One of the More Memorable Sermons I’ve Ever Preached–I Think
One gives a lot of sermons over the course of thirty-six years in pastoral ministry. I lost count eons ago.
Most exist to this day in manuscript form tucked away in digital archives. Far fewer have survived still in audio files accessible for download listening. That’s what happens when you’ve recorded messages to cassette tape, then on to CDs, and finally joined the internet streaming revolution.
The cassettes got tossed long ago. Some of the files from my last ministry assignment in Idaho have a home on my SoundCloud account. Until recently none of the sermon audios from my Orlando Grace years have been available to any interested listener. But thanks to a tech-savvy brother and servant-friend of mine, the collection of some fifty CDs I managed to save covering 2002 to 2005 now exists at Sermons of Pastor Curt Heffelfinger.
I felt led to devote today’s post to sharing this bit of personal news from my past for a particular reason. At least one of those messages sticks in my recollection of past sermons as particularly memorable. I preached it on June 3, 2005. That weekend our congregation struggled with bad news on two distressing fronts. One concerned the catastrophic Indonesian tsunami that swept away some 230,000 lives. The second hit much closer to home. Pastor Curt has tongue cancer.
I reasoned that our people needed from me as their undershepherd to hear some good news. I opted to preach from Psalm 23 about the Good Shepherd’s extraordinary care in crises like natural disasters and cancer diagnoses. I recently listened to the audio of this sermon I gave over twenty years ago. I was struck how everything I proclaimed from the text that day has proven true since then in my life and ministry and into retirement.
Perhaps you may be battling to trust the Lord in the midst of some distressing news or know someone who is. If so, I offer this word to encourage and bolster a faith that overcomes fear and worry.
By the way, for those who listen knowing only my speech troubles post-cancer treatment, you may find it difficult to believe your ears. Despite the presence of a tumor the size of a large egg in my mouth, I still had my entire tongue and most of my teeth. You will find the audio an easier listening experience!
If you do happen to listen to Tsunamis, Cancer, & the Shepherd’s Extraordinary Care, I’d welcome your comments below as to how the Lord may have helped you as a result. FYI, scroll down to the fourth saved file on the opening page to find the file.