"I'm not doing anything wrong"
Recently some poor soul googled "sermon - I'm not doing anything wrong" and landed on my blog. I am pretty sure they didn't find a sermon by me titled, "I'm not doing anything wrong" but maybe they found something helpful. I hope so.
Anyway, when I saw the search, my first thought was, "If you're preaching a sermon titled 'I'm Not Doing Anything Wrong' you're already in big trouble."
Senator Larry Craig comes to mind. His defensive phrase -- "I have a wide-stance" --quickly made it into the cultural lexicon. I'm reminded of the wonderful line from Hamlet where the Queen says, "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." Which also applies to senators -- and preachers -- who try to defend themselves too vigorously.
The next time you're thinking about preaching a sermon to vindicate yourself, think again. "I'm not doing anything wrong" makes folks think you're doing something wrong. Suspicion is a little like getting sprayed by a skunk -- the experience won't kill you, but the smell is hard to shake.
