Welcome to today’s reflection.
Today I reflect on my first attempt at preaching, an uncomfortable lesson in accepting criticism, and a little-known preacher in Acts who still had something to learn.
I was in my early thirties when I began to sense that God might be calling me to preach. There was no dramatic moment, sudden revelation or unmistakable voice from heaven. It was more of a growing, nagging conviction that this was something I needed to explore, although I wasn’t entirely sure where it might lead.
Eventually, I approached the leadership of the church I was attending and explained what had been happening. To my surprise, they were remarkably encouraging. Looking back, I suspect they could see that something was stirring, even if neither they nor I really understood what it was. They agreed to give me an opportunity, and a month later, I was booked to preach my first sermon.
I decided that my subject would be truth, which, in hindsight, was a pretty ambitious choice for someone who had never preached before. Nevertheless, I threw myself into the preparation with enormous enthusiasm. I gathered every commentary and article I could find, spending hours reading, researching and working out what I wanted to say.
For four weeks, I lived and breathed that sermon and by the time Sunday arrived, I was understandably nervous, but I was also pleased with what I had produced.
And then I preached, and as far as I was concerned, it went brilliantly.
I thought the sermon was funny, informative and reflective. I had managed to get through it without any major disasters; people appeared to be listening, and afterwards several members of the congregation told me how much they had enjoyed it. I was running on adrenaline and feeling pleased with myself. For the first time, I had stood in front of a congregation and done something that I had been wondering about for months. More importantly, I had enjoyed it.
I walked away thinking that I might just have found my thing, but there was only one small problem. I had arranged to meet with one of the church elders the following day for a debrief.
