Opus 2023-055: Cleared to Go

I had the opportunity to preach last Sunday and it was an interesting application of God’s grace.

When I accepted the invitation I had a month to prepare.  That gives a lot of time to study, pray, mediate, write, repeat.  I had just come off of a long coughing spell and felt like I was going to be in good condition.  It went well until it didn’t.  I came down with an even worse case of congestion and confusion.  Last week I chose Monday to be the day I would press ahead or call to cancel.

I had two criteria.  First, my mind needed to be clear, or as clear as could be expected.  On that I was good to go.  I no longer was sitting staring at the wall.  I was able to do some writing and could focus for periods of time.  Second, I needed to be past the infectious stage and able to talk without constant coughing.  Doctor Google told me I was past giving the gift of mucus and I was going longer without coughing so I decided to go with it.

Saturday night I went the entire night without coughing and though I was home free but eventually my lungs started clearing out.  It was seldom enough that I felt I would make it.  When I got to church I sat through Sunday School without a rumble.  When the first song came up I started coughing but a cough drop calmed it down and I was fine.  Then came the moment when I had to get up and speak.

There is an amazing process that I go through when I have to preach.  I come to the point where I have been faithful in my preparation and done all I can.  After that it is the Lord’s problem.  I can feel an almost instant peace that comes over me when I open my outline and Bible.  It is like God pats me on the head and says, “I’ve got this boy.”  I made it through the entire sermon without a cough.  I greeted people afterward with no issues.  Then when I was walking to my car the urge to purge came upon me and I stepped to the grass and started clearing out.  I would have to say it was providential.

Mind you, I am not saying the sermon was anything special.  One of the things that I think serious preachers learn early is that preaching is an exercise in arrogance and hubris.  Even the Bible calls it “the foolishness of preaching.”  And yet we are called to do it.  I think it is a good example of what it means to live by faith.

We live day by day doing the best we can to be faithful.  In times like this we wonder if it will be enough.  Living by faith means trusting the Lord to work out the details His way.  

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