While in seminary, I attended Calvary Baptist Church in Waco, TX. I remember hearing Julie-Pennington Russell pray a version of Psalm 19:14 every Sunday before preaching:
And now, may the words of my mouth,
and the meditations of our hearts together in this place,
be pleasing in your sight.
O God, our rock and our redeemer.
The first few times I heard her recite this, I was merely a spectator; but the more I heard it sincerely spoken to God, the more it became my prayer as well. Whether intended or not, Julie was effectively communicating to me the whole point of sitting through her 20 minute talk. At the same time, she was lifting up an earnest prayer to God. It provided a familiar and repeatable transition time for the congregation to intentionally move from worshiping God through music and prayer, to worshiping him through the proclamation of his word.
The sermon time can be seen as many things that are peripheral to its main objective, such as: counsel for wise living, motivation for church involvement, or inspirational and self-help advice. Elements of these may be included in a sermon, but its main goal is to lead people in worshiping God through expounding and applying the Bible.
For the past month I've recited the same pre-sermon prayer before beginning to preach:
And now Lord, open my mouth so that I can speak.
Open our ears so that we can hear.
And open our hearts so that we can change.
By your power, and through your grace, Amen.
This prayer reflects what is supposed to happen in a sermon, and I think, what every preacher WANTS to happen. I haven't been asked, but maybe at least one person is wondering if I am aware that I said the same prayer for five Sundays in a row. Yes, I am! And I think I'm going to continue to say it.
As I recite my pre-sermon prayer, 4 truths are at the forefront of my brain that I hope are communicated:
1) God is involved in this process. If someones simply sees this time as a "religious speech" given by a person to promote an agenda, he/she will miss out on an encounter with God.
2) There is a human element to preaching. In the midst of sharing God's truth, human anecdotes and opinions are also offered. I hope no one takes each and every word I say as coming straight from God. I am not a prophet.
3) A sermon must actively be both SPOKEN and RECEIVED. Listening to a sermon is not like filling your car up at the gas tank. People don't "get something out of it" simply because they showed up. They are required to actively think, pray, and reflect on what is spoken.
4) People (including the preacher) who seriously open themselves to all that is happening when a sermon is preached are changed in some way. Why would we experience anything less from an encounter with God?
What has helped you focus on the sacredness of God's word being preached? Do you find my pre-sermon prayer beneficial? What might you include or omit in your own version?
And now, may the words of my mouth,
and the meditations of our hearts together in this place,
be pleasing in your sight.
O God, our rock and our redeemer.
The first few times I heard her recite this, I was merely a spectator; but the more I heard it sincerely spoken to God, the more it became my prayer as well. Whether intended or not, Julie was effectively communicating to me the whole point of sitting through her 20 minute talk. At the same time, she was lifting up an earnest prayer to God. It provided a familiar and repeatable transition time for the congregation to intentionally move from worshiping God through music and prayer, to worshiping him through the proclamation of his word.
The sermon time can be seen as many things that are peripheral to its main objective, such as: counsel for wise living, motivation for church involvement, or inspirational and self-help advice. Elements of these may be included in a sermon, but its main goal is to lead people in worshiping God through expounding and applying the Bible.
For the past month I've recited the same pre-sermon prayer before beginning to preach:
And now Lord, open my mouth so that I can speak.
Open our ears so that we can hear.
And open our hearts so that we can change.
By your power, and through your grace, Amen.
This prayer reflects what is supposed to happen in a sermon, and I think, what every preacher WANTS to happen. I haven't been asked, but maybe at least one person is wondering if I am aware that I said the same prayer for five Sundays in a row. Yes, I am! And I think I'm going to continue to say it.
As I recite my pre-sermon prayer, 4 truths are at the forefront of my brain that I hope are communicated:
1) God is involved in this process. If someones simply sees this time as a "religious speech" given by a person to promote an agenda, he/she will miss out on an encounter with God.
2) There is a human element to preaching. In the midst of sharing God's truth, human anecdotes and opinions are also offered. I hope no one takes each and every word I say as coming straight from God. I am not a prophet.
3) A sermon must actively be both SPOKEN and RECEIVED. Listening to a sermon is not like filling your car up at the gas tank. People don't "get something out of it" simply because they showed up. They are required to actively think, pray, and reflect on what is spoken.
4) People (including the preacher) who seriously open themselves to all that is happening when a sermon is preached are changed in some way. Why would we experience anything less from an encounter with God?
What has helped you focus on the sacredness of God's word being preached? Do you find my pre-sermon prayer beneficial? What might you include or omit in your own version?
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