Sunday Mornings and the Pastor

I guess you can say I'm an early riser. I enjoy getting up by 5:30 am every morning. I find a person can't get much done when they are sleeping. There is something special about those early pre-dawn hours. I began this practice early in my parenting years. I found those early hours to be the quietest of the day. My family was asleep and I could actually be alone with the Father. I have especially enjoyed the early hours of Sunday mornings. This is always when I polish my sermon, get the last few details out of the way, pray through my message one more time and, in general, begin to get my heart ready for the upcoming sermon. This is when I begin to really feel the weight of my job. This is when I feel the great responsibility to bring the Word of God to the people God has placed under my care. It is an amazingly awesome privilege but also a great responsibility. Unless you have ever preached before, you can't imagine the pressure a pastor feels. Most pastors love God with their entire being. They desire nothing more than to glorify the Father with their weekly sermons. People, pray for your pastor. Pray he honors God through his study and through his life. Pastors, take the responsibility of bringing the Word of God to your people serious. Study. Spend time in the Word and let the Word spend time in you. Come into your pulpit, not with cute catchy phrases, but come with the power of the Holy Spirit. Beg God to speak through you. As I prepare for today's sermon, I am reminded of Paul's words in 1 Corinthians: "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom, as I proclaimed to you the testimony of God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power" (2:1-5). We have enough men in America who are able to bring sermons with wise and persuasive words. We are in need of a few more preachers who bring the message with demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit. Just a simple thought for a Sunday morning.