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That Sunday Morning My Sermon Notes Disappeared

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Well, it finally happened.

On a recent Sunday morning a confluence of seemingly random and unpredictable events brought about a valuable lesson. As I sat in the pew about to go up to preach I opened my iPad mini, and my sermon notes were gone. With the feeling that can only be compared to a perfectly executed uppercut to the breadbasket I sat (breathlessly) in shock. My wife looked at me curiously. I referenced my iPad and said, “My notes.” With the sanctified sympathy of a pastor’s wife she calmly asked, “You ready?” Taking a deep breath, I said, “Yeah . . . I think.”

The ten-foot walk from my seat to the pulpit seemed like a quarter mile. I began trying to run through the points, sub-points, and illustrations in my mind. As I got behind the sacred desk I had that overwhelmed and overmatched feeling that I get when I am searching the grocery store to find organic quick oats for my wife.

Taking another deep breath, I prayed, opened the Bible, and preached.

Since then I’ve had the opportunity to evaluate a few things. If you are a preacher who relies heavily on technology for your notes this may be of some help. If you are a printed notes guy or a no notes guy, then you can enjoy the conclusions and how they tend to affirm your practice.

1. I can become too dependent on technology.

Over the years I’ve fluctuated between hand-written notes, bullet points, manuscripts, and even no notes sermons. In this particular sermon I had a lot of things crafted a certain way. It was a hard passage and required careful nuancing. However, I think my reliance upon the good gift of technology may have prevented more detailed preparation. Let me put it another way. I wish that when I noticed the notes were gone that I would have just brushed it off like nothing. That feeling that I got seemed to betray an over-dependence upon my notes.

2. I can do more than I think.

When I got home that afternoon I went to my laptop and reviewed my notes. I was pleasantly surprised to find that while I certainly did not get every word, I did cover most of what was in my notes. My application, implications, and overall sermon followed the notes. This made me realize that I can probably do more than I think. My (detailed) notes are nice to have but not absolutely essential.

3. Weakness reminds me of strength.

When I closed my iPad in the pulpit I was reminded that the Holy Spirit was there. While my notes were lost, he was not. In my weakness God is strong. And, lest I forget, every single sermon I am weak (notes or not). And every single sermon he is strong (notes or not).

4. Sermon prep is actually more about the work on the preacher than the work on the manuscript.

I remember years ago vowing to my wife and close friends that I would never go up to the pulpit and fake it. If the passage was not in me, then I would not go pretend and perform. I would rather ask someone else to preach than to go up and dishonor God and his Word. This vow came home on Sunday. When the notes evaporated I had some fresh wounds from the Spirit and the Word from the week of preparation. God had worked me over with his Word. I had been stung and had sung in the text. The gracious lacerations and bandages that we get in sermon prep are how we preach the living Word to our people. God has been getting over on us all week. On Sundays we come and share with passionate pleading to our congregation. This episode reminded me that sermon prep is more about being convicted and shaped by the Bible rather than simply forming a well-crafted sentence or illustration.

5. If I’m going to use technology I need to do a better job with it.

Just a word to other guys who use their iPad. Check to make sure you have your notes before you leave your house or at least before the service starts. This point goes back to the assumptions and false security of technology. If we’re using technology then anticipate something going wrong and rejoice when it doesn’t.

I smile at God’s providence and how he goes about shepherding me. He can and does use a variety of means to remind me that his grace is sufficient and that he is absolutely sovereign. He also has reminded me of the importance to make sure my notes, my heart, and my mind are in place before preaching.

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