Let my soul be at rest again,
….for the Lord has been good to me. Psalm 116:7 NLT
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A friend of mine shared a humorous story with me a few years back. Her oldest was just a little tike at the time. He was at that age where he eagerly repeated animal sounds when prompted. You know, “How does a cow go?” And he’d say, “Moo!” And on through the whole list, they would go.
One evening his dad had him on his shoulders, taking him to bed. Dad was pretty tall, and as they were about to go through a doorway, he said, “Duck, Mikey.” Immediately, he piped out, “Quack!” which was followed by a thump as his head hit the door frame! He wasn’t hurt, but it’s been a source of laughter in the many years since.
Recently in my preaching, I’ve become more sensitive to those who might be listening. Vernacular that is very familiar to me may very well not be familiar to them. I may still use the original word, but I strive to follow it up with an explanation. For example, my sermon today opened with a statement about the book of 2 Peter. It is often referred to as an “epistle”. Beyond a church setting, I don’t recall that word being used in general conversation with anyone. So, I quickly made sure those listening understood that the word epistle means “letter” – Peter wrote a letter. And that is what became the book of 2 Peter.
We assume that everyone knows exactly what we are talking about but just like Mikey, that is not always the case. Now I realize that not knowing the meaning of the word epistle will probably not hinder anyone’s understanding of an important truth but becoming lackadaisical in our mental process of communicating important spiritual concepts can be impacted if we’re not careful.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that we need to be attuned to those with whom we are speaking. When I was a children’s pastor, I needed to make sure that the important Biblical concepts I was communicating didn’t go over the heads of my congregants. I had to adjust my terminology – smaller, more easily grasped words were of the utmost importance.
We don’t need degrees in theology to communicate what God has done and continues to do in our lives. The way we live them communicates volumes. How we respond to the multitude of situations in our lives, both good and bad, celebratory and shattering – those are the things that people around us will remember. God uses us right where we are. All He wants is for our hearts to be yielded and open as His vessels, to convey His love to a world so desperate for it.
Lord Jesus, help us to be genuine in how we interact with others in our lives. Fill us with Your love, to accomplish Your tasks in a world yearning for authenticity. They’re not looking to be impressed by big words and big tasks. They need simple, down-to-earth ambassadors of Christ. Use us to usher in Your Kingdom. Amen.
Aug 28th, 2022, Sun, 8:55 pm
