There are times pastors preach sermons and it is exactly what the congregation needed to hear. But then, there are times when a pastor preaches a sermon, and it is exactly what she needed to hear.
A few weeks ago, I preached a sermon for MLK Sunday at University Presbyterian Church. Amidst the chaos of life and decisions, this sermon was stirring in my mind, but most importantly my heart.
“Lord, what is it that you have for this church to hear?” I prayed, ”Lord, speak a word over them that leads to transformation.”
I realized in my sermon preparation that I had missed the point– I wanted God to do a work in everyone else. I wanted to have the sermon substance to change them. I was working hard with my words and my grammar, hoping that my thoughtfulness of my craft would change hearts.
While I was praying these prayers and reflecting on 1 Samuel 3 and Acts 2, the Spirit was doing a transformational work in me. And as I sat down to write this sermon, I realized that I was constantly overtaken by fear in my call. Except for around a handful of friends and colleagues, I was constantly sterilizing my vision, dreams, and voice to be normal. I was constantly being told:
- if you want a job, don’t dream too big
- we want people who will fit in and not stand out
- we want visionaries, but we don’t want them to lead with vision… there’s a manual for that.
For fear of being labeled a crazy drunk or lunatic, I shoved the vision and dreams inside a tiny glass box and placed it gently on my shelf. I would catch occasional glimpses in hopes that the vision would shrink, fit, and arise tamed.
It never did.
So, I’ll take my chances. I would rather hope and dream then die hopeless.
Well, take a listen, here’s the Audio/Video/Manuscript for “We Have A Dream…”
