I have just completed reading Helmut Thielicke’s collection of sermons on Genesis 1-11 entitled, How The World Began. At the end he comments on all the theological debate that swirls around the historical documents and the interpretation of the Old Testament. His approach is to speak to the needs of his contemporaries. “The hearer must be able to say after he has listened to the sermon: ‘I was in it’; perhaps also, ‘I was in it in a way that doesn’t suit me at all, because I want to think of myself in a different way, and so I feel challenged to oppose. Nevertheless, I was in it.’

“Dare I say something else that is very harsh?

Corrie ten Boom once said, ‘I have traveled through half the world and I have found that nowhere is there such correct preaching as in Germany, but nowhere else is it so lacking in power and authority.’

The mirror that is held up to us in this statement is inexorable. For its thesis describes a listener’s reaction which may be expressed somewhat as follows: ‘It was perfectly all right, but I wasn’t in it.’”

Germany, the land of Martin Luther, had many great preachers of the Bible in its churches. They were preachers who correctly interpreted the Word of God. Yet they preached academically, and failed to apply the Word to themselves and their hearers. The result was two devastating World Wars, and the Holocaust. The USA may have many fine churches and preachers, but unless we apply the Word of God to our lives, we can become indifferent to God’s truth.

It is possible to interpret and preach the Bible correctly, but fail to make the human connection, either in oneself or in one’s hearers. So much preaching and teaching is ‘correct’ but irrelevant. I once asked my mentor, John Stott, after he had preached a perfectly correct sermon: ‘So what?’ Together we made a pact that we would endeavor to preach sermons that were personal, relevant and applicable to our hearers.

I am planning a series of sermons on Genesis 1-11. I will be dealing with the most high and lofty themes, and controversial subjects, but if I fail to make each sermon apply to myself or my hearers I will have failed. The text of the Bible is about the human condition and God’s salvation. It is about me, my condition, and God’s reaching out to me. It is not an abstract text about the world in general, or the problems of my neighbor. It is about me, my problems, and my need for salvation. It is not just about Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, or even man and woman, it is about Ted Schroder. If only everyone could see its message so personally it would bring the Bible alive in an arresting way. Beyond the controversies about the interpretation of Scripture lies the necessity to let the Bible speak to us in our need. We need this truth. Our lives depend upon it.

Thomas E. Reynolds is father to a son who has been diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome, Asperger’s syndrome, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Because of his disability churches they have attended requested that he not be in their Sunday School program. Over the years they have been through behavioral programs, family counseling and psychiatric care. What to do? As the grandfather myself of a lovely grandson who suffers from an autistic disorder I am deeply sympathetic. Reynolds, an associate professor of theology at Emmanuel College in the Toronto School of Theology, University of Toronto, has authored an extremely important book entitled, Vulnerable Communion: A Theology of Disability and Hospitality.

In it he quotes Stanley Hauerwas who says that we suffer from the ‘tyranny of normality.’ Theologian Jurgen Moltmann states, “There is no differentiation between the healthy and those with disabilities. For every human life has its limitations, vulnerabilities, and weaknesses. We are born needy, and we die helpless. It is only the ideals of health of a society of the strong which condemn a part of humanity to being ‘disabled.’”

The basic argument of Reynold’s book is that “wholeness is not he product of self-sufficiency or independence, but rather of the genuinely inclusive communion that results from sharing our humanity with one another in light of the grace of God. To exist as a finite creature is to be contingent and vulnerable. This means we are beings that face limitations and are capable of suffering from a range of impairments. ..It is precisely such vulnerability that God embraces in Christ, entering fully into the frailty of the human condition, even unto a tragic death…God is in solidarity with humanity at its most fundamental level, in weakness and brokenness….God reveal the divine nature as compassion not only by undergoing or suffering with human vulnerability, but also by raising it up into God’s own being.” (18,19)

He explores the cult of normalcy which dominates our definition of what it means to be whole, and healthy, and acceptable to society. Independence is prized above all else. Any kind of dependency is seen to be unacceptable. Yet most of us spend a great part of our lives physically dependent on others. We spend the first two decades of our lives being trained to become independent members of society, and we increasingly spend the last decades of our lives tethered to life-supporting medical care of one sort of another. We are all dependent emotionally upon others for well-being. The ability to reason and be rational is not the only yardstick of health and value. Nor is the ability to be economically productive, and materially successful. The way we treat our children and our elderly is a measure of our understanding of what it means to be human and Christian.

“The basic question of human existence is whether there is welcome at the heart of things, whether we can find a home with others who recognize us, value us, and empower us to be ourselves.” (119) “Vulnerability and dependence is normal. Accordingly, the moral measure of a society lies in the way it treats its most vulnerable.” (129) Indeed, wholeness is not the property of the individual, a quality of self-sufficiency. It is a relational term; we are not complete persons without each other.” (130)

This is an important book and topic. I commend it to you. Let us do unto others what we want them to do unto us if we were disabled – which we all are in one way or another.

In rereading Kierkegaard’s Training in Christianity I came across this searching admonition to preachers.

“Hence it is a venturesome thing to preach; for when I mount to that sacred place [the pulpit] – whether the church be crowded or as good as empty – I have, though I myself may not be aware of it, one hearer in addition to those that are visible to me, namely God in heaven, whom I cannot see it is true, but who truly can see me. This hearer listens attentively to discover whether what I say is true, and He looks also to discern (as well He can, for He is invisible, and in that way it is impossible to be on one’s guard against Him) – so He looks to see whether my life expresses what I say. And although I possess no authority to impose an obligation upon any other person, yet what I have said in the course of the sermon puts me under obligation – and God has heard it. Truly it is a venturesome thing to preach! Doubtless most people have a notion that it requires courage to step out on the stage like and actor and venture to encounter the danger of having all eyes fixed upon one. And yet this danger is in a sense, like everything else on the stage, an illusion; for personally the actor is aloof from it all, his part is to deceive, to disguise himself, to represent another, and to transmit accurately the words of another. The preacher of Christian truth, on the other hand, steps out into a place, even if all eyes are not fixed upon him, the eye of omniscience is; his part is to be himself, and that in an environment, God’s house, which, being all eye and ear, requires of him only this, that he be himself, be true. ‘That he be true’ – this means that he himself is what he preaches, or at least strives to be that, or at the very least is sober enough to admit that he is not. Alas, and how many who in mounting to this sacred place to preach Christianity are keen enough of hearing to detect the repugnance and scorn which this sacred place feels for him at hearing him preach with enthusiasm, in moving tones, with tears, the opposite of that which his life expresses.”

Makes one want to spend much time in prayer before preaching, pleading for honesty and authenticity before God and others.

My recent reading of Dave Kraft’s book, Leaders Who Last, and meeting with the Chapel Long Range Planning Committee, has stimulated me to review my own vision for the ministry at the Chapel. The life purpose of my own ministry has always been to reach people for Christ. When I was a high school student I belonged to a national Christian group called Crusaders. We met every week for Bible study, and attended summer camps. The camp I attended and eventually helped to lead during my college days, was at Titirangi Bay in the beautiful Marlborough Sounds, at the northern end of the South Island of New Zealand. It was based on a sheep farm sloping down to a private beach in the bay which opened out to Cook Strait. It was an idyllic setting. The motto for the Crusader movement, “Witnesses to me”, was taken from Acts 1:8 when Jesus said to his disciples before leaving them: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.”

I also belonged to the League of Youth, a branch of the Church Missionary Society, whose motto was taken from Isaiah 6:8, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”

Another Scripture verse that has meant a great deal to me is from 1 Corinthians 9:16, “Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”

My passion over the more than forty years I have been in active ministry has been to communicate the gospel in every way to everyone. Communication is through speaking, writing, doing and being. It is inspired through prayer, and delivered through preaching, teaching, leading, caring and works of mercy.

As I look forward to the next few years of ministry I have adopted Paul’s comments to the Ephesian leaders in Acts 20:24 as my guide: “if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”

I want to reach new people in the community by meeting their needs. I want to encourage and empower our chapel family in their witness and service. I want to leave a legacy of a strong, growing and vital congregation.

To that end I will be working with the Long Range Planning Committee and the Governing Board to identify goals, priorities and strategies to carry out our mission and fulfill our vision.

We honor Mothers on Sunday, May 9. We are thankful for our own mothers - for life and love. We are thankful for Mary, the Mother of our Lord, who accepted her calling to be the Lord’s servant. We are thankful for the mothers of own children: for their faithful nurturing. We are thankful for single women, like Mother Teresa, who bore many spiritual children. We need to pray for families, for unwed mothers and their children. In 2008, the black out-of-wedlock birth rate stood at 72.3%. The white out-of-wedlock birth rate in 2008 was 28.6%. The rate for Hispanics is 52.5%. (WSJ May 3, 2010, p.A19) Such a breakdown of morality and the intact family contributes to poverty and many social and personal problems. Our nation needs the love of Christ to keep us together, to bind us together.

Christianity Today reports that Charles (Chuck) Swindoll, age 75, is nearing a time when most people enjoy retirement. After pastoring his Evangelical Free Church in Fullerton, California for many years, and speaking to millions through 2,000 radio outlets worldwide, he became the chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary. A Harley-Davison enthusiast, he seems to remain perennially fresh.

In addition to his seminary duties he is senior pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, a fast-growing northern suburb of Dallas next to Plano. He says that if he ever wrote a book on preaching, it would contain three words: Preach the Word. Get rid of all the other stuff that gets you sidetracked; preach the Word.

In answer to the question: How do you intend to spend the remainder of your years? he said, “I want to preach till the last breath in my lungs runs out. Nothing is more bothersome to me than retiring. Weird things happen when you disengage; first you get negative, then you start telling people about your latest surgeries, and eventually you lose touch. I want to stay in touch.”

This is my sentiment exactly. I have been asking myself what is my vision for the future. Chuck Swindoll captures it very well. As I have been reflecting on my vision for the Chapel, I found that it involved my own vision. Today it is to embody the life, love and light of Christ on Amelia Island. From that you can never retire.

In a recent article in Leadership magazine, three preachers are interviewed on their preaching preparation. What struck me was their weekly schedule. All of them spend a great deal of time reading and writing out their sermons the week before the Sunday they are scheduled to deliver it.  Bryan Lorritts does research up to Wednesday night. On Thursday he fills in his outline and writes a rough draft. Friday morning is when he writes his final draft. Saturday night he reads his manuscript three times. Sunday morning he rises at 3.30 to pray, read over his manuscript, and rehearse it.

Joshua Harris devotes most of Thursday, Friday and Saturday to preparation. On Friday he nails down a basic outline. On Saturday he types up a full manuscript and usually wraps up by late Saturday evening.

Such last-minute preparation would cause me extreme anxiety. I like to have my messages prepared two weeks before they are due. On Tuesday week before the Sunday it is needed I write my first draft. The following day I revise it, and do a second draft. I then let it sit and marinate in my mind, heart and spirit until the following Tuesday. Then I complete a final draft, and give it to my secretary to proof. After any corrections, it is copied for general use (it is available in the Chapel narthex for any to pick up either before or after worship), posted to the website, and emailed to a listserve which goes out on the internet. All this is done on the Friday before it is delivered on Sunday. I look it over on the Saturday but don’t worry about it on Saturday night – I like to sleep well! On Sunday morning I read it over again, and pray for any additional application I should use.

Since I usually preach in series I am thinking ahead all the time, and seeking for guidance as to what I should be doing. Having the sermon in hand a week before it is needed also frees me up to respond to pastoral needs, emergencies, and meetings as they arise, without feeling pressured for time. Weddings, funerals, and hospital visits need to be planned for as well as sermon preparation. I have learned over the years that over-preparation can be as dangerous as under-preparation. There is a need to finish the preparation, and leave it alone rather than be tempted to tinker with it ad nauseam.

Perhaps my earliest experience of writing for a deadline has proved invaluable to me over the years. After I graduated from the University of Canterbury, I returned home to teach school for six months before sailing off to England for my graduate theological work. The local newspaper, the Hokitika Guardian, asked me to write the leading editorial article Monday through Saturday. I came home from teaching school each afternoon and sat down and wrote the editorial for the following day’s edition. Every day I would have to write a final draft and submit it for publication. Every word I wrote would be read by the local population. I cannot remember being intimidated by the expectations. I succeeded my high school English teacher in the job. I had just graduated with a double major in English and History, so I must have thought I was up to it. When you are that young you think you can do anything! I still have the cuttings of those leading articles. They are amusing to read. The topics varied from comments on the weather to Elizabeth Taylor getting divorced from Eddie Fisher. The news in 1964 seems so tame compared with today. But it wasn’t to those living at that time.

We are all writing for a deadline. Every day we are writing for our final examination. We are accountable for every word spoken, every deed done or left undone. This is why it is so essential to know our examiner, to know his expectations and the help he can give us to fulfill them. In the end, he is the only one who counts. We write, live and preach for him as our audience: to the glory of God. That is the best preparation.