Category Archives: argument

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Anticipate Push Back (part 8 of What We Do to the Bible to Create Sermons)

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Our preaching portions routinely contain truth that causes an allergic reaction in some of our listeners. So preachers will spend some time during sermon preparation anticipating push back. During delivery of the sermon we will actually talk to our listeners who have this reaction.

For instance, in Luke 13:34 Jesus says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

Jesus is describing how He feels when we don’t let Him save/sanctify us. But, it’s extremely difficult for us to think that we are as bad as the inhabitants of Jerusalem. In order for this teaching to have full impact, it’s important to anticipate and address this push back: “Surely, we’re not as evil as those people were!”

Another example of the same concept is in Luke 19:14 “But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.'” It’s tough to think that such an extreme emotion is a part of our carnality. Our blatant disobedience and, seemingly less offensive, delayed obedience is equal to the hatred that ultimately crucified our Savior.

If you read Buttrick’s massive, Homiletic, he refers to this as a contrapuntal. It describes those minutes in the sermon when we talk to our listeners about their disagreement with what God is saying. He argues that if we do not address the possible push back, those listeners stop listening. Talking to them about their thoughts is one way to keep them listening to God’s Word.

Before Sunday, see if you can anticipate potential push back that will occur as your congregants hear God’s Word.

Preach well for the sake of God’s reputation in the Church and in the world.

Randal

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What Do You Do to the Bible to Create a Sermon (part 3)? Tracing the Flow of Thought

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My premise for this series is that we perform a series of operations on the Bible to create sermons. In its worst form, we may be committing malpractice through what Vanhoozer calls impository preaching. In its best form, we do things to the Bible to help communicate God’s truth in a way that facilitates worship during the teaching time.

So far we’ve briefly looked at (1) explaining the Text and (2) identifying and announcing the Text’s purpose. In this post we’re focusing on tracing the flow of the author’s thought. It’s a way of connecting the dots for our listeners.

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Our preaching portions look like this connect-the-dot picture. Or, we might say that the meaning of a preaching portion looks like this picture. Some of the connections are readily seen simply by reading the Text. However, some connections are not obvious.

Expository preachers consistently connect the dots for their listeners by displaying the flow of thought the author employs to make meaning. That’s an important realization: biblical authors make meaning through the way in which they logically convey their thoughts.

So, for instance, in Luke’s record of Jesus’ story about the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 19:19-31), verses 19-21 describe two different souls in life. Verses 22-31, however, describe two different souls in the afterlife. Of course, Jesus tells this story because He doesn’t want any of us to end up like that rich man (the purpose of the parable).

The first hour or so in my study each Monday morning is devoted to tracing the flow of thought of the biblical author. I want to know how meaning is made. That discover puts me on the path of discovering what meaning is being made in the preaching portion.

Before Sunday, see if you have traced the flow of thought in your preaching portion. Identify the major thought blocks in the Text and then write out the logical transition between those thought blocks. Watch how meaning unfolds as you connect the dots.

Preaching well for the sake of God’s reputation in the Church and in the world.

Randal

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Making Parishioners Wish The Word Was True

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While recently reading McGrath’s, C. S. Lewis–A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet, I was intrigued by this approach to apologetics:

“For [Blaise] Pascal (1623-1662), there was little point in trying to persuade anyone of the truth of religious belief. The important thing, he argued, was to make people wish that it were true, having caught sight of the rich and satisfying vision of reality it offered” (p. 134).

When I evaluated my own preaching, I quickly realized I wasn’t doing this. I hadn’t spent hardly any time thinking of ways to make people wish the Word was true. Whether Pascal was right or not, helping our congregants catch sight of the rich and satisfying vision of reality offered in our preaching portions is an important part of exposition.

I’m currently preaching through the Gospel of Luke. In Luke 13:22-30 Jesus commands, “Strive to enter through the narrow door” (v. 24) and prophesies, “And people will come…and recline at table in the kingdom of God” (v. 29). One thought-block in the sermon should be providing parishioners an explanation of the kingdom of God that makes them wish it were true. For instance, I’ll often say, “The best and brightest minds on the planet are working day and night to eliminate the damaging results of the curse.” Imagine a world minus disease and death, for instance. Even people who don’t believe the Bible (including those who believe in select portions of it), want such a world to be true.

Like Pascal, I’m arguing that helping congregants catch sight of God’s glorious new world is a vital part of expository preaching.

Does this Sunday’s preaching portion contain any slice of reality that everyone wishes were true? If so, show them how satisfying this world really is.

Preach well for the sake of God’s reputation in the church and in the world.

Randal

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What do you do in the first hour of sermon preparation?

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One of the many pluses of attending the annual meetings of the Evangelical Homiletics Society meetings is the opportunity in between meetings to sit with excellent pastor/homileticians. One of them is Lee Eclov, author of Pastoral Graces. We were talking about the importance of answering this question: What do you do in the first hour of sermon preparation? We both felt that question revealed much about a pastor’s method.

I’ve provided a screenshot of what I do every Monday morning. I begin by getting the big picture of the preaching portion’s logic (how the author has chosen to communicate theology). In the example above, I’ve identified 10 thought-blocks that will be explored in the sermon, plus the final “gospel” section with which I close out every sermon (how Christ-crucified creates the desire and capacity for the Believer to do what God is commanding).

I believe this may be one of the most important actions of an expositor. I call it pre-exegesis, but that might not be accurate. Before doing any real study of the passage, I want to capture the logic or structure of the theology. It helps me see early on how sermon time on Sunday might be divided (will I divide the time evenly among the ten or eleven thought-blocks or give more time to some?).

While conducting a preaching workshop a few weeks ago, I realized again how often pastors begin their sermon preparation by straying from the logic of the Text. When that occurs, it’s difficult to relay God’s message from the passage. It’s not that you won’t be biblical, but, rather, you won’t be biblical enough.

I realize you’re busy, but I wouldn’t mind reading a brief summary of what you do in your first hour of study (I’m assuming that you are praying some kind of, “Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law” type prayer).

Preach well for the sake of God’s reputation in the Church/world.

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How is your Sunday sermon conveying theology?

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Recently, I enjoyed a full afternoon conducting a preaching workshop with 20 other pastors and lay teachers. One thing we explored was how theology is conveyed in a preaching portion (the amount of Scripture you select for your sermon). I commented that theology is conveyed in Scripture through the structure of the preaching portion. It is common, however, for preachers to stray from the logic or flow of thought created by the Author/author. So, take a look at your sermon for this Sunday. How is your sermon conveying theology? Is your sermon somehow following the logic conveyed in your preaching portion or have you changed it? If you changed it, what theology are you communicating? The most important part of my study is the first half hour that I devote each week making sure I can identify the logical flow of my preaching portion.