07-26-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
July 26, 2023
My job, like many other jobs, can have stress and pressure, but at no point has my job description linked good preaching to my limbs remaining intact. You may be wondering why I write that, but in Daniel 2, there is a threat of being torn limb from limb for not sharing a dream and its interpretation. I must admit that such a threat would motivate my homiletical work (preaching preparation). In the story from Daniel 2, the King had a dream he wished to have interpreted, but instead of sharing the dream with those who might have insight, he demanded that they know the dream and interpret it. My first reaction is to say, "Hey, bud, don’t expect too much!" But maybe because I expect too little, I mostly get what I expect. I’m not suggesting we play a round of Twenty Questions every time we wish for some help in figuring out what to do, but I think we should set the bar high when it comes to our expectation of what God might do through us and with us.

Make me an instrument of your visionary grace, O Lord, and make the vision greater than my imagination. Amen.