day, August 14. Since my arrival back in the Longview/Kelso area in late Janu-
ary, I have had the pleasure of preaching at my home church, Kelso Presbyter-
ian Church. So I was a bit surprised when I was invited by Pastor Mark of North
Lake Baptist Church to preach one Sunday when he was to be on vacation. I
have the highest respect for Pastor Mark and the people and other leaders of the
church. The church is large, dynamic, and growing and her people are actively
serving God, God's kingdom, and other people. I know that I am not suppose to
do this, but I did not consider myself in their league.
However, I was confident that the Lord had called me to preach there on that
date whether I felt out of my depth or not. I had two weeks to prepare, more
time than I usually have to develop a sermon. I based the sermon for North
Lake on the sermon I had delivered at my home church on July 24, a message
that revolved around Psalm 23. But as I prayed about the upcoming sermon,
the message took off in a direction that was different from the one I had given
at the Kelso church. I coupled Psalm 23 with John 10:1-11, viewed the Psalm
from different perspectives, and figured out ways to have the congregation par-
ticipate. There have been few times when I have experienced sermon prepara-
tion time as rich as when I was preparing for this latest preaching assignment.
I was not as concerned about my message as I was about my delivery. When
I began preaching assignments at Cupar Old Parish Church in late 2008, it had
been five years since I had last preached. Plus in 2006 I had undergone major
cardiac surgery to replace my aortic heart valve. When I got back to preaching
in 2008, it was clearly evident that I was not only rusty in preaching, but some
of the mental capabilities that I needed for preaching were not there for me as
they once had been. At times during the last two and a half years it has been
agonizing for me as I have struggled to recover my preaching skills.
I began the sermon by reciting Psalm 23, and then asking those in the congre-
gation who knew it to join with me. I talked about Psalm 23, and then recited
the Psalm as if God were using the words of the Psalm to comfort King David.
Next I read and commented on John 10:1-11. Then I recited Psalm 23 as if Jesus
the Good Shepherd were saying it to us with verses ten and eleven of John 10
mixed into the Psalm. My main point was actually a question: Do you know
Jesus the Good Shepherd who gave his life for you? I concluded by asking the
congregation to repeat after me Psalm 23 and direct it to God. I had never done
anything like this before, nor have I ever encountered this way of preaching a
text. Even though I had fun with it, I don't know if I could ever pull this off
again with another text.
I am not sure how I was received by the congregation, but I felt comfortable
with my delivery and style. I preached for around 45 minutes, which is the
longest I have ever preached. I usually preach for 23-28 minutes, even though
I have been told to preach for 15-18 minutes. With this congregation I was told
that 45 minutes was the norm. I had planned for 40 minutes, and came out pretty
close. I did not have any sense that I went too long, which l am afraid I have a
tendency of doing. They seemed to be with me right up to the end. I did not
preach from a manuscript, but had a firm grasp of an outline in my head.
preach from a manuscript, but had a firm grasp of an outline in my head.
I was very concerned about the pitch of my voice and the pace of my delivery,
and so I tried to monitor that as I preached. I sensed that the people were track-
ing with me from beginning to end, and were with me when I came to my main
point. I felt it was the best I had preached in a long time and I felt comfortable
and relaxed. But I have learned over the years that my perceptions are not always
reflective of reality. I did feel that I have made solid progress after over two years
of hard work on my preaching. I was relieved. I realized, however, that I still have
a lot of hard work ahead of me in terms of preaching.
After the service I was asked to preach at an afternoon service at an apartment
complex for senior citizens. I cut down the sermon and tailored it for a different
community. I enjoyed delivering a shorter message on Psalm 23 to a dear group
of people, a message that was just for them. I am glad I was able to do it. But I
look forward to soon having the privilege of preaching year round at St. Fergus
Parish Church in Scotland where I have been called to serve as pastor. As always,
I ask you to pray for that on my behalf. May it be so, Lord Jesus.
Blessings to you and yours,
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