Really, I try to be on my best behavior on Sundays, especially when I am teaching the Bible in front of hundreds of people and the entire world-wide web.
Unfortunately, my best intentions don’t always materialize. For example, in the 9:15 service on April 7th, I struggled with anxiety and it became rather obvious. My brain had me so wound up that I couldn’t really talk without gagging. Now that was embarrassing. Yuck! Run and hide! Get out of Dodge. Punt.
In one of my all time favorite speeches, Sir Winston Churchill stated, “Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour.” Needless to say, Sunday morning wasn’t my finest hour.
I LOVE to teach the Bible. I don’t particularly like being exhibit A. Yep, Jesus helps in the grief process, but I don’t want anyone to see me grieve. Sure, Jesus is our healing, but I don’t want anyone to see me sick. It is so much easier to teach the wisdom of God than to genuinely allow folks to see the processes of actually trying to live it out in everyday, real life, situations.
Until the Living Word intersects the living moment the ministry event hasn’t occurred. I love theology, but theology must always become personal biography to have any lasting impact.
On Sunday some of you saw your pastor doing his best to make the Living Word of God work in his everyday, broken clay pot life. Maybe it was a bit unsettling for you (it sure was for me), but when we walk through our human weaknesses we can all be delighted that God has placed the treasure of His glory in any of our jars of clay.
With my family, friends, prayer warriors, doctors, and loving MCA Church family, I will be just fine.
I look forward to seeing your jar of clay next Sunday and, I promise, I will try to be on my best behavior and maybe we will have our finest hour!