Fred Craddock is a preacher that other preachers read. God speaks to me through him—and this week He used Fred to speak to me about worship. These excerpts are from The Cherry Log Sermons:

When I started going to church with my mother, I could not think of enough things to do to get through the time, the longest hour of the week, especially with the preacher droning on and on and on, like I do now. How many stanzas to that song? Oh goodness, six stanzas—what can I do? Write notes on the offering envelopes. Nudge people, punch them. “You got any candy? Give me a mint.” Finally, it was over. That was the way I felt about worship years ago. Not anymore, because I started going to worship every week. And even though I did not intend it, it began to change the way I thought.

When you hear the gospel and embrace the gospel, it heightens your awareness of things, increases your sensitivity, makes you feel more deeply and strongly about things. You care more than you did before . . .. When the gospel begins to go through your veins week after week after week after week, it changes you. I daresay, if you will come and worship every week—just come for the Scripture, the anthem, the prayers, the meditation, the taking of the bread and the cup—and in the course of time you are going to change. If you do not want to change, then I suggest that you be irregular in worship. But if you are regular in worship, you are going to become concerned about things about which you once did not give a flit.

The most important hour of my week is to be in the presence of God and to sing and to pray and to know the love of God. I did not use to be this way. I think the gospel gets to you.

I think he thinks the gospel gets to you. Has the gospel gotten to you? Will the gospel get through you to anyone else?

I’m proud to be your pastor,

Jerry