In the last 9 days, I've preached the same sermon three times. The first time was for a church that I have never been to before. I preached from a manuscript. I think I was somewhat dry.
The second time, I preached for the church I'm part of. I preached from an outline, and had times for them to break into discussion groups or answer questions throughout the sermon. It was low key, relaxed, conversational.
The third time, I preached for a church I have preached at once before. I preached from an outline and used an ear piece mic and walked around the stage as a I spoke. I should have found myself boring--it was the same stuff I had preached last week. But I found I came alive and I connected with people. This is how I used to preach. But it's been a while. I've gotten so tied to the manuscript, so concerned about saying the exact right words, so comfortable standing safely behind a big podium, that my old enthusiasm and passion seemed to get squelched.
This isn't the case for everyone--I have heard dynamic preachers who use a manuscript and stay behind a podium.
And maybe there's a season for manuscripts and a season for outlines. A season for podiums and a season for walking around. But it sure felt good yesterday to be in that place again. It felt like coming home.
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2 comments:
Came across your blog today and so I thought I'd say hi. Long time no talk. Hope you & Jon are doing well. love Roz
Roz! So great to hear from you! I haven't gotten one of your great email updates in a while...how is married life?
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