It Takes Us All

Please read Exodus 25-27 and Acts 6 if you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year.

(Since I don't post devotionals on Sunday, you may need to read yesterday's passages, Exodus 23-24, Psalm 14 and Acts 5)

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. -Acts 6:7 (NIV)

Before you're ordained in The United Methodist Church, you appear before a group of people for an intense interview about faith and ministry. One of the questions that I remember being asked is "How do you prepare a sermon?" I was still in seminary at the time and hadn't preached a lot, so I gave an answer that I felt certain I'd employ once I got out into the local church. I told them that on Sunday afternoon, I'd begin looking at the possible texts for preaching. I'd read over them several times throughout the day and again on Monday. On Tuesday, I'd choose a text for preaching and begin to interpret that text historically. On Wednesday, I'd begin to apply this textual interpretation into application for the community to which it would be preached. On Thursday, I'd write the sermon and then I'd sit with it on Friday and Saturday, tweaking it if necessary. Then I'd preach it on Sunday.

Sounds good, right? But here's the problem: sermon preparation rarely happens that way in real life. So many other important responsibilities vie for my attention. Take last week, for instance. I had a funeral out of town on Monday and a funeral on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I drove to Huntsville to make a pastoral visit for a family in the church. On Thursday, I had a full day of meetings. And I was at the church for one reason or another ever night last week. There wasn't a lot of time for sermon preparation.

Now please don't interpret this as complaining. I absolutely love what I do. But last week was one of those weeks when the one thing that affects the greatest number of people in our church (preaching) got the least amount of attention. It happens...and you could probably tell on Sunday if you heard the sermon.

Acts 6 describes an instance in the early church when important needs threatened the apostles having enough time to pray and preach. So they appointed people to tend to these important things so that the apostles could have more time to do that which they had been called to do.

Why is that important? Well, it's a reminder to me that I should not neglect my time preparing to preach. And it's reminder of how thankful I am to have a church full of people who help carry out important ministries of our church that I simply don't have the time or talent to do. I am so deeply appreciative of you. God has gifted each one of you in certain ways and invites you to use these gifts in the church. When each one of us does our part, the Kingdom of God will grow...just like it did in Acts 6.

May God grant you the grace to not get distracted from what God really wants you to do. And may God bless all of the important things that you and I doing so that the word of God will spread and the Kingdom of God will grow.