Reflections on preaching ...

For years I have joked around with Jesus and others that if Jesus, the everlasting Son of God, would email me the sermon I would promise to preach it word for word.

In reality sermons are challenging to both the speaker and the hearer. For me, sermons come into existence as:

• a part of daily Scripture readings so that the Bible is a very familiar place;
• application of Scripture to one's own daily life so that the preacher strives to be a good example of avoiding evil, doing all the good that is possible, and having an alive love of God, neighbor, self and enemy;
• finding God's message to one's own self (the preacher) in a sermon text so that such applies to the message ... more an overhearing of a preacher's conversation with God;
• listening to those who hear the sermon to gain insight into what needs to be said as in topics or lessons;
• reading historically chosen Scripture lessons known as the 'lectionary' in order to discern if they are applicable to the messages God desires to be proclaimed;
• at times imagining what a Scripture lesson may say to a specific individual or group who may or may not be in the worship setting;
• reflections on the work of God among God's people;
• proclaiming how God is at work in denominational or universal church settings; and,
• seeing how the public news challenges/affirms the message of God's rules of love;
• and ...

Well preaching involves so much! If only I could have the Moses-experience of literally sitting down in conversation with God. I certainly would take good sermon and action notes!

The LORD spoke to Moses saying ...

Numbers 20:7