Another good day in Cuernavaca - this was the day Bobby and I were to preach a la Iglesia Metodista, where we attended last Sunday. It was a great service and seemed a little better this week - not necessarily in my interpretation of the language, but out of the familiarity of something routine. It was nice to see many familiar faces in the congregation as well. Doing anything for the first time is a little uncomfortable, but I think we managed it well last week - as difficult as it seemed to connect with people because of the language barrier. I am beginning to recognize this experience (of newness and discomfort) as one of preparation - for what, I´m not certain.
As pastors (or pastors-in-training), I expect there will be times when the greatest beneficiary of the message preached is the one who preached it. I´m sure that´s not intentional - or at least most of the time I expect it is not. Regardless, as a pastor, one great responsibility is ¨wrestling with the scripture¨ (as many of the Duke faculty like to say). Through this process, one comes to find meaning and significance in God´s word for the people of one´s congregation. Many times I find that this ¨wrestling¨ is a personal journey I take with God, yet it is also necessary to find meaning for people hearing God´s word...ultimately, this becomes the message for Sunday morning. (This is what our preaching faculty call ¨exegeting the congregation.¨)
I guess I´m saying all this because I followed a similar process for my sermon this morning. The text came to life for me in a different way since I´ve been in Mexico. I´ve witnessed things about these people that I know I need to learn and follow. I expect you can to -
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