Sunday, May 31, 2009

TODAY'S SERMON....THAT WAS SLOW GETTING HERE

Today's sermon, When the Light Comes On, took awhile before it got here. I worked on it all week. Nothing. It had no life. I've learned to wait on ideas from God when the delivery doesn't seem obvious. So I waited.

By Friday I like to receive a signal it will live. No signal. Three attempts to work on the sermon yesterday did not please my soul. I could tell I didn't have anything for Sunday but notes; no life. Just notes. Dull, uninteresting, and uninspiring notes. Yet, I did know to wait on God. He would be there.

This morning it gradually began to click; first during the prayer time at 7:30 and then through class. I realized my teaching was backwards.

My intent was to encourage, from the Exodus text referring to Moses coming down from the mountain with face aglow after receiving the Ten Commandments, that we should turn the light of God on in our communities. It would not fly. However, this morning I realized I had it backwards. We don't turn the light on. God does. Moses didn't even know he was shining. We don't either.

Sermon delivered. Made a difference. Built faith. God came through one more time. While it was slow in getting here....it was on time.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Terry,

I just listened to your sermon online. It was great. I finished the BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) study on Moses two weeks ago and did not focus as much on the radiant face of Moses as I should have. Thanks for pointing it out and publishing your sermons online so that I can listen to them here in Texas.

Gloria

Linda L said...

Terry, this was another sermon I needed to hear. Too many times people ask me "are you ok? You look tired." I don't want to look tired (even if I feel that way) I want people to see a glow on my face that shows how excited I am to be in His kingdom and loving every minute of it! Thanks for the encouragement!

phil said...

I listened to your sermon online and thought about the aspect of Moses' face you talked about and it is interesting to me as well, that Matthew (keeping with the Jesus/Moses comparisons throughout his gospel) actually record that Jesus' "face shone like the sun" at the tranfiguration scene. Something that Mark does not record.

Anonymous said...

You're right - we don't turn our own light on.