It happens to every pastor a few times in his lifetime.

An event occurs in the community that attracts the attention of the world and shocks the members of his church. His people experience a mixture of grief, sadness, amazement, and anger. The event is front-page news for a week.

The thoughtful pastor decides there are moral dimensions in play here and spiritual lessons that need to be addressed.

The pastor decides to preach on that subject next Sunday.

Start praying for him. This is the toughest kind of sermon he will ever preach.

David Crosby did just this last weekend. He went about it so responsibly, approached it so carefully, and pulled it off so successfully, I felt other pastors would be interested in what he did.

Since June 1, 1996, David Crosby has led the historic First Baptist Church of New Orleans. Some eight years ago, he led them in a total relocation from the St. Charles Avenue site to an all new facility located at 5290 Canal Boulevard. Since Katrina (date: August 29, 2005), this church has been on the front lines of the rebuilding and renewal of New Orleans. My judgement is there is no pastor in the city more involved, more knowledgeable, and more caring than David Crosby.

Last Sunday, he titled the message: “The Danziger Bridge Conspiracy: A Confusion of Loyalties.” The text was II Samuel 11:14-21,27, the account of David’s adultery with Bathsheba and the participation of Joab, his general, in covering it up.

It’s important for a pastor to know that David Crosby did not surprise his congregation with this sermon. He told them in advance, asked for their prayers, and involved several in internet (e-mail) discussions on how to approach the subject.

Telling the congregation in advance could also have served as a notice to anyone who chose to be absent that day for whatever reasons. Perhaps the event involved some family member or close friend and the pain was still fresh.

The front of the church bulletin Sunday introduced the sermon with background information:

“The Danziger Bridge is a vertical lift bridge which carries seven vehicular lanes of U.S.Route 90 (Chef Menteur Highway) across the Industrial Canal in New Orleans not far from the Baptist Seminary. When this bridge was completed in 1988, it was the widest lift bridge in the world. The structure itself is intriguing and unique, standing with its four great pillars towering above the highway and canal.

“Police responded to reports of gunshots on the bridge on September 4, 2005, in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Officers shot six civilians. Two of them died.

“Last week the lieutenant in charge of the police officers, Michael Lohman, pled guilty to the charge of conspiring to cover up the true nature of the shootings. Mr. Lohman worked the security detail for First Baptist Church for a number of years and is known to many of our members. The pastor’s sermon this morning will be a response to these tragic developments in our city.”

Earlier in the service, Pastor Crosby led the church in the Lord’s Supper. At one point, presenting the elements, he said, “This is a vivid reminder of the cost Jesus paid by telling the truth.”

A poignant connection with the thrust of his sermon.

The subject at hand (in this blog) is how a pastor addresses an event that has sucked all the air out of the community and left everyone breathless.

1) He prepares well.

That includes praying hard.

The front page of the bulletin gives evidence of the background study David did on the Danziger Bridge. What he did not have to do was tell the congregation about the hurricane; they know this all too well. Had he been preaching this sermon in another city, he would have needed to give a fuller background on Katrina.

We mentioned that David involved church members and several preacher friends in this. Twice I received e-mails from him, outlining his thoughts to that point, asking for input. In all, he spent two weeks on this message. My observation, however, is that the sermon was all David’s and was definitely not written by a committee. (Just felt the need to make that point.)

2) He considers the feelings and sensitivities of everyone involved.

This is the reason many pastors shy away from preaching on such issues. It’s so easy to offend someone, to misspeak, to leave an impression of guilt or innocence he never intended.

David read a statement from a church member concerning Michael Lohman’s kindnesses when he worked security at the church. Apparently, he would take Wednesday night meals with the congregation periodically. They appreciated this man. They wondered how such a fine man could participate in such a criminal coverup.

No attempt was made to excuse what Lohman and the other officers did. Nor was the pastor a judge and jury to convict them. He stayed with the story.

3) He looks for scriptural lessons and biblical stories that parallel this event.

What David found was the way King David’s nephew and general, Joab, willingly went along with the conspiracy to keep the adultery from Bathsheba’s husband Uriah, then to have him slain in battle (II Samuel 11).

4) He looks for some connection between the event and the points he wished to make. David Crosby found them in the “four lofty posts” of the Danziger Bridge.

The four points of his sermon were represented by those posts. He raised four question:

a) “In a world like ours, who is at risk?”

Answer: we all are. “There is no criminal class. There are only ordinary people like you and me who make bad decisions.” The Bible tells us to “watch your heart.” It is “desperately corrupt.”

b) “What am I at risk for doing?”

We risk letting our arrogance and our pride destroy us. “Youth, the day will come when your closest friend will ask you to do the wrong thing. He’ll tell you that it’s everywhere, that you’re a fool to resist. If you succumb to peer pressure and the urging of your friend, your house will go down in flames.”

c) “When am I most vulnerable?”

Uriah was killed in the chaos of battle. “These policemen on the bridge that day were armed to the teeth. Looters were everywhere. Order had broken down. The temperature soared above 100 degrees. There was no proper water, many did not know where their families were. And they were sent to the Danziger Bridge.”

“One day it will be you in the pressure cooker. You’ll have to make a decision. Get ready–it’s coming. One poor choice can undo everything.”

“A diamond is a hunk of coal under pressure and heat. This is your opportunity. Like Esther, you have ‘come to the kingdom for such a time as this.'”

“The pressure can blur your vision, cause you to panic, make a bad decision.”

d) “How do I protect myself?”

“In Psalm 51:4, David confessed his sin. He did not blame anyone or excuse himself. ‘Against thee only have I sinned.'”

“Establish today the transcendent loyalty in your life. If it’s to your family or friends, you will falter. Only one deserves your full loyalty: Jesus as Savior and Lord.”

“We are followers of Jesus first and foremost. Organize all loyalties in your life under this over-arching one.”

“In John 8:29, Jesus said, ‘I do always do the things that please the Father.’ This is personal integrity.”

“Train yourself to refer to this loyalty in all decisions. Then some day, you will hear the Savior say, ‘You have been faithful over a few things; I will make you ruler over many.”

5) He wrote out the sermon.

A few times, when he wanted to express himself just so, David read whole paragraphs of the sermon. At other times, he walked away from the pulpit and spoke directly to the congregation. Even then, however, no one doubted that he was staying fairly close to the printed script, even though his manner was conversational and personal.

My observation is that this is not a pastor who normally carries a printed manuscript into the pulpit. The typical sermon would not require it. This was anything but typical, however.

6) He makes the sermon available.

At the conclusion of the service, Pastor Crosby announced that the printed manuscript of the sermon was available and the recorded message could be found at the church’s website, www.fbno.org.

7) He refuses to engage in autopsies on himself and the sermon thereafter.

“What did I do wrong?” “Could I have said it a better way?” “What if someone misinterprets it?” This Monday-morning quarterbacking, this second-guessing oneself, is self-destructive and accomplishes nothing good. Avoid it at all costs.

As with everything else we do, the best sermon any of us can deliver will still have its flaws. We’re not into perfection here. We do not have all knowledge. We are imperfect people, sinners all.

Eventually, the pastor simply has to leave it with the Lord and go on to the next message. After all, he’ll be preaching again next Sunday.

Next Sunday’s sermon should be one of his more typical kinds. The congregation is as exhausted as he is after this “current-event” message. Now, let the pastor give them one that encourages the faithful, exalts the Lord, tells about Jesus, and delights the heavenlies.

I have no doubt such a pastor will pray for no more newsworthy events in his town for a few months. It takes a while for the preacher to recover from such a sermon. He will be drained for at least a full week.

This is the time to take the children to the park. Do a fun thing, to laugh, maybe to visit the old folks home and make some people happy.

And, I’m betting, he will remember to lift the cops in his community to the Lord from time to time. We depend on them so heavily and are so vulnerable when even one of their number gets it wrong.