Memorable Failures
Preachers. Our first responsibility is to God and His Word. We must never forget Paul’s one-sentence directive to Timothy about preaching: “Preach the Word” (2 Timothy 4:2). Since “we have this treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7) it becomes wise to use all we have under that directive to communicate that Word to our generation (1 Chronicles 12:32; 1 Corinthians 9:23). Following the example of Jesus, every preacher does his best to connect his audience with the Word of God (Mark 4:34). To relate the ancient text with the modern life. To apply the Word of life to his hearers’ lives. In that effort these vessels of clay will sometimes attempt and fail, will sometimes swing and miss, will sometimes come up short.
I was thinking this morning that some of my most remembered sermons are some of my worst failures:
Sermons I remember and why…
There was the Sunday I began a series on the Fruit of the Spirit and wanted to make it memorable, so I tossed grapes into the audience. Which to others is remembered as the Sunday Dale threw grapes at us.
There was the Sunday that a friend was trying to collect 150 pairs of socks for the homeless and I thought, “we can help with that.” So I invited everyone to take their socks off and put them in the offering plates as we passed them a second time. Dierks Bentley would melodically ask “What was I thinking?"
There was an early Mother’s Day in my preaching when I decided that instead of honoring mom’s I would correct them all. I came on way too strong and 30 years later some of the folks who were there will still say “Mother’s Day” and laugh at my misguided attempt.
There was the Sunday I decided to go all-in on an old illustration. The lesson about cooking a cake and how you have to follow the recipe. And I mixed a cake as I talked about it. The Chef’s hat may have been a little much.
Your most memorable sermons may not be your best, but you are trying. Keep humble, be able to laugh at yourself, correct it when you make a mistake, always be honest with the Word and make it the priority, and keep on swinging for the fences! You’ll join me in some memorable failures but you’ll also affect some lives for eternity. Keep trying, you’ll connect more than you realize.