how do they do it?

I'm in process of working on my sermon for this coming Sunday, and found myself delighted at how easily this sermon is coming along.  Yesterday was a bit of a roadblock in the sermon-prep process, and today is sailing along.  Why?  It's all about the text.

You see, yesterday I didn't have a passage of scripture from which to base the sermon.  Today, I do.  Yesterday, I had a whole list of what I wanted to say on Sunday.  Today I have a much shorter (thankfully, for all involved) list of what the Bible has to say.  It's coherent, concise, and straightforward... and not at all about me.

I find myself wondering, how do they do it?  How do pastors, teachers and preachers prepare and deliver their sermons and lessons without starting with the Bible?  I'm not saying that what they have to say isn't, therefore, biblical, but that I don't understand how one can preach without starting with the text and letting the sermon flow from there.

I have no problem with "prooftexting".  I think prooftexting can be used positively (when the cited passage is used in context and with integrity) and negatively (when the cited passage is ripped out of its context).  So I know sermons that are topical and then littered with Scripture to support the topic at hand can be godly, biblical and edifying.  And there are times when I preach sermons like that.

However, it's not how I usually work, and it's certainly not how I work at my best.  I'm at my best when I start with the text and go from there, allowing it to say what it wants to say to the congregation - and the preacher - on Sunday morning.

Thanks for letting me procrastinate a little longer.

espresso beans

There once was a time when I would knock back a coke (by coke I mean generic "could be anything that is a carbonated beverage...some parts of the country refer to it as "soda", but, in my life, it would still actually be Coca-Cola, the only, the best) before heading to bed.  I could drink 12, 16, maybe even 20 ounces on my way to dreamland and not be late.  Sleep would not even be phased by the assault of caffeine and sugar that inundated my brain and my body.  It was a good time to be me.

Somewhere along the journey that is my life, that changed.  My body became more sensitive to sugar and caffeine.  I began to notice this when I would still drink said coke on my way to bed and then lie there for hours wide awake.  Being the brilliant and highly observant person that I am, I would lay there completely baffled by this assault of insomnia.  Why on earth can't I get to sleep on this particular night, when other nights I'm practically asleep before my head hits the pillow?  After many nights of such confusion and irritation, I slowly began to deduce the pattern.  No coke, good sleep.  Have coke, bad sleep.

A few years ago, I began drinking coffee.  My coffee intake increased while in Alaska (shocker, I know), but never exceeded two cups a day - almost always in the morning.  Having become aware of my natural sensitivity to caffeine, I tried to avoid coffee after, say, 3 pm or so in the afternoon.  Every once in a while I would break that rule, and I always paid the price.

Tonight, we began a weekly young adult bible study that meets at Wired Coffee on Thursdays at 8 pm (feel free to join us).  I arrived early and apparently checked my brain at the door.  I promptly walked up to the counter and not only purchased a coke, but also Cappuchino Gelato with Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans.  That was at 7:45.

I'm not even close to tired.

It's tough being a slow learner.

And I don't really like espresso beans.

The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep. - Ecclesiastes 5:12

one year later...

Today is officially the one year anniversary of when I came on staff at Southminster. I've been in St. Louis for a year and a week. It's been a pretty fascinating year of a lot of learning and a lot of change - change for me, change for the church.

Here is some of what is different now than a year ago:

- A year ago, the youth ministry met maybe every other week - if that. The only regular program offered was sunday school. In November, we began weekly youth group meetings. The first night, we had 6 students (high school and middle school) show up. We peaked at 23 by the end of the school year and can now count on a minimum of 20 each week. Not huge growth, but not too bad.

- A year ago, the contemporary worship service, then 4 or 5 years old, was in a bit of a rut. Not a lot of new music, the projection was average, and the praise team was really looking for some direction. Now, the praise team boldly pushes new boundaries and is constantly looking for new music. The projection has really advanced and is quite good. With the help of an incredible interim praise team leader, the praise team no longer needs direction, as they are following the vision that has been cast.

- Additionally, the contemporary service has changed format and name. It is now Worship Celebration and has a more developed liturgy. Liturgy is really the wrong word, in it's popular understanding. But in it's traditional definition, it is quite fitting. We do have a defined order of worship that we follow for that service, but within that order we are always willing to explore new ways to enable worshippers to "experience the life giving touch of the One who first gave them life."

- Another worship-related change was moving the start time of Worship Celebration from 10:30 to 10:55. 10:30 was only 30 minutes after the end of the first service (if it ended on time), barely enough time to set up for the service. Moving to 10:55 provided enough time not only for setup but also for a sound check and rehearsal.

- A year ago the children's ministry was struggling to provide meaningful ministry for the families and children of the church. Not that it was bad or in dire shape, but it didn't seem to be meeting a need. A couple of changes were made that seems to be bringing about a turnaround in that ministry. One of which was changing from a rotation sunday school model to a more traditional format with consistent teachers each week. Not that the rotation model is bad, it just didn't seem to be working at Southminster.

- Because of the time change for worship, time was created to allow for a dedicated Sunday School hour. Previously, sunday school was at the same time as the 9 AM worship service. Somewhat convenient for families (mom and dad go to worship, the kids go to Sunday school), but one of the core values of Christianity is the importance of the corporate body worshipping Christ together, people of all ages, gathered together in worship. How could we expect to raise children who desire to worship God if they are never in worship? How can we provide meaningful discipleship opportunities for parents when folks pretty much leave after worship? Moving Sunday school to it's own hour helped alleviate that tension. It is a change that is not without its flaws, however. Some classes have seen reduced attendance as a result.

- Also, a year ago we did not have any dedicated staff for children's ministry. In early 2007, we hired a children's ministry intern on a part-time basis. She is a college student who is being trained as a children's education and development specialist. Her love for the Lord combined with her love for children made her a natural addition to the church staff. Since then, the children's ministry has taken off. The CE Commission has recognized the benefit of this kind of specialized attention and ministry, and desires to make that a full time position in the future.

- Along those lines, and related to the worship and Sunday school changes, we added a new ministry called Kids Own Worship. Recognizing that it is developmentally inappropriate to expect younger children to sit through an hour long worship service, we have the children in worship for the first 15 minutes, then after a children's sermon, they head out to an age- and developmentally-appropriate worship program.

Much of these changes actually have very little to do with me. It is the result of a large number of people who are passionate about the Lord, passionate about their areas of ministry, and passionate about seeing others come to know Christ. It has been a really exciting year - not without its challenges, but still good - and it is fascinating to see this church grow and stretch.

I wonder what next year will hold.

This is what the LORD says—
he who made a way through the sea, 
a path through the mighty waters, 
who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?"
- Isaiah 43:16-19