Sermon prep
My parents will be traveling to California this weekend for a funeral, and my father asked me to fill the pulpit for him (I am a certified United Methodist layspeaker). I always like to go by the Revised Common Lectionary, even though some of the small rural churches where I tend to preach don’t necessarily use it. I think it’s good discipline to write about an assigned passage rather than just always going to my favorite passage.
Anyway, the lectionary passages for this Sunday are Isaiah 49:1-7, Psalm 40:1-11, I Corinthians 1:1-9 and John 1:29-42. I’m going to focus on Psalms and bring in the passage from John, emphasizing the need for us to share our faith and testify to what God has done for us.
In some ways, I’m preaching to myself (most of my best sermons have been directed at myself). It’s really stressful at work right now; I feel the need to change careers but have no idea where to go. I’m worried about finances, a little lonely, and just generally in a funk. The idea of standing up on a soapbox this week and shouting about what God has done for me seems a little incongruous — until I think about it. God has blessed me in so many ways, ways that I can count and recognize even when I’m wallowing in self-pity.
In the sermon, I talk about the fact that we’ve all seen people boldly sharing their faith in ways that are arrogant, rude or inappropriate. Sometimes, we use those stereotypes as excuses not to share our own faith. After all, it might be (gasp!) embarassing. But sharing our faith with others is not optional; it’s mandatory. We may not all be called to stand on the street corner with a bullhorn, but most of us are called to be bolder than we are currently being. I know I am.
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