| Our kids were up throughout the night on Saturday, and we didn't make it to church this past Sunday. This morning I listened to the message one of my pastors preached on Sunday, and you know what? It wasn't the best sermon in the world.I spend most of my workday listening to podcasts, and yesterday the podcasts I subscribe to happened to serve me a long list of sermons and teachings from some of the best preachers in the church today. And the sermon I heard today just couldn't compare in quality to the sermons I heard yesterday.But you know what? The sermon I heard today came from the mouth of someone to whom God has given charge over my soul. It wasn't as polished, or clear, or as arresting as the sermons I heard yesterday, but there is a spiritual nourishment that God ordains to be in the words of the local pastor that is not and cannot be present anywhere else. My soul was fed and nourished as I heard my pastor proclaim God's word to me.Most of us are going to be average preachers. There will be a few amazing preachers, and a few really bad ones, but most of us are going to be somewhere in between. If you feel like you're an average preacher, you're probably right. But when you proclaim the Gospel to your people, God has ordained a nourishment and substance to be in your words that your sheep can find nowhere else. You are probably not the best pastor, but you are their pastor, and God has ordained and chosen that your proclamation of His word be the primary means of His grace toward them. |