Adventures of a Pregnant Woman #983

This post also falls under the title Making the Sermon: Victory in Jesus or, better yet, Preaching While Pregnant! This post is also a few weeks late....I started writing it the day after Palm Sunday and somehow I never posted it. The timeline is all jacked up, but the story is what it is....

Sometime during the week before last, when speaking with my Pastor on the phone, Doc asked me if I was up for preaching the early morning service on Palm Sunday. I said yes, but truthfully I was tired and worn out with feet so swollen I didn't recognize them. Yet, in my short time in ministry I have learned several things: when you have a mandate to preach the Gospel on your life, you don't turn down an opportunity to do so; God always equips you and strengthens you to do His will; and you never say to to Pastor Weaver. And so it was, I mounted the pulpit yesterday morning to declare, "What thus saith the Lord."

Rewind...

Before we get to what happened in the pulpit, let me share how the sermon came to be. I'll make this brief. I chose a text (John 12:12-16) on Monday. I had a topic and some points on Tuesday. I had a new topic and new points—what I would eventual preach—on Wednesday. I prayed and wrote and prayed and wrote some more on Thursday. In the midst of praying and writing, I also continued studying—various translations, commentaries, etc. I cleaned it up on Friday. I should mention that I was preparing for my baby shower on Saturday, which meant that I spent most of the day Friday getting done up! I also should mention that for whatever reason—stress, exhaustion, dehydration, or just my body getting ready for the big day—I was having painful Braxton Hicks contractions. They started on Thursday night and lasted until Sunday morning around 4:00a.m.

We had a GLORIOUS time at the shower, and by the time I arrived back at my parent's house I was spent. I tried to rest, but I was anxious. Not nervous, but anxious. I was also having BH contractions that were making me quite uncomfortable. (They were making my mother uncomfortable, too. She's a nervous Nelly and wasn't ready for me to go into labor at her house.) Needless to say, even though I attempted to go to bed early, it didn't happen. And for some reason, I woke up at 4:00a.m. on Sunday and couldn't go back to sleep. So I tossed and turned and stared at the wall and contemplated waking hubby up (misery loves company) until it was time to get up at 6:00a.m.

I got up, showered, got dressed and made my way to church. When I put my robe on I had to chuckle. I My belly was protruding through my bigger robe, the one that we bought to get me through pregnancy. Anyway, we began worship. I sat through all of the liturgy, attempting to conserve my energy for preaching. When I finally stood up, it was evident that the Holy Spirit had gotten a hold of me. At some point during the sermon I began to jump in excitement until I remembered that I was pregnant! For the first time in days, I had no pain. For the first time in months, my body felt light and unencumbered. It was awesome! When Pastor took over the service he remarked that it was the most animated he had ever seen me and that he was afraid that I was going to go into labor in the pulpit. Thanks be to God, baby girl is still resting comfortably in the safety of my womb!

Admittedly, I was overheated and sweating profusely when I finally sat down. I couldn't get water down fast enough. One of the other ministers came over and fanned me until I cooled off a bit. With Holy Spirit strength and adrenaline pumping, I was able to participate with Pastor in Holy Communion. 

And though I thought I could make it through the second service, I had to give up the ghost. I went back to my parents' house and crashed until it was time for hubby and I to head home.

Fast Forward...
One of the reasons that I was so animated was because as much as the word was for the congregation, it was also for me. In fact, jut this week, when the realities of adulthood (body and appliances breaking down simultaneously) crept in, God reminded me that I was not to be defeated by my circumstances, but that I am victorious in Christ. And so, my friends, instead of posting an excerpt from the sermon, I'll let you have a listen. May you be strengthened and encouraged!

image taken from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgC3d3SGvRYuaVE12-e2NIg3mNLMU5d4OnjZ2KuC11vfsufA48fApKBSNuTbE9BGboboMNRhwawJbU0dyCiAH8JTxI2clrcjx_wneyhLyiyQeP124MlW6L8reFH-E70B0Dd867xb0qpkzK/s1600/victory%5B1%5D.jpg