As a Christian Reformed minister, I occasionally get assigned to go preach for other Christian Reformed congregations that are between pastors. I really enjoy doing this. I appreciate having an opportunity to interact with fellow Christians from nearby churches. A change of scenery once in a while on Sunday morning helps me stay fresh in my ministry. Plus, preaching to a different congregation gives me a chance to reuse a recent sermon that I thought worked well, which frees me up to accomplish other things during the week.
The only "trouble" is that different congregations have different orders of worship. Now this isn't really a problem; it's good that we don't all worship exactly the same way. But when I preach here in Kanawha, I don't have to spend much energy focusing on what comes next in worship. I'm used to our general pattern. In a worship service somewhere else, I don't know what to expect. But generally, as the guest preacher, I'm in charge of leading the worship service. I don't want to distract anyone from worshiping. So I tend to spend the service on high alert. It's really a good experience for me. It keeps me on my toes and helps me try different things. But after being gone for a week, I'm always glad to come back to my congregation. After all, there's no place like home.
Grace and peace,
BMH
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