I'm glad to be back in the pulpit this coming Sunday.
Writing and preaching sermons was probably the thing I feared the most when I
started my MDiv. program. However preaching, and more specifically, preparing
to preach has become a great joy for me, as I have to dig into the riches of
Scripture more deeply before I come in front of you on Sundays. So, thanks for
the opportunity.
Our Scripture this week is from Luke 14. I was assigned this
in late September, and have gone through many different options of what to
preach. But as I have been doing my homework for my Theology of Ministry class,
this text came up quite a bit in the context of leadership. As we all seek how
God is going to use us (not just me and my classmates, but you, and the rest of
the Church catholic) in His plan, consider what God has used in the past. I
read a chapter of The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer as an
assignment last week. God used a dead stick of wood to lead Israel out of Egypt, part a sea, win a battle, pour water from a rock, and heal unbelief.
As you prepare for worship Sunday morning, consider who God
used to promote His plan throughout the Old Testament. Notice birth orders of Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, Jacob's children, Jesse's children, and
who receives the blessing. The oldest should be the blessed, but it is clear that God's ways are not our ways. As we look at Luke chapter 14, we see Jesus teaching that exact thing. The Lord works in the Lord's way. I look forward to seeing you Sunday morning.
