Monday, September 21, 2009

Preaching and prayer

Two nice posts I've seen around the blogosphere...

DD pulled this gem from Spurgeon's Lectures To My Students warning against becoming too enamored with preachers:
A certain lady had gone to the communion in a Scotch church, and had greatly enjoyed the service. When she reached her home, she inquired who the preacher was, and she was informed that it was Mr. Ebenezer Erskine. The lady said that she would go again, the next Sabbath, to hear him. She went, but she was not profited in the least; the sermon did not seem to have any unction or power about it. She went to Mr. Erskine, and told him of her experience at the two services. "Ah! madam," said he, "the first Sabbath you came to meet the Lord Jesus Christ, and you had a blessing; but the second Sabbath you came to hear Ebenezer Erskine, and you had no blessing, and you had no right to expect any."

The second is a prayer for listening and changing from Brueggemann. This would be good for Sunday mornings, or, God forbid, that we ever had any type of small group learning events. (via)
Holy God - in this precious hour, we pause
and gather to hear your word -
to do so, we break from our work responsibilities
and from our play fantasies
we move from our fears that overwhelm
and from our ambitions that are too strong.
Free us in these moments from every distraction,
that we may focus to listen,
that we may hear, that we may change.
Amen.

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