Something to Say

September 6, 2017

Back when I was teaching aspiring preachers, I was often heard to say, “There is a big difference between having to say something and having something to say.” Politicians and preachers are notorious for having to say something, but not having something to say. The latter is a rare commodity; it requires times of solitude, times of listening…to one’s own heart as well as to the hearts of common people, and of course, the heart of God. Most of us, pastors included, have crammed so much into our days that we can’t slow down enough to hear the rhythms of God’s heartbeat. Added to the busyness, we have so many distractions with media such as television, internet, emails, tweets, and texts that silent listening is all but lost in the shuffle.

I was reminded of this when I was reviewing a series of sermons I preached some years ago. I wouldn’t change a thing about the truth I was proclaiming, but the intervening years have taught me much about how truth needs to be presented. What I said back then was, and is true, but it was pretty cerebral. I had to stretch to make it touch down anywhere where it might have actually been helpful for someone. I suspect that particular sermon was the result of Sunday’s coming, and I needed to say something. 

Hopefully, I’m a little wiser these days, although the discipline of writing a nightly blog has the potential to negate my point. I force myself to say something even when I might not have much to say. Even in retirement, my days are pretty full, and it’s easy to rush through them without stopping to quiet my soul and listen to God. I think it was Charles Spurgeon who told his preaching students to “talk to God about men before you talk to men about God.” Good advice even today!

Moses had much to say, but it took 40 years in the desert, 40 days on the mountain, and 40 years leading God’s wandering people to hear God’s message. Without these extended times of listening, he would have had nothing of value to say. The fact that so much of the Bible are his words is testimony to the importance of listening. I’m back in the preaching saddle, and Sunday’s coming. If I don’t take time to quiet my soul in silence, the only proper thing to do on Sunday would be silence. God’s people don’t need a lecture; they need a word from the Lord. They don’t need good advice; they need Good News. I am thankful for the reminder to take time to listen in the form of a deficient sermon. It might just turn having to say something into having something to say.