Last Friday night, Sara and I were lucky enough (thanks to a Christmas present from some friends) to attend Brent Butt’s show at the Comp. It was a great night! One of the things that really impressed me was that more than eight hundred people gathered to hear a man talk. I mean, all that Brent had to offer was words. There was no slick stage show, no band, no backdrop, not even a Powerpoint presentation. All that he had on stage was a table, a stool, a microphone and his thoughts and with that he and his opening act, Jamie Hutchinson, held everyone’s attention for almost three hours. That is amazing.
Have you
ever heard of a guy named “Stuart McLean”?
He was in Estevan a few years ago as well. He has a CBC radio show called, “The Vinyl
Café” where he tells stories about a fictional couple named “Dave” and “Morley”. Every year, at Christmastime, he takes his
show on the road and Sara and I have seen him a couple of times at the “Centre
of the Arts”. Guess what he does in
those shows. He comes out. He stands on an empty stage, tells stories
and holds a sold-out crowd of 2000 people captivated for three hours. Words are powerful.
Sometimes
words can be so powerful that even a short phrase can have a huge impact. Commenting on the national pride that came
out during the Vancouver Olympics, Globe and Mail reporter Stephen Brunt said
three words that I will never forget:
“Cynicism is easy”. Of course,
everyone knows Dr. Marin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech and what it
did. You can probably think of some
words (both positive and negative) that have had a lasting effect on your life.
Words are powerful.
So, how
much more powerful would those words be if they came from the God who created
you? How much more important would the
words be if they were “inspired”? How
much effect could those words have if they were “supernatural” in some way?
There are
some who say that preaching is on the way out and that no one is interested in listening
anymore. While I agree that some
preaching (the boring, long-winded, irrelevant stuff) should die, I believe
that there is still a need to hear the word of God. I believe that something powerful happens
when not only words, but “The Word” is taught and shared together.
Maybe it is
time to hear the word again.
“The word
of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword” (Hebrews
4:12).
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