In 1988 I was a young college intern at a church in Southern California.  Among my duties was the Sunday night sermon to be given every week for ten weeks.  These could be on any topic I chose, but I had to let the church secretary know nine days in advance so it could be in the weekly Sunday bulletin.  My mentor impressed upon me the need to stick to the topic no matter what.  The first two weeks were nerve-wracking, but I was learning and people were encouraging.  Then in the third week disaster struck.  It was a Tuesday morning and we got a call that one of our members and a good friend of my mentor had had a stroke.  He and I spent most of that week at the hospital.  This too was ministry but it didn’t leave much time for lesson prep.  I spent that Sunday afternoon in a  cold, frantic sweat wrestling with a text I wished I could change but couldn’t (it was in the bulletin after all!) so that evening I stood in front of the church and delivered one of the most embarrassing sermons of my life!  The church gave me a lot of grace.  My mentor did not.  

Lesson learned:  Obviously, be prepared for anything.  That’s ministry.  If you can, give yourself an out.  And… if you find yourself as a mentor one day, give grace! 

Through the years I’ve given some very good lessons and learned consistency.  But there have been occasions where I’ve been caught flat-footed.  These outlines are offered with the knowledge that ministry is hard and sometimes we need a little help.  Life happens.  We don’t choose the events of our church’s life and sometimes the timing is awful.  But God’s grace is great and maybe one of these outlines is a way I can pour some of the grace I’ve been given out to you.