Phil 1:6 – “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Well, my Christmas week this year is one of the most unique I have experienced. After all, this is my first Christmas outside the US!
I had the privilege of preaching in church on Christmas
morning. I realized that although I don’t preach much in the U.S., I get the
opportunity often in India, and this year I preached both on my birthday and
Jesus’ observed birthday. Pretty cool. The topic was “Missing Jesus,” and it
went as well as I could have hoped, given the minimal amount of time I was able
to prep.
But the best part of my Christmas was spending several days
away from the city and very near to our oldest girls’ home. Sitting on top of
the guest house in the cool mornings or evening, taking in the peaceful scenery
or crystal clear night sky, getting ample rest and peace and quiet…to quote the
Christmas carol: these are a few of my favorite things. And on the evening of
Christmas, as well as the days that followed, the Lord blessed me abundantly with
quality time with our girls.
For 3 days, I was 2 things: older brother and teacher. On
Christmas day, I gifted our girls a world globe and told them about when I was
growing up and I had a globe. I would close my eyes and spin the globe as fast
as I could, then plunge my finger down onto the surface, abruptly stopping the
speeding globe, often pointing to some fanciful, exotic place that I had never
known existed nor ever hoped to see. Sometimes my finger would stop on India.
As I recalled that portion, they gave out an “ooo” of delight, which I had not
expected. I told them that I had wondered what India was like and decided that
I would never go there. Wrong!
Finally, I told them that a person never knows where God
might send them. Then they each took turns spinning the globe, eyes closed, and
“discovering” where the Lord might take them.
Russia, Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, many African countries,
Brazil, Mexico, and Canada were of those that were “discovered” with curiosity
and delight. And even a couple of girls
landed on the U.S., bringing the biggest smiles and exclamations. It was a
wonderful time.
The rest of the week, in addition to playing many games, I
tutored our 5th-12th graders in the subjects of algebra,
geometry, chemistry, physics, general science, and English. I’m not sure who
enjoyed it more. Below is a picture of the board at the end of the physics
session. Nerd alert: I must say that to my eyes, there is a certain beauty in
meaningful equations and theorems written on a chalkboard!.jpg)
Finally, on my last evening with them before having to
travel back into the city, we were down to our final hour together. I told
them, “We have one hour. What would you like to do?” To my surprise, “message”
was the popular response. They wanted me to preach? (You should know that this
wasn’t because my sermon on Christmas was particularly powerful or special. I
rated it a C minus.) Many thoughts ran through my mind. How many teenagers
would you expect to ask to be preached to if they only had 1 hour with a person
who is not a preacher? It soothes my
heart to see how hungry our girls are for the Word of God and how readily they
receive it.
Well, if you know me, you know that if anyone voices a
desire for Biblical teaching, I can’t help but at least try. So I thought for
about 30 seconds and realized this was very similar to our littlest girls
asking for a Bible “story” unexpectedly a few weeks ago. So I decided to go
with Gideon again. Except this time, we could dive into it a little heartier
than just story telling.
The easiest way to preach in the whole world, in my opinion,
is a scripted sermon through an interpreter. While they are interpreting, you
can read your next line, look up, and deliver every word that you have chosen
exactly. It’s virtually unnoticeable. But easiest doesn’t mean best. Now, I took several hours to prepare for the
Christmas sermon (though much less than normal). I wrote every line prior to
speaking (well, most of the lines). And on this night in our girls’ home, I
took 30 seconds to prepare and went completely off the cuff…and it was better
by leaps and bounds than my Christmas sermon. Sure, with a few hours of prep it
could be polished and improved, cross-referenced and summarized with punch,
word-smithed and flow established. But
the Lord reinforced something in me through that experience. He is enough. His
Spirit is present. He is ever faithful. He is the Teacher.
I don’t know if I’ll go scripted or go extemporaneous in my
next sermon in India. Both have been blessed by the Lord at different times,
and I’ve struggled with both at different times. But I do know that whatever
the approach, it is God who makes the sermon powerful. It is also comforting to
know that there is at least one sermon that I can go to “in season and out of
season,” (expected or unexpectedly): Gideon. I must thank my Sunday School
teacher and classmates back in the U.S. for allowing God to use them to burn
the application of Gideon’s life into my brain in such a way.
Finally, since I’m on the topic of preaching. I am often
asked in the days leading up to a day that I am preaching, “Have you finished
your sermon?” My response has come from experience, “It’s never finished.” What
I mean by that is that even when I think it’s finished, the Lord never ceases
to change it. Every day and especially the night before, it changes. In fact,
it also always changes somewhere between standing up to approach the pulpit and
the words leaving my mouth! I thank the Lord for that. I think being a little “out
of control” ensures that the Holy Spirit is still taking the control. Don’t get
me wrong, this isn’t for lack of trying to get it all done and perfect
beforehand! But thoughts enter my mind while delivering the sermon that
illuminate points that I hadn’t even thought of before. That is a lot of fun to
experience, but also a little unnerving because I’m not always sure how it’s
all going to tie back in together. And sometimes (I chuckle as a write) it does
dead end and I have to reset back on track.
But the Lord hit me with a realization the other day, after
being asked yet again if my sermon was finished. I started praying about that. And
I had a revelation. I had told the person that the sermon is only finished when
the last word is spoken, as we both chuckled. I meant it. But what a sad ending
if that is where it ends! No, my prayer now is for an ever-unfinished sermon. A
sermon that Lord continues to finish in the hearts and minds of the listeners
as they walk through life that week, month, or even years. In fact, the sermons
that have impacted me most…they still aren’t finished…as the Lord continues to
use them in my life.
My personality type has a quest for conclusion. Finishing.
Completing. Achieving. Marking off the list. And so I have always approached
preaching in the same way. I search with my whole soul for the end of the
sermon and have an almost restless inner stirring until it has been spoken. My
prayer has often been for the Lord to help me finish it. Well, I now pray the
same words, “Lord, help me finish this sermon,” but with an entirely different
meaning. I now look expectantly to give
unfinished sermons. I pray that every sermon, teaching, and interaction I have
with another human being remains unfinished…simply because God is still working
in them through it.
And such is life with Christ. Ever being finished, never
finished. Ever being sanctified, awaiting that glorious day when we enter our
Lord’s perfect rest and completion in Heaven. Our Lord Jesus cried out on the
cross before His last breath, “It is finished.” What a glorious declaration! And
as Jesus has completed His redeeming work on the cross, as He completes every
work He begins (Phil 1:6). I want to encourage you today to know that in the
bounds of time, you and I may not yet be finished, but in the timeless
existence of our Lord, He is proclaiming over you, “It is finished.” May we
walk in such assurance and liberty with our Savior. Amen.
