EUPHORIA IN PREACHING

Several times in the pulpit this year, I've experienced brief moments of euphoria while preaching. They've been surprising experiences, but so far as I know, only my wife and I know about them--until know. I don't think these moments are proof of increased spirituality or supernatural signs of the Spirit's special presence. But it is encouraging to know that I'm emotionally invested in what Christ has called me to do.

I began preaching when I was a teenager, and in my late twenties, I began pastoring the church where I've been for the past dozen plus years. I usually preach expository sermons heavy on explanation and exegesis, but for me preaching is not an academic exercise. I'm passionate about it, and I'm often passionate in the pulpit, too. I'm not into revivalism, and I don't believe that a good sermon requires the preacher to work himself into a frenzy. In my most emotional moments, my pulpit mannerisms are nothing like those of the sweat-soaked, platform pacing, cadence and crescendo evangelists I saw in my youth. And while I was impressed in positive ways by their passion for preaching, I'm convicted that God is most pleased with preaching that emphasizes substance over style. For that reason I use what homileticians call an "enlarged conversational style."

Sometimes while preaching I've felt a sense of euphoria at a key moment in the sermon. It's not an overpowering ecstasy, but it's definitely an exhilarating rush. It happens rarely and unpredictably, but when it's occurred, it's always been when I'm bringing my sermon to a close or when I've hit a natural high point in the message. I recognize the feeling as being somewhat similar to what I felt in my youth when I would get caught up in the atmosphere of a fiery evangelist's message. Back then I wrongly associated that sensation with the filling of the Holy Spirit. I later learned to understand that such feelings are simply, well, feelings. They are an indication of my own emotional investment in what's being said, not necessarily a sign of the Spirit's work.

Euphoria is a common human experience which can occur in many kinds of religious and secular settings. Athletes often feel a rush at high points of exertion, and even sports fans might feel a rush when their team wins a cliffhanger. On the religious side of the spectrum, all sorts of people--whether believers in Christ or not--can have moments of euphoria. Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Mormons, Catholics, Pentecostals, Baptists, and pastors like myself are known to experience moments of euphoria in the midst of their religious activities. That doesn't mean that all of these persons feel the same thing or that their feelings are all of the same value. Each arena of experience has its own unique nuances. But they share something in common: the thrill that can come from deep emotional investment.

I'm glad that I know that because it would be easy to misidentify those forceful feelings in the pulpit as indicators of the Spirit's powerful presence. But Scripture doesn't teach that experiencing euphoria is a guarantee of the Spirit's work. The Scripture never promises the believer this sort of experience as something normative in his or her life. The Spirit certainly knows how to make dramatic changes in a person's life in a moment, and those moments of transformation might very well be attended by euphoric joy. But the real proof of the Spirit's transforming work is seen over the long haul as a person's affections, decisions, relationships, and reactions in real life are fashioned after Christ's likeness.

I can definitely see how pulpit euphoria can become addictive. For those preachers who serve in revivalist traditions, feelings of euphoria are more common, perhaps even the norm for some. I live next door to a non-English speaking revivalist church, and the brothers and sisters there like to worship with their church windows open. I can only understand a tiny bit of what's being said, but every service is characterized by predictable crescendos that end in emotional rapture. I can't quantify all that the Spirit is or isn't doing in their church's life. I pray that the net effect of their ministry is that Christians are drawing closer to the Lord and the lost are being drawn to Christ. But I also pray that the saints are not being misled as to what to think about the emotional journey that they travel each week during their services.

I certainly don't mean to imply that emotions are bad or intrinsically suspect. If our hearts are seldom stirred with wider awakenings to God's glorious grace, something may well be amiss. God created our emotions, and our affections for Him are part of the bonds of love which the Spirit uses to unite us experientially with Christ. Euphoria is a climactic emotional experience which we should neither seek nor reject. But if we should feel it, let us not automatically identify the rush we feel with the wind of the Spirit. Euphoria may only be a gauge of our emotional investment in what we're doing for the Lord's sake.