It's Friday... But Sunday's Coming!

Tony Campolo's little book of the same name comes from a preacher he once heard. The preacher was talking about the cross, the shame, the seeming defeat of Jesus. The fact that all the disciples had fled. Hope seemed to have been lost. It's Friday... but Sunday's coming!

That defeat and sadness and disappointment of Good Friday is overturned when Sunday comes and Jesus emerges from the tomb, in new resurrection life. It's Friday... but Sunday's coming!

The application is that while the Christian life may be hard, there are many struggles, disappointments, sufferings etc as we follow in the path of Jesus, we're still in the pain of Friday. It's Friday... but Sunday's coming!

The preacher was very effective, Campolo reflects, in a church and with a congregation that joined in the little chorus. It's Friday... but Sunday's coming!

It's a memorable little phrase, one that has stuck in my memory in the ten or more years since I read the book. But these days it has a different resonance with me in the realm of ministry.

For the pastor, Sunday is the 'big' day in the week, when the congregation meets together for encouragement and praise, prayer and to hear God's word. The centrepiece of the service is the opening and proclaiming of the Bible, and that needs a sermon.

It's Friday... but Sunday's coming!

The preacher's week begins on Monday morning (or as early in the week as possible), starting to work on the passage for next Sunday's preach. Praying, reading, paying careful attention to the text, what it actually says, letting it flood into the mind.

As well as the conscious reading and studying, the text will continue to marinate unconsciously while driving, while eating, while sleeping. Thoughts continue to interrogate the text - what does it mean? What does it tell us about God? What does it tell us about people? What is the connection to the Lord Jesus?

Later in the week, with some problems and questions emerging, it's time to consult some older brothers, asking them to help in your sermon prep - guys like John Calvin, Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, and some other commentary writers and preachers from the library. They will hopefully help clarify some issues, perhaps even give some hints towards structure or application.

By now, it is Friday morning, and Campolo's phrase echoes through the mind:

It's Friday... but Sunday's coming!

It's now time to write the sermon, it's Friday, and Sunday is not too far away. So on Friday mornings, you'll find me in the study, trying to write the first draft of the sermon, getting ready for the weekend, wanting to share what God has been saying in and through the Bible passage for the week.

Several months ago, I had a sermon written on the Friday morning. An adaption of a previously preached one, which seemed to be 'good enough'. But it wasn't. Early on Sunday morning, in that twilight period where I'm not sure if I'm sleeping or awake, suddenly it came to me - I needed to write a completely new sermon, and not depend on somewhere else's leftovers. So in an hour or so, the new sermon was written - although the hard work of studying and thinking and reflecting had already been done through the week.

It worked that Sunday; the sermon was well received; but I don't want to leave it until Sunday in a normal week!

And here we are again. It's Friday... but Sunday's coming. Time to write that sermon...

Grace Misplaced

It all started with a request for help from a friend. Could I recommend a book on the doctrine of grace? I promised to have a look in my study, as nothing came to mind immediately.

Having moved along each shelf in turn, still nothing was jumping out. Was grace completely absent from my study? (A worrying thought!) A closer look brought up random, scattered paragraphs or sentences, as well as perhaps a section of a doctrine book, but not an actual book celebrating or explaining God's grace. It's all slightly concerning.

Have I been labouring away without grace all this time? Has my Christian life and ministry been imbalanced towards legalism and effort? I sincerely hope not (particularly since I'm preaching on grace this Sunday morning from Titus 2), but if my study gives a reflection of my thought life, then should I be worried?

We recently had a session in the Bishop's study at CME (Continuing Ministry Education, alternatively known as Post-Ordination Training, or Potty Training), and he was saying that you can tell when someone stopped thinking/studying by when they stopped buying books. Can you tell in this instance of a severe lack, where grace has been misplaced?

As I've said, there'll be discussions on grace in my extensive commentaries, on the particular Bible passages speaking of grace. Yet there's still no book on grace as such. Any recommendations? I've read Yancey's 'What's So Amazing About Grace?' but are there other books you would suggest must be read on the subject of grace?

Being Organised

Something I'm determined to work on in this new year is to get my study into order. For this past wee while, things have been all over the place - books sitting everywhere except on the shelves, clutter on the floor, and piles of papers where I should be able to see my desk.

My excuse is that I know where everything is when it's like this - if it was tidy, then I wouldn't know where anything was. But this morning it has become serious. On Friday when I started work again, I made a list of the various talks and studies I've to do over the next couple of weeks so that I know what I'm working towards, and the various deadlines.

All good. Until this morning, when I couldn't find the list! Oops! Good job I have most of it committed to memory, and I know what's on this week. Tidying and studying both essential tasks to be done...

Study Weeks

Well, the final week of term has passed, and my college experience is coming to an end. The essays have been handed in, the work has been done, and three weeks of study have opened up.

The last week of term was probably the most busy of the entire three years. There were some essays to finish. We had the Viva Voce. We had the final year students' trip to the RCB (Representative Church Body). We had the Downes Oratory Prize. We had the Viking Splash Tour. We had the Community Weekend. And it's all over now. Three study weeks, two weeks of exam and I'm out of Dublin.

Community Weekend was fun - it's the lot of the final year students to put on a family friendly weekend for students and their families. Friday night we did a barbecue on the lawn (thankfully the rain stayed away, and it was bearable enough - no one got frostbite!). Then we had some School Sports Day events - relay races and ball games. Saturday morning we had Adrian Dorrian speaking in the two sessions - looking at times and seasons in our lives, and thinking about the baptism of Jesus and the Lord's Supper. Free afternoon, and then in the evening we hosted a TV Quiz Show night - rounds of Catchphrase, Family Fortunes, Just a Minute, Mr & Mrs (where a couple who aren't a couple got a better result than the married couple!), The Price is Right, Countdown, and a Theme Tunes round. All went very well, but we got to see that some students are very competitive! This morning we had our Family Communion service where Adrian celebrated and preached. All weekend, we also had a Wii bowling competition going in one of the rooms which was good crack as well.

Tomorrow I'm going to hear Vaughan Roberts speaking in Jordanstown, which should be a good day. And so off to bed!

Beyond belief

It's amazing what some people believe. GK Chesterton once said that when a nation stops believing in God, it's not that they believe in nothing, but rather, they will believe anything.

I think I'm coming across that. This week I'm working on my Old Testament essay, particularly concentrating on Noth's thoughts on the origins of Israel. Immediately, he discounts most of the Old Testament record, except for a few 'traditional' elements which shine through edited and later material...

However, the thing I'm noticing is that in lots of places he says 'this is my assumptions' or surmising on this, or we cannot know for sure, or some such thing.

And mostly, on things that are abundantly clear and obvious in the Old Testament.

So does it actually take more faith for a liberal scholar to believe the theories of man than it does for a Christian to believe the Bible? I think so... Isn't that beyond beief?!