When did it hit me? I guess it was Thursday of last week. I suddenly realized that I hadn't written a sermon and didn't have to write one! Wow! Someone once wrote that delivering a sermon on Sunday is kind of like giving birth - you're happy and filled with relief, only to find out on Monday morning that you're pregnant again! To take a break from sermon writing is a blessing and I intend to enjoy it.
Not that I don't like writing sermons. It gives me great joy to stand in the pulpit each Sunday and proclaim the Gospel of Christ. It's a privilege to be given 12 to 15 minutes of a person's time in order to proclaim the truths of God's Word. So you want your sermon to be creative and interesting. You'd like to capture the attention of your hearers so they get what you're trying to deliver. As much as I love it, sermon writing is the hardest thing I do. To take a break from the writing task is the first step toward renewal.
I spent the early part of the week at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Paradise Valley. It was quiet and peaceful with the weather unseasonably cool. I took several resources with me but focused my time on a Concordia Publishing House product entitled, "The Calling - Live a Life of Significance" by Kurt Senske. In summary, Senske teaches that a life of significance is one that keeps God at the center of a person's life and then focuses on the various callings each of us have - whether it be as spouse, parent, grandparent, employer, employee, friend, church member and so forth. He offers 8 strategies for building this life of significance, each one built around rituals or habits that cause a person to focus on the different callings and how to keep them at the forefront of life. I was able to work through about 66% of the book and hope to be able to finish up in the next week or so. I think I'm going to buy this book for my kids and their spouses to read as well. A very valuable tool!
The other thing I've been dealing with in these first couple of weeks is a bad back. My back locked up on me during Holy Week (just about the worst time) but with prayer and lots of heat and ice, I managed to get throught the week in good shape. During my final weekend at church I started dealing with a lot of pain running down my right leg and this time the ice and heat at home treatment didn't help. After a week of treatment, I'm starting to get some relief; I really don't want a balky back interfere with the renewal.
Finally, our church membership roster has become my prayer list. Each day I take a page of the roster and pray for the people who are listed. This is one way for me to keep connected with the flock at Life in Christ. Praying also for this weekend's Prayer Workshop. God be with everyone at Life in Christ!
From my journal: Discipleship demands that Christ comes first. As that focus becomes sharper, our own self-importance fades. We decrease so that He may increase. Kurt Senske, "The Calling" page 18.
