IT'S SUNDAY!!!!! #SUNDAYSBEST #IMHO

I love Sunday! I love the body of Christ, the church! I love worship! I love the preaching of God's word!

One of the blessings, for me, during this COVID-19 world we are living in right now, even though I miss worshipping with my church family deeply, is I have the opportunity to visit many churches I always wanted to virtually. Some of you may even be thinking, "that's not really visiting." Your right. So let me tell you what's important to me when visiting a church. Whether virtually or in person. At this point I want to say that I realize that my personal preferences are not God's. They are mine. So let me share what my preferences are. 

I love the preaching of God's truth! I'm not talking about a one man/woman show. I'm talking about the proclamation of the unadulterated word of God. No filters. No taming of the text. So when I post a picture with the #SundaysBest (#IMHO) tag, I'm pointing you to a ministry of a church/pastor that I believe is batting 1.000 at this moment. First in their community. Second, to the world. Remember this is #IMHO. 

When it comes to preaching, here are a few things I look/listen for. 

  1. The preacher knows how to bring what was into what is. Is it RELEVANT? Is the preaching expository? I'm a firm believer that what God said in the past through His word is the same thing he is saying today. God's word is always relevant. A master teacher knows how to bring the past to the present. 
  2. Is the sermon DANGEROUS? Rev. Dr. Frank Thomas defines a dangerous sermon as a sermon based in the preacher's moral imagination that upends and challenges the dominant moral hierarchy that operates in the church and/or cultural context of the preaching event. In a nutshell, IS IT PROPHETIC? Does the preacher speak to the heart of the people recognizing the moment? Does the preacher speak truth to power?
  3. The CELEBRATION! The last few months I've learned to appreciate this more and more. It doesn't mean that if this doesn't take place, that it's not  #SUNDAYSBEST (#IMHO). The celebration is that point in the sermon that some call, "bringing it home." Understand that this is an African American tradition that was born in the cotton fields of the South. It was born in the African American church and has been imitated by many. The celebration is that point of the sermon, when no matter how hard, painful, difficult (for both preacher and hearer), uncomfortable, helpful, saddening, the word has been, points us to the One who is the God of the universe. The preacher, in spite of our pain, in spite of our difficulties, or even how comfortable we think we are, reminds us of what Jesus, the Son of God, our Redeemer, has done and still doing for us! The preacher echoes with Habakkuk in chapter 3 verses 17 and 18;
    4.  Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls - YET WILL I REJOICE IN THE LORD, I WILL JOY IN THE GOD OF MY SALVATION. THE LORD GOD IS MY STRENGTH; HE WILL MAKE MY FEET LIKE DEER'S FEET, AND HE WILL MAKE ME WALK IN HIGH HILLS.
Let me close this lengthy post with reminding you that how I feel about #SundaysBest  is #IMHO. These preachers and churches are DANGEROUS and PROPHETIC. I hope you get the opportunity to watch/listen to who I believe are some of the best churches and preachers in America. 

God bless!
     

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