I realize that many times it is hard to recall what the preacher spoke on last Sunday. When I used to “sit in the pew,” I had trouble remembering all the points in the lessons. It always used to embarrass me when I had to discuss the Sunday lesson with someone. To be honest, sometimes I have a difficult time remembering what I preached on last Sunday.
Some of my embarrassment kind of faded when I came across this article entitled, “Sermons — Not Remembered, But …” It mentioned another article, “32,850 Sermons Later.” The second article started off with a letter printed in the British Weekly. It went like this:
It seems ministers feel their sermons are very important and spend a great deal of time preparing them. I have been attending a church regularly for the past 30 years, and I have probably heard around 3,000. To my surprise, I discovered that I cannot remember a single one. I wonder if a minister’s time might be more profitably spent on something else?
As you may have guessed, for weeks a real storm of editorial responses ensued. It was not surprising based on the fact that the letter made quite a bold statement. The uproar was finally ended by this letter:
I have been married for 30 years. During that time I have eaten 32,850 meals — mostly of my wife’s cooking. Suddenly, I have discovered that I cannot remember the menu of a single meal. And yet, I have received nourishment from every single one of them. I have the distinct impression that without them, I would have starved to death long ago.
Never feel embarrassed at the fact that you cannot remember a certain sermon. What really matters is that the proper nourishment was provided!
Kyle Campbell