Sermon

I stood silently before the sea of white haired listeners before beginning my sermon. Deadly still, they sat as if capsulated in time. I carefully arranged my notes and begin my sermon for the 204 listeners at Southern Charm Retirement Community. They laughed at my story at the beginning of my talk. Everyone was very friendly and relaxed. Did they know what was about to challenge their thinking?

I spoke on judging and love. Jesus teaching on judging is misunderstood and taken out of context by most, used instead as a shield against harsh comments by critics. Contrary to popular belief, Jesus taught in Matthew seven that we should be good judges, I explained. The main thrust of my sermon was taken from Paul’s teaching in Romans 14. There he writes that Christians should love and focus on the weightier teachings of scripture instead of focusing on disputable matters of which the Bible does not focus. The talk went well, though it reminded me of my need to drastically improve my public speaking ability.