Are We Available

I remember when I started serving in my first parish, I was tied to my notes. When I would prepare for preaching, I had to have every detail written down. This would frustrate me at times, because when talking with people before the service, I might find things that really fit the message, but I had no way of including them... after all, it wasn’t in the notes. I always wanted to get away from my notes but, as long as they were nearby, I still depended on them. One Sunday, in my haste to make it to the second church that I served, I forgot my sermon. There wasn’t enough time to get the notes before the service. The phones weren’t fancy enough to take a picture of them and pass it on. What could I possibly do? Well, I had studied the text. I knew the basic outline of what I was going to preach. I had no choice. I prayed, maybe with a little more urgency, and began the worship. When it was time to deliver the message, it seemed to flow beautifully. I still continue to pray, study the text, and have a definite direction for the message, but I rarely preach from notes. The times I do, I feel as if it either comes across disingenuous or, because I have written so many ideas down that the message gets way too long or technical. Today was such a day. Did I say anything false? Not that I know of. Did I include the parts I wanted to present? Of course... after all, I did write it. Did it flow as smoothly as I would have wanted? Nowhere near! I think that I was afraid of being tired from the picnic worship from yesterday that I felt I needed notes. Do I fault someone who only preaches from notes? Not at all. Everyone has a different way that God uses them. We need to know our limitation, but we need to know our God even more clearly. I can’t spend my days wishing I was like someone else. I just need to be available to be used by God. Are there ways God has used you to share His word with others in the past? As you continue to share with others, you will discover your gifts and style. Being available is not being so set on what we want or how we think things should go that we miss His leading and fall short of His call for us. Father, Show us where our weaknesses are and how to overcome them. Help me not seek what’s comfortable, but what’s right. Amen