Sermon Theme
A Sample Introduction Based On This Theme is Below
Sermon Theme
A Sample Introduction Based On This Theme is Below
| Have you ever made an excuse? We usually give excuses to explain why we failed to perform a task or why we are unavailable for a specific request. Excuses are common. It appears that everyone has an excuse or two or three. Excuses tend to provide a rationale for noncompliance or a refusal of service. Excuses are not gender specific. Men have excuses and women have excuses. Neither are excuses race specific. Blacks have excuses and so do whites and all other races. Excuses are not age specific. Old people give excuses and so do young people. Generally, we give excuses to explain why we missed a mark or failed in some way. Have you ever made an excuse? When the note came from your child's school requesting your presence at the parent teacher meeting, did you go or did you have an excuse? The appointment you missed the other day was certainly an important one, but of course you had a valid excuse. We were a few days late paying bills last month, but of course we had valid excuses. Sometimes our excuses start sounding a little ridiculous. John F. King tells the story of GI's on furlough that illustrates the point. "The commanding officer was furious when nine GIs who had been out on passes failed to show up for morning roll call. Not until 7 p.m. did the first man straggle in. "I'm sorry, sir," the soldier explained, "but I had a date and lost track of time, and I missed the bus back. Being determined to get in on time, I hired a cab. Halfway here, the cab broke down. I went to a farmhouse and persuaded the farmer to sell me a horse. I was riding to camp when the animal fell over dead. I walked the last ten miles, and just got here." Though skeptical, the Colonel let the young man off with a reprimand. However, after him, seven other stragglers in a row came in with the same story -had a date, missed the bus, hired a cab, bought a horse, etc. By the time the ninth man reported in, the colonel had grown weary of it. "Okay," he growled, "Now what happened to you?" "Sir, I had this date and missed the bus back, so I hired a cab." "Wait!" the colonel screeched at him. "Don't tell me the cab broke down." "No, sir," replied the soldier. "The cab didn't break down. It was just that there were so many dead horses in the road, we had trouble getting through." We even have excuses for our failure to participate in church. The same excuses that we give for our nonparticipation would not hold up if they were applied to our favorite sport. Some years ago Moody Monthly ran a piece which included excuses which a fellow might use for quitting sports. In it they included the excuses that people often give for not participating in church but tied them to reasons for quitting sports. The excuses sounded like this: I quit sports because every time I went they asked for money. I quit sports because the people with whom I had to sit didn't seem very friendly. I quit sports because the seats were too hard and ..... If this introduction has the feel of what
you are trying to say
|