I knew that God was calling me to become a pastor when I was 14 or 15 years old. I preached my first sermon on the second Sunday of April 1948, five months before my 17th birthday. Needless to say, I knew even at that early age that preparing and delivering two sermons every week would not be easy. But I knew that God would guide me every mile of the way as I launched out on the mission I had been assigned.
Four or five weeks ago the title for my weekly column was “How to Become a Successful Pastor.” It focused on the pastor’s primary mission which is preaching. I said in that article that for sermons to be effective they should focus on: (1) REVELATION (truth based on God’s Word); (2) be RELEVANT; (3) be REALISTIC; (4) be REDEMPTIVE; and (5) invite a RESPONSE.
Choosing at least two sermon topics every single week of the year is a challenge. Some sermons will hit the middle of the bullseye in meeting spiritual needs. Other sermons will be considered to be average – or perhaps less than that. I remember one particular occasion when a sermon on which I had worked hard simply (to use a familiar expression) “didn’t cut the mustard.” I’m sure it was not the only one.
It was in the 1960’s when our nation put our first astronaut into space. I, like every citizen in the United States, was excited. The thought of conquering outer space gave me what I thought was an excellent idea on which I could capitalize. I prepared a sermon with the title: “Conquering Inner Space.” My basic idea was to emphasize the importance of yielding our thoughts, plans, and dreams to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. I was impressed with the idea. In fact, I was proud of it, and that was the problem – the sermon blew up on the launching pad. I was focusing too much on my creativity and not enough on God’s leadership.
I suspect that every preacher has chosen at least one sermon topic he wished he had not chosen. Several years ago an edition of The Pulpit Digest contained the story of just such a sermon topic chosen for a particular Sunday by the Rev. Floyd S. Turlington, pastor of Porter’s Chapel Church in Erwin, N.C. He thought he would do something different and use reverse psychology on his parishioners. So, he covered his face with a red mask and dressed in a red suit complete with a forked tail trailing behind. He marched around in the church parking lot with a pitchfork in his hand as he urged each arriving member to skip church that Sunday.
But alas, something went wrong. While some of the members were sharp enough to recognize him and his subtle sermon, others did not. They called the sheriff. At that time in North Carolina it was unlawful for masked persons over sixteen to parade in public. This law was aimed at the Ku Klux Klan and other hate organizations. The Harnett County Sheriff’s Department personnel arrived on the scene in full force. One deputy later said: “People were frightened to death. Little kids were crying, and even some grown-ups I saw didn’t look very comfortable.” The deputies immediately surrounded the Devil and removed his mask. They were surprised to find a sheepish looking preacher underneath. After a brief conference, they decided not to arrest Rev. Turlington. After all, he was a pastor on church property.
I have always tried to select a title for the sermons I preached that would fit the content I planned to deliver. But I have never walked out on Sunday morning in a red devil suit wearing a mask and carrying a pitchfork in one hand. Even so, it would have been interesting to have been present at Porters Chapel Church in Erwin, N.C. on that Sunday when the Devil attended church.
By the way, that was not the first time the Devil attended church on Sunday – and it won’t be the last!
The Paper Pulpit 
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