Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Leaping over a wall

It's been all quiet on my sermon production front these last few days. Instead, seminary grading has nearly overwhelmed me! But I return to duty on Saturday March 1st for the Annual Gathering of the Great Rivers Region of ABC churches. I have spoken to them before - they're a great crowd of believers.

Because the meetings begin on Feb 29 they have created a leap year theme: L.E.A.P. into Ministry: Lead, Empower, Affirm, Pray. Whenever I face a theme like this I yearn for a Bible text to ground me. ( I know it sounds like the preachers' old joke about trying to find a text to fit a good story!) This time, one hit me full-on, rushing in by "authorized version" memory - Psalm 18:29: And by my God I have leaped over a wall (AV). I call this psalm the "commando psalm" because its full of overcoming conflicts, running through troops, and over barricades.

So, it's eyes down to prepare a new message. It counts that it is "by my God' I have leaped - this cannot be a self-help message. But it also matters that it is "over a wall." For the psalmist this seems to be a battlement. I need to identify some walls God wants us to leap over today. Any ideas out there?

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