When a sermon wakes you up.
Yesterday was special at our church.
A group called Teen Challenge came to share their stories. If you’ve never heard of Teen Challenge, check it out here. It’s a drug rehabilitation center and it’s world wide. It has a higher percentage success rate than most other drug rehabilitation programs in the country.
Anyway, every year their choir comes to sing at the churches that support them. It’s either the women’s group or the men’s group. This year it was the men. They sing and some of them share their story.It was so wonderful to hear how these young men have turned their life around. But then the pastor spoke. He was different from the last one we heard. To say he was wonderful is an understatement. He grabbed my attention immediately as well as the entire congregation. You can tell when a congregation is on board or not. There are less “potty exits”, less rustling of papers, less fidgeting. less yawning. There was none of that yesterday.
So it was a good sermon because it grabbed everyone’s attention.
But it was also a good sermon because it had a good message and a practical message. It centered on the last chapter in John when Peter thinks he overheard Jesus say something he didn’t say. He gets his nose out of joint and Jesus addresses him and essentially says, “It isn’t any of your business Peter.” Or restated another way, “Peter, mind your own business.”
The pastor went on to state that Peter’s issue was that fact that he was comparing himself to Mark and coming up short. Then the pastor explained that when we compare ourselves to others, one of two things happen: We either come up short, or we elevate ourselves. The truth is almost always in between.
Guess what? I’ve said the same thing on my About Me page.
I’ve also posted about it here and here.
But the pastor took it one step further. He pointed out that when we’re busy comparing ourselves to others or judging our faith journey by theirs, we will miss what God is trying to tell us. Peter almost did that with his preoccupation with the conversation between Jesus and Mark.
So if you find yourself being compared to others unfavorably (or at least it feels that way), or you are doing it yourself, remember your eyes are looking at the wrong thing and your ears may not hear what God is saying to you.
God bless and I hope you have a good day.
