On Being “The Voice of Satan”

Me, during the “Voice of Satan” monologue. No, I wasn’t colored red, nor did I don pointed ears. No pitchfork, but a Bible. For if I dressed in a Satan costume, people may have been afraid and would have run away. Instead, I actually came as Satan does…disguised as one of us, a wolf in sheep’s clothing so to speak.

“Like a courtroom drama, a series of witnesses comes forward each Wednesday evening to give testimony about their experiences with the accused—Jesus Christ. Through their accounts we come to know the truth that Jesus came to take our place in the defendant’s chair.” On Ash Wednesday, I, still Senior Pastor at Immanuel Lutheran, Palatine, IL, became the “Voice of Satan.”  It really drained me emotionally — and spiritually.  I’d like to share that experience with you today…

“He is not Satan,” said my associate as he introduced my monologue. His comments, met with laughter, were to alert everyone to an unusual presentation. Instead of serving as pastor and sharing God’s Word, I would be speaking as if I were Satan.

Preaching is always an emotional experience for me. It is not unusual for me to become “choked-up” as I deliver the message. However, as I began to speak the other evening, I experienced an eerie, uncertain and very uncomfortable feeling. Words I prepared and rehearsed came from my mouth, but they were not the typical pastoral words that identify everyday problems and offer God-pleasing solutions surrounded by grace.

Honestly, I took on a role that quickly became all too familiar and comfortable. I talked about temptation, how Christ refused to succumb to it, and the fact that we so often cannot resist it. I said things that evening I would never say during a typical Sunday morning sermon for fear that I would offend too many people. But the “Voice of Satan” used raw, piercing and brutally honest words without any attempt to be tactful and cushion the blow. As the “Voice of Satan”, I took on a persona that unfortunately was not entirely foreign.

The “Voice of Satan” became a politically incorrect monologue that accused everyone of irresponsible behavior, terrible choices, and habitual sin. For me, it became all too personal as I shared my failures, and my sin.  Quickly I was emotionally drained, spiritually spent, and physically exhausted. At the conclusion of the worship, people came forward to have ashes placed on their forehead and receive Holy Communion. As I raise my arm, I ached from the emotional strain even as I spoke those sacred words, “Dust you are. To dust you will return.”

Throughout the evening, I wondered how I would be greeted after worship. I considered exiting through the side door to avoid any interaction. However, in the end I found myself in my usual place. Surprisingly, a number of typically stoic men and women approached me with a measure of sentiment rarely shared in Lutheran circles, “You were a good Satan, pastor. Too good.”

Through the blessing of technology, I’m able to share some resources with you:

• An audio link of  Ash Wednesday’s “The Voice of Satan”
• A video link of Ash Wednesday’s “The Voice of Satan”
• A “don’t miss” devotion on related topic called “Being Honest About Sin!” by my friend Tim Hetzner, President of Lutheran Church Charities.

See you in church…I’ll be me,
Pastor Tom