Christians in the modern world are often indistinguishable from their non-Christian neighbors and co-workers when it comes to the subject of ethics. Indeed, many Christians have no idea what ethical behavior is or what is expected of them.
Tonight, in an effort to address this trend, we will commence a detailed study of the Sermon on the Mount. In it we will discover the core of Christian ethics and - hopefully - relearn ethical behavior.
The pulpit committee which visited some weeks back has informed me of their ‘review’ of the morning sermon. In sum, their opinion of me is that
1- I don’t preach long enough.
2- I don’t give a long enough invitation.
3- I write too much.
I suppose, all in all, I would rather be short winded and ‘leave ‘em wanting more‘ than long winded. And I would rather be guided by the Spirit in the length of the invitation than by convention (i.e., we must sing 5 stanzas of the hymn before the invitation may conclude). And I would rather produce materials (books, commentaries, etc.) that are informative to a wider than local audience than spend my time playing video games or watching YouTube or hanging out at the local coffee shop as is the custom of many Pastors.
There’s a fine lesson in the Baptist and Reflector this week on worship that folk should take a look at. You can read it here.
