The Next Sermon

I watched an NFL program once and the coach commented that as they were walking off the field after a game he always would look to his assistant and ask who they played next. Win or lose- that didn't matter. What mattered was the next game.

And in many ways I feel the same as I walk off the field after a day of ministry with my congregation. How the sermon went- for better or worse- doesn't matter any more. What now matters is the next sermon. Sure, there are times the sermon is a home run but that does not help the next at-bat. Yes, there are the occasional "stinkers" that I want to forward to the circular file next to my desk. But what I come back to is the next sermon.

And so here I am on the day after. The day after the big day of the week. As pastors we live, breath and work for this day. There is no other day like Sunday as we distribute the bread and wine of the Word and Christ. People arrive from a hurting week, frustrating relatives and the like. What we offer them is the truth of Christ and the bread that satisfies.

Here I am, contemplating the next message the day after the last message. How it went yesterday is not very important anymore. What is important is the next sermon. And that now becomes my focus this week.

As I immerse myself into the Scriptures, the Commentaries and into prayer, the trust is in a God who- for whatever reasons I am not sure- has chosen me to do His work. And so I allow the message to permeate my heart, my mind and my life.

So that next Sunday as I step into Monday I will look ahead to the next message.