Rev Bill

I have posted today’s sermon on my sermon blog. It’s the fifth in my Lenten series for this year — based on John 12:2-33 and entitled; “Jesus Is The One We Can See And Hear”.

Here’s a portion of it:

Whenever I go into a Church I want to stand behind the pulpit and get a “feel” for the sanctuary from the perspective that I usually have. I like to imagine what it would be like to stand behind that pulpit and imagine the congregation that would be there on a Sunday morning. Most of all, however, I want to sneak a peek behind the pulpit – just to see what’s back there.
Many of you may have never looked behind a pulpit, but there are a couple of shelves in most pulpits, and you often find unusual sorts of odds and ends back there. There is some paper and pencils in the shelf behind Hopewell’s pulpit – but Hopewell’s pulpit is rather tame compared to some. I can remember looking behind the pulpit at one church and finding a fire extinguisher. I wondered what kind of “fiery sermons” would make that necessary! I can remember visiting another church and finding a telephone behind the pulpit. I wondered if it were “a direct line to God”. When I assisted in my uncle’s funeral several years ago I entered the pulpit with the presiding pastor and discovered a monkey puppet behind the pulpit. I assume that preacher in that church used the puppet with the children on Sunday morning as I do – but I found it very difficult to stifle a laugh as I thought of the puppet “saying a few words” about my uncle. I was tempted to put the puppet on and see what it had to say – but looked out at my family sitting in the front pew and thought better of it.
You never know what you might find behind a pulpit!
Behind the pulpit at the chapel at Columbia Theological Seminary, the Seminary I attended, there is a small brass plate with an inscription that originally read — quoting the New Testament lesson for today:
“Sir, we would see Jesus.”
I say that it originally read
“Sir, we would see Jesus.”
because, while I was a student there, women were attending, graduating, and being ordained — and while I was a student at Columbia someone scotched taped an appendix to that quote, so that the sign read:
“Sir, or madam, we would see Jesus.”
The reason the sign was put behind the pulpit in the Seminary chapel was to remind the students – those being trained to be preachers – that they needed to proclaim Jesus to those gathered to worship.
We would see Jesus.
That was the request some folks made to the disciples.
We would see Jesus.
That should be your request – your passion – also.
Seeing Jesus.

You can read the sermon here.

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