It may be the most widely distributed sermon of the twentieth century. Robert Boyd Munger (1911-2001) first preached his “My Heart–Christ’s Home” sermon at the Berkeley Presbyterian Church in California in 1949. It was published a few years later in booklet form, and ten million copies have been printed over the years. Robert’s sermon text was based on a verse from Ephesians, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Eph. 3.17). At the outset of his sermon, Robert said, “One evening I shall never forget. I invited Christ into my heart. What an entrance he made! It was not a spectacular, emotional thing, but very real…He came into the darkness of my heart and turned on the light. He built a fire in the cold hearth and banished the chill. He started music where there had been stillness, and he filled the emptiness with his own wonderful, loving fellowship. I have never regretted opening the door to Christ, and I never will—not into eternity.” Robert took people in his sermon through every room in his proverbial house, including the closets, to invite Christ’s company. He wrote, “After Christ entered my heart and in the joy of that new-found relationship, I prayed:
Robert Boyd Munger
Lord, I want this heart of mine to be yours. I want you to settle down here and be perfectly at home. Everything I have belongs to you. Let me show you around and introduce you to the various features of the home so that you may be more comfortable and that we may have fuller fellowship together.
Robert Munger, My Heart—Christ’s Home, 1954.
Rev. Dr. Peter James served 42 years as the senior of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA — 21 years in the 20th century and 21 years in the 21st century. He retired in 2021 and now serves as Pastor-in-Residence at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Even as a pastor, prayer came slowly to Pete. Read Pete’s story.