Building Beneath The Waterline
Building Beneath the Waterline
We’re going to take a turn from applications in your sermons to reflect on building beneath the waterline. That is the title of a book by Gordon MacDonald that I just recently began to reread. He begins with a story about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.
Here’s how Macdonald introduces his book with the same title as this post:
In June 1872, the chief engineer of the project wrote: “To such the general public as might imagine that no work had been done on the New York tower, because they see no evidence of it above the water, I would simply remark that the amount of masonry and concrete laid on that foundation during the past winter under the water, is equal in quantity to the entire masonry of the Brooklyn tower visible today above the waterline.” (p. vii).
He then goes on to reflect on how important it is for leaders to focus on the part of life that is not seen for leaders. I would say that this is just as important for preachers. What is your worship, devotion, spiritual discipline like? You see, it is possible to create a great sermon that would lack power because the preacher had failed to cultivate his or her own soul.
So, in these next posts I want to reflect on what you should think about as you prepare yourself to preach.
What’s Your Motivation?
Many years ago now I was working with a young man, mentoring him as he was entering ministry. At the time, he was serving as the Director of Education in a church, but was thinking about next steps. I asked him what it was that caused him to head toward the ministry. He said that as a child, he remembers watching his pastor preach. The man had everyone’s attention. We reflected on that as a motivation. As we worked through that, we considered that he wasn’t doing much preaching in his present position, and secondly, getting attention may not be the best motivator for people in ministry. Let’s look at some negative motivators that we can check our souls for.
The Need for Approval
This is a biggie. As you build beneath the waterline, look for this motivation. This is a subtle motivation for people who had a disapproving parent. I remember well when I was in a time of depression and went to a counselor to work through the roots of it. In one session we talked about my relationship with my father. After several incidents that I shared, this wise man said, “It sounds to me like you are trying to please someone who has been dead for over twenty years!”
I had to look at this. I had to realize a truth that I was working really hard, and some of it was to prove that I was worthy of commendation. As you examine your motivations in building beneath the waterline, consider this one. The Apostle Paul indicated that he didn’t care what people thought, he was going to please the Lord.
Validation from Achievement
A related wrong motivation is that success comes to those who are especially visited by the hand of God. It’s easy in our world, where achievement is so heavily valued, to believe that a I need to work hard so that people will point to me as someone special. Those who succeed in their preaching and leadership get a great deal of validation and praise. This can subtly seep into our souls as our motivation for preaching. However, this motivation won’t last when the critics attack. When you are building beneath the waterline, consider whether this is your motivation for working on sermons. Not to us, but to your name be the glory.
Conclusion
We’ll continue this discussion in the next post. The bottom line is this: building beneath the waterline is essential for the faithful servant of Jesus Christ.
