Creeping on Facebook?

They say that too much preaching to the choir will make an unpleasant sound.  But I say, choir or not, preach away!

As I was reflecting with some today after both services, several attempted to "catch me" in my secret scheming, asking if I had been snooping on their Facebook pages or checking up on them in other ways.  How else could I give messages today and last Sunday that were both so personally directed toward specific people?  I'll never forget the look on one woman's face today when I told her, "yes, I've been intently following the details of your Facebook for weeks now."  She was horrified!  I quickly assured her I actually hadn't been looking at her page.  In fact, unless it were to say Hi or happy birthday, I'm not a very good Facebook creeper.

But this is what I know about how God works and why I DID prepare this and last Sunday's messages just for that woman, just for specific other people, just for you, and just as I prepared them for myself!  In my world, the topics and lessons we cover in sermon series are set long before they get preached--months before.  Rarely then, are they intended responses to things that happened within the week prior to the message.  For each series, I spend some time in prayer, scripture, listening, and pondering developing a theme.  From there, my ultimate goal is to discern where God is leading the theme and how the theme in turn will lead those who hear the messages.  The end result, ideally, is that it's God's sermon series, not mine.  I just do the preaching!

In that way, I am assured that what I talked about today, last Sunday, and the Sunday before actually was addressed toward those who needed to hear it--including YOU.  God knows well before I do, and to a much greater depth, what each person needs to hear.

But there is a second reason that I can be pretty sure I was speaking directly to you and that it may seem as though I have been creeping on your Facebook.  We're all in this together.  Not one of us is above God's word, instruction, reminders, and direction--not even the pastor.  That's right.  Not even the choir!  Most of the messages I feel God leading me to give are not simply lessons I've already mastered and wish the rest of the world to get as well.  They're often things I too am wrestling with or have seen crop up in my own life.  And if it's not in my life, we can be assured that what I teach about is something that has cropped in the lives of those who are close to me.

The truth is that I need the learning and lesson just as much as anyone else.  And when some of us feel like maybe we've already got it, it rarely hurts to have a keen and timely reminder.  In the end, my messages seem like they're addressing you personally because they're addressing me personally, and we're all in this together as the body of Christ.  We move not on our own, but as one, together.

So, although I may not be creeping on anyone's Facebook accounts, I AM very interested in what you're all going through so that we can lift it up to God together for his guidance and direction.  

With that, Sarah and I wish you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving!  We also wish that over this holiday week you, as well as both of us, will find new chances to discover contentment for the glory of God!

More to come!

Jason <><