Sermon Response

At lunch today with my group of clergy friends, Cath said to the group,  "Yesterday, I heard a most interesting worldview, one I have never heard before."   My heart sank.  I knew she was going to say something about my sermon.  I had preached the day before at Fayetteville, and she had been there.   That she would bring it up at the lunch table among friends gave me trepidation. Should I jump in immediately, and stop any conversation before it got started?  After all,  the rest of the women did not know that I was the one she was talking about!

Cath went on to mention this new theological idea she had learned from the preacher's sermon, and she then said what it was.  The first, immediate response from several was,  "I think that is biblical."  (I was so relieved).  This theory is indeed biblical, in that it happened several times in the bible.  But my theological point took it another step, and made some inferences about the implications.    I did jump in soon into the conversation, so that none of us would be embarrassed (or hurt perhaps) when everyone realized that it was me Cath was talking about.   I did take it as a huge compliment that my sermon gave her pause to consider a theological point she had never considered before.  Cath herself is clergy;  her husband is also, and was a district superintendent.  Cath has heard more sermons than most people in several lifetimes.  It was also a compliment that she would still be thinking about it the next day!

My sermons always do seem to get many positive comments.  I don't want to blow my own horn here,  but there was one remark after the service from a nice lady that I thought was priceless.  She came up to me, and took my hand and said,  "Nancy,  when you were here, and we heard your sermons every week,  we just didn't realize how powerful they always are."    

I thought that was classic, and so typically human.  We have a tendency not to really appreciate what we have, until after it is gone.