Live what you preach
The sermon
Pastor Wilfred ter Welle stood in the church’s vestry, a bit lost in thought, checking his hair in the mirror and making sure his clerical collar was straight. In exactly an hour, he had to hit the ground running; about two hundred believers were waiting that afternoon to hear his message on forgiveness and humility. His sermon was prepared down to the last detail, and his voice was clear again, his hoarseness from a short cold finally gone. But inside? Something was gnawing at him.
Just yesterday, there’d been a row at home over some tiny little thing with his wife. And when his son needed help with his homework, he reacted completely out of line. Not to mention last week, when a fellow pastor, who was apparently more popular, really got on his nerves. “How on earth can I tell others about forgiveness when I myself can barely forgive anyone and can’t stop getting annoyed?” he muttered to his own reflection, as if it could give him an answer.
A look back at his calling
He thought back to that time, twenty years ago, when he’d started with so much fire. He’d been determined to serve God with all his heart and soul. But somewhere along the way, he’d gotten a bit sidetracked; preaching wasn’t just about beautiful words, it was about your life actually reflecting those words. Or as the English say: ‘walk your talk.’
He grabbed his Bible, opened it once more, and read the passage he’d chosen for that afternoon’s sermon: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” These words now touched him even more deeply than before.
The real challenge
Slowly, he began to realize that his biggest hurdle wasn’t writing inspiring sermons or running a growing church. The real challenge was making a conscious choice every day to live by the principles he proclaimed from the pulpit.
He knelt in his changing room and prayed, “Lord Jesus, please help me not only to proclaim Your Word but also to be a living example of it. Let my life be consistent with what I say.”
A new strength
When he stepped up to the pulpit a little later, he felt a completely different kind of strength flowing through him. Not the persuasive power of someone wanting to impress others, but the humility of someone who still had a lot to learn himself.
“Friends,” he began, “today I want to talk to you about forgiveness. And I say this not as someone who has already mastered it perfectly, but as someone who discovers anew every day how much he himself needs forgiveness.” His words were deeper, more personal, perhaps even vulnerable. They didn’t come from his head full of theological knowledge and speaking skills, or from his years of experience as a preacher, but straight from his own struggles and growth.
A genuine encounter
After the service, Sister De Wit, an older lady from the church, came up to him. “Pastor,” she said softly, “today I didn’t just hear a sermon. I heard a human being who was honest about his own journey with God. That really touched me deeply, thank you.”
He smiled shyly. He understood it now; his job wasn’t to be perfect, but to be real. It wasn’t about impressing others with his wisdom and persuasion, but about growing together with them in faith and love.
‘Walk your talk’
That evening, when he got home, he gave his wife a big hug. “I’m sorry about yesterday,” he said. “I don’t just want to be a man of God on Sundays, but every single day.” His wife smiled and said, “That’s the man I fell in love with. Not the perfect pastor, but the man who tries every day to get closer to God.”
He realized that his calling was indeed a huge responsibility. Not because he had to be flawless, but because he had to ask himself every day: “Am I living what I preach? Am I getting a little better every day at the love I proclaim?” He had learned that the impact of his work wasn’t just in his words, but in the honesty with which he shared his own spiritual growth with others. And that didn’t just make him a better pastor, but a more valuable human being too.
From that day on, he prayed every morning: “Lord Jesus, let my life radiate Your love, not just my words. Help me to keep learning humbly, so I can help others grow in faith.” And so he discovered that the most beautiful sermons don’t always come from the pulpit or the stage, but from a life that truly tries to live what it believes.
@wimvanputten