Remembered Sermons

When I set out to remember sermons remembered, it is not a hard task.   Of the thousands I have preached, only a few really linger in the old gray matter.  One was a Mother's Day sermon which was entitled, "A Lament for the Children."   It centered around the difficulties experienced by some children and the need for the church and its people to offer the care of Christ.  At the door where preachers greet parishioners one lady came out furious saying, "I came here to hear a sermon exalting Mothers and I want you to know that was the worst sermon I ever heard."       

Maybe it was not the sermon, but the response I remember.  As a preacher I always preached convinced that a good sermon called for response, but her response was not exactly what I might have anticipated.  One other remembered sermon invited people to live as they felt a Christian should live for one week and some guy who was a self professed agnostic took up the invitation and ended up giving his life to Christ before the week was done.  But, the most amazing thing was that after his baptism, he went and told his mother about his faith, and she believed and was baptized as well.  I kept that sermon a long time!   

Of course, what every preacher knows is that the success of any sermon and its invitation is not about a carefully crafted sermon, but the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who listen.  A preacher never knows who is ready to hear a Word from God.  The task is to simply faithfully preach the Word and trust the Spirit to do as He pleases.