ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
October 14, 2025
On Sunday, as the Contemporary Service was clearly running longer than expected, specifically because of a special program by Worship & Wonder, a children’s program within our denomination, I began thinking about how to cut my sermon. As I started to preach, in the back of my mind, I determined a way to remove a section and bridge the divide. After cutting it, I realized the necessity of that section to make a later point. Let’s just say the sermon, specifically in Contemporary, was sort of a train wreck. I should know better than to try to edit on the fly.
Proverbs 19:21, says:
Many plans are in a person’s mind,
but the Lord’s purpose will succeed.
In moments like that, I am thankful that the Gospel remains fully the Gospel apart from anything I might do or not do. Though God uses us, moments of embarrassingly poor execution do not change God. If every failure diminished the power or effectiveness of the Gospel of God’s immeasurable love, we’d probably no longer have a Gospel. In moments like this, I am thankful for the sovereignty and autonomy of God.
Giver and Source of Good News, we are ever thankful for the resilience of your message of love. It truly has the power to both inspire and transform us, while also inspiring and transforming others through us. Encourage us as we strive to be the best conduits of this Good News. Amen.
