{"id":22981,"date":"1992-04-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"1992-04-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/1992\/04\/01\/peeking-behind-pulpit\/"},"modified":"1992-04-01T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"1992-04-01T00:00:00","slug":"peeking-behind-pulpit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/peeking-behind-pulpit\/","title":{"rendered":"PEEKING BEHIND THE PULPIT"},"content":{"rendered":"

A pulpit generally looks just fine-when it’s seen from the pew.<\/p>\n\n

Commanding center stage-except in a divided chancel-it can be quite impressive. It’s the main focus of attention, a kind of Mount Sinai, from which a preacher hands down divine pronouncements every Sunday.<\/p>\n\n

Maybe that’s why so many floral arrangements find their way to the front and sides of the pulpit. Flowers make Mount Sinai seem a little softer and friendlier.<\/p>\n\n

A pulpit is so awesome, some call it a “sacred desk”-a strange name really, because no one ever preaches from a desk or writes at a pulpit.<\/p>\n\n

But if you think a pulpit looks awesome from the front, you should see it from the back-the view the preacher and choir get. If the front of a pulpit resembles Mount Sinai, the back resembles the valley of Hinnom-Jerusalem’s garbage dump.<\/p>\n\n

You just can’t imagine what’s buried under the “sacred desk.” An inventory would likely include an earring, keys to a Chevy Corvair, a copy of last year’s Christmas program, half a glass of water- long since dried out-left by an evangelist two years ago, a copy of the annual budget, a dozen Mother’s Day bookmarks, a broken Christmas tree ornament,<\/p>\n\n

and umpteen hand-written notes that missed the bulletin and had to be read from the pulpit:<\/p>\n\n

“Thanks for the flowers and prayers . . .”<\/p>\n\n

“The Women’s Missionary Fellowship meeting has been postponed . . .”<\/p>\n\n

“Remember to bring your favorite dessert . . .”<\/p>\n\n

“Please pick up your teen at 8 A.M., after the allnight lock-in . . .”<\/p>\n\n

“Workers are still needed for VBS . . .”<\/p>\n\n

Why, an archaeologist could almost reconstruct the church’s history from digging into the back of the pulpit.<\/p>\n\n

Perhaps it’s good that the pulpit has two sides. The front inspires worshipers; the back keeps the preacher in touch. After all, the world, like the back of a pulpit, is full of discards-lost souls, broken relationships, neglected responsibilities, forgotten messages, and unclaimed opportunities. If a preacher’s pulpit were empty, maybe his sermons would be too.<\/p>\n\n

So if the janitor and the spring cleanup volunteers forget to do the back of the pulpit, maybe they’re fulfilling part of some great, eternal plan.<\/p>\n\n

-Jim Dyet<\/p>\n\n

Schaumburg, Illinois<\/p>\n\n

Copyright © 1992 by the author or Christianity Today\/Leadership Journal<\/em>.\nClick here<\/a> for reprint information on Leadership Journal<\/em>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A pulpit generally looks just fine-when it’s seen from the pew. Commanding center stage-except in a divided chancel-it can be quite impressive. It’s the main focus of attention, a kind of Mount Sinai, from which a preacher hands down divine pronouncements every Sunday. Maybe that’s why so many floral arrangements find their way to the Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"tax_ctp_authors":[1926],"tax_ctp_books":[],"tax_ctp_categories":[154],"tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory":[],"tax_ctp_field_guides":[],"tax_ctp_format":[131],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[],"tax_publications":[627,156,629],"tax_ctp_tags":[4193,4688],"tax_ctp_topics":[],"class_list":["post-22981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tax_ctp_authors-jim-dyet","tax_publications-1992-leadership-journal","tax_publications-leadership-journal","tax_publications-spring_1992-leadership-journal","tax_ctp_tags-humor","tax_ctp_tags-preaching"],"acf":{"scripture_references":null},"yoast_head":"\nPEEKING BEHIND THE PULPIT - CT Pastors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A pulpit generally looks just fine-when it's seen from the pew. 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