Upcoming challenge

I'll be preaching Sunday at MBC and I have two fairly minor but real concerns. One, this will be MBC's first experience with a woman in the pulpit, which is always a little scary. On the one hand, I just learned that the previous pastor didn't even allow women to be greeters, so that gives you a little history on this congregation. On the other hand, there was applause on Sunday when C announced that I would be filling the pulpit next week, so that was beyond encouraging. We've come a long way since the days that men would stand and turn their backs in protest--something that many women who blazed this trail have experienced. My other minor concern is that I haven't preached in a little over a year. I have done a lot of speaking, teaching, workshop leadership, etc. but preaching is a little different and comes from a different place. So, please pray for me this week as I prepare (I'm using the life of Mary, mother of Jesus as my launching pad) and on Sunday, too, please.