The day After the Day

Genesis 11:4 - 5 (RSV) ⁴Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”  ⁵And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men had built. 

Yesterday the room was packed with people. Usually, it is a little more than half filled. Sometimes my idolatrous heart put the thought in my prideful mind that preaching is a public performance. It is not you know. It is an act of Divine worship. Preaching is like leading in prayer. It guides our thoughts and reflections on the Word of God. Together the congregation lifts those reflections to God as an act of worship.

When I was a young preacher folks who encourage my performance by saying to me, “You wait; God has big plans for you. You’re really going places.” Ninety percent of me knew these words were hallow and only faintly sincere, but my wicked minority mind caused me to envision large rooms filled with wise, spiritually mature, admiring and attentive listeners who hung their hopes on my every word. In 1740, George Whitfield preached to 30,000 persons who filled the streets in downtown Philadelphia. This was before public address systems and Benjamin Franklin tested Whitfield’s capacity to reach the back of his audience and claimed he could hear him clearly for there. Dr. Graham has preached to over an audience of 1,000,000 persons while in Korea.

Sunday I was thrilled when larger than normal crowd came and heard me preach. This is my prideful heart trying to convince me that I am really something more than I am - a fool for Christ, the chief of all sinners. Yet,I am willing witness for the grace, hope, and love of Jesus Christ. It is said that the week after Easter Sunday is most depressing of all for ministers. Such sadness, which is real, comes from a very unhealthy place in the heart of God’s least worthy servant. If we knew the heart of each of those present we would find that each had their own reasons to be at worship on Easter. I am convinced there was not a person there, including me, who left their homes that morning to hear Gary Miller preach. The open question is, why then did the come?

Be not proud of race, face, place, or grace.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834–1892)

A man can counterfeit love, he can counterfeit faith, he can counterfeit hope and all the other graces, but it is very difficult to counterfeit humility.

Dwight Lyman Moody (1837–1899)

After crosses and losses, men grow humbler and wiser.

Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)

Courage, brother! Do not stumble,

Though thy path be as dark as night;

There’s a star to guide the humble,

Trust in God and do the right.

Norman Macleod (1812–1872)

A man is never so proud as when striking an attitude of humility.

C. S. Lewis (1898–1963)

And the devil did grin, for his darling sin

Is pride that apes humility.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834)

Count not thyself better than others, lest perchance thou appear worse in the sight of God, who knoweth what is in man. Be not proud of thy good works, for God’s judgments are of another sort than the judgments of man, and what pleaseth man is oft-times displeasing to him.

Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380–1471)