It has been, for reasons I obviously can’t go into, an extremely stressful and unpleasant week at work. So it was a strange time for me to have such a remarkable high point in the middle of it.
As you may recall, I am a United Methodist layspeaker, a non-ordained church member who is available to preach, for example when a church pastor is on vacation or when there are not enough ordained pastors to fill the available pulpits. The Tennessee Annual Conference, the business meeting and worship gathering for Methodists from throughout Middle Tennessee, traditionally recognizes layspeakers and layleaders during one of its evening worship services. But this year, for the first time ever, it was decided to have a layspeaker preach that night.
Earlier this year, 23 different layspeakers submitted sermons, which had to tie in with the conference theme, “Beyond The Walls: Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World.” A short list of four was chosen to deliver their sermons to the selection committee, and I was given the great honor of being the first layspeaker, as far as anyone can recall, ever to preach during an evening worship service at the Tennessee Conference.
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