Lord, I was born a traveling man

I am not traveling far this week, but I will have a change of scenery on Sunday. I agreed a while back to be a guest preacher for worship at Sinton UMC this Sunday. The nice part about being an associate is that I can actually be away on Sunday every so often and see how the rest of the planet works. It is fun to just go to another church and worship, but it can also be a lot of fun to preach at someone else's church once in a while.

There is something radically different between preaching to one's own congregation and preaching to someone else's. When I stand up at Grace, I look at and see people that I really know. I see people I have studies with and prayed with. I see people I have gotten to know through a time of grief or great joy. I see people I have struggled with over important decisions in the life of the church. I see their faces as I preach and I see their faces as I prepare. As I am writing each sermon I see faces and think, "how will _______ hear these words after what she has just been through?" "How will these words of Jesus sound to ___________ who has just come back to church?" There is a whole new level of depth to preaching when the faces and voices of the congregation become part of how a read and relate to scripture.

So, on Sunday, I will be preaching blind, which will be interesting in its own way. It does take some pressure off.

peace,

will