A portion of Sunday’s sermon was about the lame excuses people make for
not going to church. The congregation had a good laugh, because not only have
we heard them all before, but some of us have even used them over the years. At
the end of the service the preacher asked if there were any additional prayer
requests that needed to be made known. A visitor in the back of the room raised
her hand. “I know this was mentioned, but
I have four young men up on the lake fishing right now and I told them I’d pray
that they catch some fish. So I would like to ask that you pray for each boy to
catch two fish.” Seriously, I can’t make this stuff up. This appears to be
a classic example of a sermon failing to hit its mark. “He who has an ear, let him hear.” (Rev 13:9 NIV)
1 comment:
Gail;
-----I suppose these four young men could have chosen that Sunday to go fishing instead of all the other Sundays they were and will be in church. I want to make at least two Sundays a year days on which I am camping with Char instead of in church. But I will never opt for making a couple Sundays a year the days I will be in church. Yet, even if I go to church every day of every year there is a possibility I may as well be fishing. A list of excuses for going to church can also be made, and I bet your preacher has preached on it, too. That list might include: 1) if I don’t go to church I will go to Hell, 2) if I miss a Sunday the Devil will have his way with me, 3) I need to go to church and find more clients 4) I need to go to church so I will be respected in the neighborhood, 5) I need to go to church to feel better about myself, 6) I need to go to church to be good, 7) I need to go to church to go to Heaven, etc. In every excuse for going to church or not going to church is some truth and some error. The fact is that going to church is important because it is part of the new life, not because it is the new life. I go to church when my new life takes me there, and I go camping when my new life takes me there. But my new life never takes me fishing. I grew up on a trout farm. Been there, done that.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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