First Lectionary Sermon

This week is the first week I am preaching from the lectionary.  I've got to say that I prefer to do it the other way.  With series preaching, I already know the basic message I'm trying to communicate and just need to use the text to confirm that message.  While I have to do exegesis, it's more of a "directed" exegesis.

Lectionary preaching, though, requires that I sit down with just the text and absolutely no idea of the message.  Then I have to read the text, study the text, look at the Greek/Hebrew and then ask the question:

What does this text have to say to the congregation God has given me to lead?

All that to say that sermon writing this week was a bigger challenge than that to which I am accustomed.  I had to say to God before I sat down to write that, if He didn't show up while I was typing the sermon, there would be nothing to say on Sunday.  I confess that I didn't like that at all, I would prefer to rely on my own ability to form creative sermons.

At the end of the day, I wrote the sermon.  And I am confident that it is not the exclusive product of my own biases.  Now, is it good?

We'll find that out on Sunday.