When I moved to a high school in Iowa, I began doing pulpit supply – filling in for pastors who were on vacation, and the like, a Sunday here, a Sunday there. Then I started doing vacancies – internships – serving one congregation who were between pastors. That’s when my wife started hearing people say that I was different. When she told me that, I said I had been hearing the same.
She asked me if I knew what I was doing that’s different. I thought about it for a moment, and said, “Yes, I do.” She asked me if I could write it down. Another moment, “Yes, I think I can.” She said, “I think you need to write a book,” so I did. The original title was My Last Sermon Was Better than My First, and the fellow Pastor who pointed out that any of us could say that was right.
The book was the impetus for the Focus on the Gospel web page, and one thing led to another. I had been recording my sermons at the request of my daughters, who by then lived in other places. It was a easy transition to post them on the web site, and then I started posting a exegetical notes of the upcoming Gospel pericope in the LSB three-year Lectionary, which were well received.
Later, I added a bit of new content to that book and changed that title to Johnny Can’t Preach…But Jimmy Can.” Both were self-published, and neither really sold very well. In 2013 I accepted the Call to serve at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grand Mound, Iowa. At the end of June, I preached my last sermon to my beloved Saints there, took Emeritus status, and moved on to other things.
I wasn’t sure what those other things would be, and I decided – the first stage of retirement, per the experts – to do nothing or whatever I wanted to do for a while. We travelled a bit, and watched even more TV, and I caught up on about 40 years of deferred – everything. But the experts also said that if you don’t quit doing nothing, you won’t last very long, and now I am doing things.
I graduated with a B.A. in Education from Concordia Teachers College, River Forest, IL, (now Concordia University Chicago), and from there continued my education at Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, IN, earning a Master of Divinity degree in Exegetical Theology in 1985. I have joined The Great Courses on Amazon Prime and am working on other educational pursuits.
I will occasionally post new materials here. When I do Pulpit Supply, I will probably post new sermons, but for the most part the notes and the like will be on hold for now. I’m not exactly sure what form the new things I’ll be doing will take, but it’s going to involve venturing out into the Public Square, and probably that will be joined by another web site for another time and place.
God’s richest blessings on you, and may you preach like a champion on Sunday!
Rev. Steven L. Anderson
Pastor Emeritus
Sherrard, IL
