Speaking those words and leaving others with that feeling of knowing how much God loves them, there not a much better feeling.
grace & peace
kevin
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