Flowing

Today just seemed to go right.

This was the last of my four slots helping with my regular minister at Lane End and Fieldside.  The initial idea was to have some sort of interview type sermon, with us bouncing questions off each other and working that into Jeremiah saying he wasn't up for the task, and with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost reading from Acts.

Now the minister sent me his first draft of the sermon, and it became clear that there was going to be a lot of probing of my calling.  I'm usually OK with that, but I didn't want the sermon to appear to be all about me.  So on Saturday evening we discussed a plan which saw us using most of the content of his original sermon, and when questioned I gave an account of three people I had met on the enquiry process, all of whom had entertained the idea of ministry, but had then went on to follow God's call in some other way.  I went on to give examples of opportunities to follow God's call in the local area.  So in the end, the sermon was about 25% my content, 75% his, but with the delivery of the sermon split 50/50.

Yes I know this sounds muddled and complicated, but when we actually got up there and delivered it, it worked.  The 9.30 service at Lane End felt great for a change.  I have occasionally felt that, despite my best efforts, I have used their service as a dress rehearsal for the 11.00 at Fieldside.  Today it just flowed.

When I got to Fieldside, the projectionist had used a few images to illustrate callings within that local parish, and I was confident enough to divert slightly from the script and use them as examples of the varied ways people are called to serve God.  This was unexpected but it personalised the sermon to that congregation.

This was just the confidence boost I was needing.  This was the last involvement in a sermon that I will have until after my selection on the 5th.