I'm often asked about preaching. Some ask about the mechanics of preparing and delivering a sermon. Others ask about the experiences of preaching regularly before a congregation. Still others ask personal questions--my opinion on preaching styles, sermon content, or my personal preferences in hearing other preachers. I've decided to offer up some answers in a series of posts.
Now we're getting into it! What goes through my mind when I stand up before the congregation? Do you really want to know?
First things first. What goes on in my mind before I stand up? Over the last eighteen years this has remained pretty consistent. Before the message on Sunday mornings I am doing my very best to engage with and participate in the corporate praise, adoration and worship of our God in song, prayer, or through whatever means those leading our service have included. In other words, I am not thinking of the sermon at all. That's the honest truth. I've prayed about it (and worried about it plenty) before the service begins. Once we've come together in God's presence, I've pretty much put it aside. My wife will tell you--to me at that point, "it is what it is!"
Perhaps in another series of posts I can share some of my worship service experiences not related to the sermon. We'll see.
When it's time for me to stand up, a singular prayer soothes my nerves, and many times a trio of very bizarre thoughts cross my mind. Each has a little story of their own.
Just a few years into my Christian faith, Shari and I began attending Miami Shores Presbyterian Church. The pastor there was a great preacher and teacher--he spoke in such a radio-quality deep voice that everyone else who spoke during the service sounded like they had sucked helium. I noticed that every Sunday (emphasize every) he ended a brief prayer before he began preaching with the words "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and Redeemer!" I thought to myself, "Poor guy, I wonder if he realizes he says the same exact thing each week." A few years later I was preparing to preach my first sermon before a congregation. I was scared to death. I was reading Psalm 18 for comfort. I read on, by accident really, through the chapter division and got to Psalm 19 verse 14. Whoa!
I realized that these were really central aims of mine as I'd endeavor to preach--that my words would please God, and that our participation together in considering His word would please Him. Most Sundays, I include that very phrase in my own prayer out loud. The Sundays I don't actually say it, you can count on the fact that I'm still praying it silently. The old preacher with the baritone voice had something.
The strange trio of thoughts? First: Is my fly up? No, I'm not kidding. It crosses my mind almost every time I stand in front of a crowd for any reason. There have been a few occasions in my lifetime where someone rose to teach or preach and their zipper was down. You know how awkward that is. You don't know if you should say something, pretend you don't notice, hope they'll maybe feel a breeze and take care of it, etc. I'm pretty good about learning lessons from others' misfortune. I admit it, I check my zipper!
Second: skirts. It's kind of embarrassing to admit, but one of the things that crosses my mind on Sundays are women in skirts if they're sitting in the front row. One of my standard practices during our congregation prayer time is to sit down on the steps and face the congregation as we pray together corporately. I love to do that because my back isn't towards anyone, I can hear and agree in prayer more easily as we pray. You have to understand that from that vantage point--sitting on the edge of the platform, a woman in a skirt in the front row--not a place I want to put myself. So I have developed a habit of noticing who's in the front row and how they're dressed as I come up front. Here's a behind the scenes tip: If, when we bow to pray together, you see me sit down in the front row with my back to you instead of on the step facing you--you'll know someone is wearing a skirt. Let's hope it's not one of the Elders.
Third, I always look at my Bible to make sure the one I think it is. I had a once in a lifetime--in other words, it happened to me once and I'll never let it happen again. Early in my preaching career I planned a sermon using one of my study bibles. I have to tell you that I was thrilled with the message. This one was going to preach, baby! Sunday morning came and I grabbed my preaching bible, headed to the pulpit, opened to John 5 and was roaring' to go. I read the text out loud to the congregation--and felt the blood drain out of my face. Where was the verse? I turned forward and back. Am I in the wrong chapter? Wrong book? It was John 5, right? Where's the stinking verse? Panic! Turned out that I had planned my entire message--and it was a great one--on John 5, verse 4. The editors of the NIV I held in my hand had removed that verse from their translation. It was very much there in the NKJV I had used to study and prepare... which was at my house... fifteen minutes away... and there I stood. Folks, you have no idea how quickly your mind can spin (and your stomach sour) until you're in front of a crowd to preach on a verse--that is NOT IN YOUR BIBLE!
I pray. My mind hits these three odd handles. Then I preach.
And I've only told you so far about what goes through my mind before I start. So, next time I'll cover what goes on in my head while I'm talking. Be very afraid!
This post made me smile big! :D
Posted by: Robin | March 19, 2010 at 06:36 AM
great post. I never heard the story about the wrong Bible before. What did you do?
Posted by: Lisa | March 19, 2010 at 08:30 AM