Matt Williams Sermon; Proverbs 26:11-12
I didn’t post yesterday because I was too tired, so this entry is for Sunday.
A couple days ago I mentioned that I wanted to talk about Matt Williams and his sermon at chapel, which I think is the best chapel I’ve been to yet. There’s not a lot to say - he has a basic style that makes him so much different than anything I’ve heard before. He presented a different perspective, and at the same time it seems to be more down to earth and so simplistic that no one can miss it.
First, I came into chapel and it was silent in the gym (where we have chapel), because up on the screen (which we use to project lyrics for worship songs) it said something along the lines of “Please by silent when you enter. Use this time to prepare your hearts.”
So what did I think of it? I thought that a well-loved professor had passed away. Now that I thought about it, I don’t remember anyone dying in my short time there so far (just a year), but there are lots of older faculty, so it is expected. So I was prepared for a nice memorial service and maybe a message relating this to our lives.
But as I was thinking, I thought again about the idea that death really shouldn’t be taken seriously. Life here on earth if not the goal - we shouldn’t linger here. It is only depressing for those we leave behind, especially if they heavily depended on us. But in the end, death is the goal - and it is a good thing. (this view sounds sort of warped from a non-religious or non-Christian perspective I know!)
Matt Williams came up to the microphone after a while and started reading a passage from Philippians I think? As he was reading, he started walking to another part of the gym. I’ve only seem like one other speaker do that before. But then he appeared to keep walking past the bleachers, and out the door. It was kind of funny, I thought he was just going to read until he got outside so maybe he could do something from there? It turns out that he was going up the staircase to get up to the new balcony, where there are tons of new seats. He ended up starting the message from there, and the point of it was that we were to have a new perspective on life (get it?) because of Christ.
He walked back down to the normal speaking spot at the lecturn, and then explained that the purpose of the “moment of silence” in the beginning was to gauge our progress. The idea is that some people just used the time to look around at everyone else (i.e. guys looking at girls), some used the time to talk quietly, some were very deep in prayer. Whatever we were doing gives us a good look at our progress in spiritual maturity.
Matt Williams ended the message, asking the band to come up and sing. Before that, we prayed for a bit, then the music started, and people stood up little by little, as they finished praying. I ended up finishing praying, but I stayed seated - and I could see someone across on the opposite side of the gym who was alone and deep in prayer, even to the end of the last song (no, they weren’t sleeping!).
What an effective service, I think! I was going on about how much I admire Matt Williams just from his lectures in class during Fall semester last year, but this just confirms it - he really has a gift to humble himself while at the same time making an effective statement and call to action. Great stuff!
“Like a dog that returns to its vomit
is a fool who reverts to his folly.
Do you see persons wise in their own eyes?
There is more hope for fools than for them.”
Proverbs 26:11-12