#558. Saying you were going to preach a different sermon but God changed it at the last minute.
Jun 11th by JonIn a few weeks I’m speaking at a residential rehab clinic. I’ve spoken there before and love the people that run this facility and the people that live there.
I know what I’m going to say. I’ve got a 30 minute concept called “4 words,” but despite any level of preparation I’ve done, I have a serious question for you:
“Do I have to say that I was prepared to speak on one thing but God gave me something completely different at the last second?”
Is that a “Christian law” or just a “Christian like?” Is that something we have to do, kind of like the double greeting where you awkwardly greet the crowd, express your disappointment in the quality of their response and then chastise them into greeting you again by saying, “I said ‘good morning?’” Or is that just something we like to do?
I’m starting to speak more and these are the kind of things I should probably figure out. I can just see me sitting on a plane someday, where 73% of all “God changed my sermon at the last minute” events occur, flying out to an event with an extreme degree of nervousness. I’ll have a recorder out, my notebook ready and will be talking to everyone I make eye contact with. “Hey aisle-mate, got anything interesting to say that might completely shipwreck what I think I’m speaking on when I land and send me in a different direction?”
Or, “Excuse me stewardess, I can’t be sitting on an empty aisle, I think I’m supposed to get a new message while on this flight. Could you please put my seat beside someone that looks insightful, perhaps with a beard or an exotic hat? Thanks.”
You laugh, but God loves the game time decision on the sermon. He loves the “in the shower” moment where something unexpected jumps out at you while you’re washing your hair and singing Rob Thomas’ new song “Diamonds on her shoes” and wondering if at this point, recording studios have a “Gospel Choir” button they can press when they want to make a song sound more emotionally engaging.
I think the “sermon switch up” happens primarily because God loves to remind us that He’s a creative God. I think this happens because the best creative moments are where you, the speaker, the writer, the musician, the whatever are actually the first spectator for the experience. Where you get an idea that is bigger and weirder than you can possibly take credit for and can only really sit back and say, “Really God? That’s the one? I get to share that? You’re crazy.”
And it keeps you from getting cocky. When I was preparing for the Off the Blogs event, God reminded me of something that happened to me while I was at Chuck-e-Cheese in the second grade. This one idea became the hinge of everything I said and because it was so off the wall, it was impossible for me to take credit for it.
I can be an ego drunk jerk sometimes but even I couldn’t pretend that when I was 9 years old I said to myself while at Chuck-e-Cheese, “I should remember this moment because in 24 years I’m going to want to share this with people at a Catalyst event.”
I didn’t do that. I got to experience that idea just like everyone else in the crowd. I didn’t create that moment. But fortunately I didn’t get it as I drove to the event. I worked on that idea a few weeks before and delivered it half a dozen times to my daughters’ stuffed animals in their play room. (Clifford the big red dog got saved multiple times. He struggles with body size issues.)
Other people that say, “I was going to preach about _____, but God gave me a different idea” probably have other thoughts about why they do it, but that’s mine.
Am I the only one that’s heard a pastor say that?
Or is that something a pastor has said to you too?
Comments
I don't know. Most pastors I know are "preaching to the choir".
This is the cousin of the thing I dislike most (at first I wrote "hate" instead of "dislike" but that didn't seem like a very Christian thing to do so I changed it). Anyway, the thing I don't like is when someone gets up and says "Well, I just got asked to do this about five minutes ago, so…" or "I didn't really know how to say 'no' when I was asked to do this…", or "I have no idea what I'm about to say…". It's just tacky and unnecessary.
When pastors say it, I do believe that sometimes it's because of a prompt by the Holy Spirit, but it's still unnecessary to say. As someone else has already said, sermons should be inspired by the Holy Spirit whenever they're prepared, not just the last-minute or changed ones, so why bring it up at all?
After reading through other comments, I just want to say that I love and trust my pastor! (I feel a bit like wanting to yell "I still love Jesus" when I see someone from a small group I quit…)
The beauty of the foolishness of preaching, and several people touched on this, is that even in the weekly preparation, the Spirit of the living God is preparing the heart of the preacher and the heart of the hearer. So that, even if there is no last minutes change, He is present and moving in the midst of His people.
He has promised that His Word will not return void. The preacher clings to this promise like a drowning man to a life rope.
wv: murth
French for "moth"
Inspector Clouseau: "Oh, you mean murths!"
I've heard a pastor say it. Once. And the sermon he gave as a result was pretty fantastic. I'm still curious what the topic was the God kicked to the curb. It's happened to me, in much smaller terms, in leading worship.
Nathanael and Carrie – thank you and no I didn't find your comments condescending or judgemental. I was just feeling slightly (and rightly) convicted. It's good to keep one's cynicism in check!
Sally, you said, "It's good to keep one's cynicism in check!"
Sometimes a healthy dose of cynicism is a good thing.
As my very wise and beautiful wife often says, a balance is necessary.
@sharkbait–
when God speaks to you, does he really call you Sharkbait?!?!
@Shark Bait or does he call you Sharkie, like I do? Do you mind that I call you that? I mean it in affection.
Echoing what nic said, I've mostly heard it at special events/ conference type situations – where there is an itinerant preacher. And with itinerant preachers, having heard some who really impacted me a second timea few years later and recognising some of the same jokes, anecdotes and points, I've realised a lot of the time, they have a small handful of prepared "messages" that they pick from for new events.
Perhaps it's not – God gave me an entirely new message, but rather, God told me to do this one out of my repertoire, rather than the one I originally planned to do. (although they never say it that explicitly)
If it's a regular pastor who preaches every week and knows their congregation and pulls it out on occasion, I would be less cynical about it
Saying "God told me to speak on…" doesn't make it from God. And not saying it doesn't make it NOT from God.
I've heard speakers make the "God changes my message" remark many times. Seems like an unnecessary disclaimer motivated by pride or fear.
Either it's important we all know the speaker is super holy and sensitive to everything God says, or it's important we understand why the delivery might not be perfectly polished – and blame God for any stumbling over words?
If God gives you something to say 3 weeks in advance or 5 minutes in advance, what difference does it make? (Except to your own comfort level) If you believe it is what God has instructed to be said, then you get over yourself, open your mouth and say it. No disclaimers are needed.
I've been both the speaker and the hearer of those short notice messages, and if they were from God, any inadequacies in the delivery truly did not matter for the life the message delivered.
I love when my pastors do last-minute sermons.
I've heard this very rarely… but I don't see any reason to announce it *unless* you're leaving a printed order of worship in the dust and want to preempt confusion.
Otherwise, aren't you just calling attention to yourself?
WV: "flatists": people who believe it is a sin to sing on key.
I had a pastor who was a fantastic communicator who did this sometimes – except that he never made an announcement about it. he mentioned it to us one time (my husband and me) privately and after the fact, in kind of a casual way. I liked that.
so it made me think – why would one need to announce it? if the message is really from God, shouldn't it have just as much impact with no disclaimer?
Your blog entries rock, dude. They're so insightful and witty. Thank you so much!
I have one friend who gives much better talks when he hasn't prepared….
I haven't read any of the other comments (gasp!) but I will say that this kind of disclaimer usually tells me that the person speaking is self-conscious about the decision and unclear as to what God wants, or simply struggled to come up with a sermon they felt was adequate on the prescribed topic.
God can lead us to do crazy unexpected things, but sometimes we just wake up with a desire to do something different and unplanned. There's nothing wrong with that as long as we accept it for what is and don't over spiritualize it.
I do far too much speaking at churches.
I hate the "God told me to say this instead" line. To me, it usually implies a poorly put together sermon and a message with more relevance to the person speaking than the congregation.
PASTOR SWISH,
no sir you wrong
there are not just 2 reasons. There also exists a 3rd reason *gasp*
i think sometimes people are insecure and treading new territory. by saying this was a change up, it provides freedom to not be as processed as it otherwise might be had they put the time to organize.
When I've heard pastors make that statement, my perception is that they are trying to be spiritual or show they are in touch with God. It's been a turn off for me because the first pastor I heard say that on a regular basis, turned out to be a a very violent man at home. His messages started getting off base and I left. But he kept a very spiritual front in the congregation. Now, I just prefer to hear a good sermon without all that. If the man or woman of God is in touch with God, the message will minister to the people even without that declaration.
Yes I've heard it, and I ONLY EVER THINK "they didn't prepare anything, they are not "studying to show thyselves approved" they are just lazy and pulling junk out of their hiney" I never EVER think that God has seriously changed it, because even then, it's going to be good enough to NOT have to offer an EXCUSE, which when it comes down to it, is all the sermon change up really is.
Hi, I'm a pastor and I did do this once (I didn't say 'God changed it' but something like I felt led to preach something different than I had planned. I did feel led to preach a different sermon and had already preached the planned one to an earlier service (which had gone well). It was almost like a mechanism to cover up the fear of speaking unprepared – not that I was consciously thinking that at the time. The extemporaneous one went well too.
However, in echoing some of the posts here – the next time (and last time) that happened I just preached the new message with no announcement to the congregation. The focus was then squarely on Christ with no distraction of my changing of the message.
For me it was a way of living Jesus' teaching to "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them." (Matthew 6:1) For me, it became a matter between me and God that I did not need to announce to everyone else, but rather just follow God.
I don't claim to know others' motivation for making the announcement nor do I condemn it. It may be good for their folks to hear that from them. It may be germaine to the message. And at the end of the day, public speaking is still scary for many and standing there not knowing precisely what you'll say next is no small thing.
Grace and peace.
This is in some pastors and worship leaders greatest hits album. I heard the person who was preaching say that this morning. When I used to be in the music team at the church they would practice the songs they were intending to do for Sunday and then on the sunday they would change a couple of songs and used this phrase as an excuse.
I thought God was the same Yesterday today and forever. I thought that God knows what's going to happen in Sunday services the Monday before. If they have asked God a week before why would God suddenly change his mind?
It kinda sucks when you're training up youth in the music team and they take the songs home and practice like mad and then the worship leader decides to change a couple of songs that haven't been practiced for a year.
It just comes down to organization and how prepared someone is. Try doing the same with an exam.
I think it's funny that you are blogging about people changing things at the last minute. If you look at the time you post the majortiy of your blogs, it is at 3:00am. This one was posted at 2:59am. Did God change your mind for this post at the last minute? What were you going to blog about?