Dad's Greatest Sermon

Every preacher I have ever known silently holds the same secret. Every one of them longs to preach one world changing, jaw dropping, acclaimed sermon. Hours of study, preparation, research and prayer are invested in an effort to fine tune and tweak the written words so that they will transform into powerful spoken words that will cause others to be dumbfounded. My father is no different. After over 40 years of preaching in churches all over North America I know that he is still on the quest to preach “THE” message. He still studies and tries to master his craft in hopes that he will deliver that one message. What he doesn’t know is that he has already and continues to preach his greatest sermon.

The introduction of a sermon is one of the most important aspects of the message. It is this short, few moments at the beginning that grabs a person’s attention and rivets them to their seat in anticipation of what is still to come. Dad’s introduction certainly accomplishes this. He grew up in a single parent home. No dad to call his own. Yet, somehow he comes through this lack armed with discipline, hunger for knowledge, and an ambitious drive. His introduction is painted with strokes of growth, advancement and promotion. Surprisingly enough a man with no father becomes a stand out father in his own right . . . always loyal, present, loving and fully engaged. His introduction speaks to greater things ahead and transitions flawlessly into the body of the message where he teaches his greatest truths.

The body of Dad’s sermon is where he focuses on application. This is where the meat is found. This is where truth is most lived and observed. The body of his message is sketched on the canvas of success only to be splashed with the crimson hues of pain, sacrifice, the anguish of disappointments and dreams trampled before they were allowed to be carried to full term. However, his greatest sermon remains great because through it all he handles these bloody strokes with Christ-like grace and otherworldly humility. The body of the message teaches us what it really means to let Christ live in and through a person. It screams practical application of the truth that we are dead in Christ and as dead men our rights have been surrendered. As majestic as the introduction was it is the body of the message that secures the “masterpiece” status of his sermon.

The curtains are slowly being drawn on the beauty and the struggle of the body of the message. I find myself waiting with bated breath, on the edge of my seat, as I carefully observe him as he now crafts the close to his sermon. I have no doubt that the final moments of this message will be grand. I know these last sentences will tie it all together. I fully expect that these climactic statements will be life changing and that, as I have been at other moments during the course of this sermon, I will be awe struck at the power and truth revealed. I am also convinced that the close will contain a call for a response. Great messages always do. The last breaths of this sermon will force me to examine my own “preaching”! The close will compel me to do the hard work necessary to craft my message in a manner that will ensure that it is worthy of the legacy and incredible privilege I have had to see my Dad live his greatest sermon!

Keep preaching Dad . . . I am listening . . . I am learning!

With Love,
Steve