Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Wednesday Recall

I received a positive email today (Wednesday) from someone who heard me preach last Sunday. What's more, they connected what I'd said with their devotional reading in Oswald Chambers (one of my favorite spiritual writers):
"The sterling test of preaching is that it brings everyone to judgement. The Spirit of God locates each one to himself. If Jesus ever gave a command He could not enable us to fulfill, He would be a liar; it means we are telling God there is something he hasn't taken in to account. Every element of self-reliance must be slain by the power of God. Complete weakness and dependence will always be the occasion for the Spirit of God to manifest His power."

Too often a Sunday sermon seems out-of-sight and out-of-mind by Monday morning (if not sooner!) Too much else happens in our lives. And, who seriously expects something heard in church to continue to register on through Wednesday?

But such a Wednesday recall means that a hearer intentionally took in the message, and it made some difference! And by recall, I don't mean a test of memory, but a test of spiritual reality. Perhaps we need more mid-week intentionality. Preachers can make such sweeping claims for God's preached word but not expect much to change. A Wednesday recall would provide a good reality check. Would this make a difference to how we listen and act in response to sermons?

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