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"Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from good
will: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing
to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am
appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way,
whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes,
and will rejoice." (Phil. 1:15-18)
INI. The "some" there is me. When I look at the dreadful things that I do, say, and think, I sometimes wonder why on earth I am given to even open my mouth.
Not to mention to open my mouth proclaim the Lord's words.
The only answer that holds for sure is: "The Lord put me here."
Pious pastors like Pr. Peperkorn always preach the Gospel for the salvation of their hearers. I marvel at his godliness and faithfulness on a daily basis.
I've looked inside of me. There's no godly Peperkorn there. What's even more
frightening is that there's not even a Pr. Cwirla there (smile). There is only sin,
unbelief, and death. I don't want even to start to think about the motivations
behind why I preach. When I do, I end up with conclusions that cause repentance:
arrogance, ego, glory-seeking, self-promotion, and everything but Truth.
Which reminds me of a great story (smile). When I was on
vicarage, I wondered why on earth I was preaching. It didn't seem to jive
with our Confessions that a non-ordained young man should be in the pulpit (Augustana
XIV). I took comfort in the words of my professors, who told me that I
was there to learn and learn and learn.
Then, I was called to St. Mark to be a pastor. (If you don't know, I
was called to my vicarage congregation. They REALLY liked my wife. - (smile))
After ordination, the first time I got into the pulpit, I found one thought in my mind.
Can there be an any more uber-pious moment in Bloghardt's life than right before
he preached his first sermon? Was I praying a psalm? Was I thinking
about the Cross? Nope, I could only come up
with one-not-so-pious thought. The Hymn of the Day ended and in my mind
was, "So THIS is why I was in this pulpit on vicarage.....He was gonna put me
here..." And I gently tapped the side of the pulpit with my hand and
said, "Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you...."
I have been called by our Lord to preach, so I open my mouth. I have been called
by our Lord to teach, so I teach. I have been called by our Lord to administer, so I administer.
How do I know? He put me here at my ordination. (smirk)
The great comfort is that it isn't ME doing anything at all - the Lord does
it!. When the Office of the Holy Ministry does something, the Lord is doing it (instrumentum secundum).
Which removes everything about you, John. So, you are free.
Either go to seminary or don't. But, leave the "why" you'll preach to the
Lord Jesus. INI. Amen.
Edited on: September 06th, 2005 11:26 pm
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