I'm a bit embarrassed, or struck by the irony. The First Sunday of Advent, I wanted to preach a sermon encouraging people to worship the Lord in person during Advent and Christmas. I titled my message "Be Here This Year!" And then, a cold virus struck. Saturday night I felt worse and worse. Finally, I went to bed and tried to sleep it off. In the middle of the night--after 3:00 AM--I woke up and realized I wouldn't actually be able to preach on Sunday morning; my voice wouldn't handle it, and others might catch my cold if I went. So I got up, got dressed, and drove to church. I grabbed my Bible and sermon notes, and came home. For the next two hours I prepared a sermon text for someone to read on Sunday--finishing about 6:00 AM. Then I went back to bed and slept soundly. My son took my sermon text to church, and someone else read and preached my sermon for me.
The irony is this: I'd titled the sermon "Be Here This Year!" but I wasn't actually there to preach it. I was the one who missed the First Sunday of Advent! I hope to be present and in the pulpit for the rest of Advent and Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It's in the Lord's hands.
---Pastor Spencer