Category Archives: preaching

Posted on

Don’t Forget To Explain Why

by

“Why?” is often the missing piece in our preaching.

If you’re preaching or teaching context is like mine, then most of your listeners are familiar with Christian or biblical language.

Early last week I heard an excellent preacher tell his listeners that reading their Bible this year would help them be more Christlikeness. I couldn’t agree more, especially since the preacher was careful to emphasize not only reading but appropriating Scripture or applying their lives to the Bible.

As I listened I asked whether the listeners knew why becoming more Christlike was a good thing for them. Congregants who know their Bibles well probably would readily admit that they want to be more Christlike, but would they, or my own parishioners, know why it’s good.

That brief sermon segment I heard on the radio helped me understand my need to explain the “why” of the doctrines I preach and teach.

Give it a try: Becoming more Christlike is an excellent goal for every Christian because __________________.

You could start with something like: “….because it is good for God’s reputation in the church and in the world.”

You could also explain that, “…because it is good for us. Period.”

You could also state that, “…because it is good for our witness in the world.”

I came away thinking that even if my listeners know the concept of being Christlike, they may not be able to articulate why it’s a good goal for them. If listened to my own sermons I might find that, too often, I leave this critical piece of the theological puzzle out.

As you craft your sermon/lesson this week, look for doctrine that your congregants know, but may not know the “why” attached to it. And may our Lord continue to receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as a result of your efforts.

Randal

Posted on

What I Learned About Preaching from the Beatles

by

Through the years I have always been intrigued by critiques and analyses of musical performers. Recently I enjoyed a documentary on the Beatles and once again came away with insights for preaching.

One interviewer/reviewer said of the Beatles:

“They were fresh and they were honest.”

Just those two things, but extremely important for explaining part of why this new singing group took the world by storm.

It got me thinking whether these two elements of being fresh and honest are important for preaching God’s Word in church on Sunday.

First, why is being fresh and honest important for preachers? Our listeners resonate with a sense of freshness that they hear in our preaching. This kind of freshness means that you and God are together in the study before the sermon. Freshness means God’s Spirit is teaching you in the study and in your sermons and lessons you are relaying what He is teaching you. It is very current, very fresh material.

Then there is honesty. This gives our listeners the assurance that you are being real in your own faith-journey. Your preaching and teaching is genuine, not contrived. Our listeners find it easier to listen to us because they feel we’re real, not fake.

Second, how do preachers accomplish being fresh and honest? This kind of freshness sounds different, but not in the sense of always coming up with things they’ve never heard before. It might be the way your use words and phrases. It may be your particular style, but it is unmistakably you.

And being honest? It includes an honesty about your own wrestling with the text. It includes honestly preaching the text no matter how it might sound to the listeners. It also includes the sense that you believe what you’re saying and that it’s a matter of life and death.

Anyway, I hope this creates some thinking on effectively communicating God’s Word. You probably have things come to mind immediately that could add to either being fresh or honest or both.

May any sense of Spirit-created freshness and honesty result in our Lord receiving glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

Posted on

Me and God in the Study (part 2)

by

If you’re hungry, go to moonpie.com!

This morning I had the privilege of reading 1 Thessalonians 5:14 with our faith-family. It is an excellent test case to continue our discussion in the previous post about how much original material we put into our sermons.

The reason is because it is a short verse that needs a heavy dose of explaining:

“And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”

This means that much of the sermon contains the most precise, effective definitions we can get our hands on from Greek lexicons. Nothing original there.

So, what exactly do I bring to the equation with a text like this?

  1. I selected the text because of our current mini-series on our faith-family’s core values.
  2. That means I bring congregational purpose to this sermon, a purpose that, I hope, matches God’s purpose for this verse.
  3. Part of my job is to convince our listeners that this is critical (“…we urge you…”) and that they all have this responsibility (“…brothers…”), not just the leadership. These are implications of the explanations of meaning. Definitions alone won’t go there, but we need to.
  4. Then, I needed to help everyone see how important it is for us to care for each other like this. God decided to give us these four instructions at the end of the little letter. They must help a faith-family flourish spiritually. I helped them see the importance of these instructions by asking them what a local church would look like that didn’t treat each other like this.
  5. I wanted to make sure everyone realized that there are times when they might find themselves in one of the categories and in need of someone else’s assistance. Otherwise, we need to be ready to add real ministry to our small talk because it’s possible that whoever we’re fellowshipping with is in one of the categories and needs the appropriate response.
  6. Finally, I wanted to connect v. 14 with the the early part of the letter where the gospel and its transforming power is mentioned. This helps us see that God’s salvation in Christ creates the desire and capacity for us to respond well to each other. That way applying these instructions is a matter of genuine faith-at-work in a faith-family.

There may have been more, but this is a good amount of material that is more or less my doings. Before this coming Sunday, consider what kinds of things you contribute to your sermon and may our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) through your efforts.

Randal

Posted on

Me and God in the Study

by

Thinking about what I actually bring to the equation for a given Sunday Sermon

This weekend I am thinking about what I actually bring to the equation with respect to sermon development. I had the privilege to preach Luke 14:25-35 this morning where Jesus explains the high cost of following Him.

Sometimes I feel that I contribute very little except for the ability to read the best material that other scholars have provided. It is an important part of preaching, but I thought we might give this some thought.

First, is this feeling true? To what degree do I add original material to my sermons? Second, if it were true, is that okay?

So, first, it is not true. Each week I select my preaching portion, trace the argument of that Scripture, and begin my analysis without consulting any of the best exegetes and theologians I can access. Being able to read Hebrew and Greek help me use excellent lexicons to get to critical definitions-in-context. Oh, and God’s Spirit operates in answer to my prayers for insight: “Lord, grant to me keenness of mind, capacity to remember, skill in learning, subtlety to interpret…”

But, more than that, each Monday provides an opportunity to also identify the big idea and intention of that passage. I now know what God intends to do to those in our faith-family that have ears to hear. And I know enough of the flock to know this is going to be a very important act of watching over souls.

Second, if it were true that I brought very little to the sermon equation, it would not be okay. God has called me and is equipping me to help shepherd a little flock. Not someone else. So, while I might benefit from Marshall’s fine treatment of Luke 14, it can’t be Marshall’s sermon.

As we head back to work tomorrow morning and begin preparing for our next sermon, let’s enjoy our time with God and His Word so He receives glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

Posted on

What We Preach And How We Preach

by

Manuscripting your sermon isn’t about being clever.

I am writing this post on a Sunday evening. If you preached today you know that feeling of a sense of accomplishment, plus the usual nagging thoughts of, “It could’ve been better, Lord. I tried my best.”

I am enjoying the slow process of reentering my “normal” life. Like, for instance, getting back to my reading schedule which includes books like Jared E. Alcántara’s, The Practices of Christian Preaching: Essentials for Effective Proclamation.

In his introduction, Jared reminds his readers that what matters most is what we preach and “not just how we preach” (p. 6).

He quotes Augustine:

“There is a danger of forgetting what one has to say while working out a clever way to say it” (p. 6).

As I mentioned not too long ago, I had the privilege of working with two sections of Advanced Homiletics students in PA and MD. Part of their final sermon assignment involves writing a manuscript. They preach without it, but write it to practice what they want to say to their listeners. In almost every case it makes them better preachers since the practice makes them work harder on how they speak to their congregants.

Alcántara reminds us how important it is to develop sermon content based upon solid exegesis of the passage. That’s what we have to say. That’s where our authority comes from.

But there is a place for working on how we say it. Cleverness isn’t the goal but listenability and clarity are. So allow the practice of manuscripting to aid your communication. Just note Augustine’s warning. We can’t work so hard at being clever that we forget what we have to say.

As you begin to think hard about next Sunday strike a balance between careful exegesis (what to say) and engaging orascript (how you say it). Discover the strong foundation and then build on it.

And our Lord will receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

P.S. I am curious as to what percentage of sermon prep time do you devote to crafting your words (as opposed to the raw exegesis).

Posted on

For 30+ Years I’ve Been Telling Preaching Students…

by

I remember thinking: “Everybody I’m reading quotes from C. S. Lewis and Jonathan Edwards!” What’s up with that?!?!

God has been gracious to me again this past year and given me yet another opportunity to teach preaching to students pursuing their Master’s degree as part of their training. Once again this year I said something like:

“Read and think hard to become a pastor-theologian for your faith-family.”

Each year part of my privilege involves listening to my new friends preach sermons as their final project/assignment for the semester in Advanced Homiletics. Each year I think to myself something like:

“Keep encouraging them to read and think hard to become a pastor-theologian for their faith-families.”

The sermons often contain the results of good exegesis, but many are a bit on the lighter side when it comes to theological thinking. I hear solid definition of key terms–word studies; I hear less solid thinking with respect to the why’s and how’s of our relationship to these well-defined concepts.

So, if you were interested in continuing to grow as a theologian, one easy and effective way to proceed is to consider reading Crossway’s series of leading theologians on the Christian Life. I am just completing Lewis on the Christian Life and it has been one of my top five reads in my lifetime. Really. Though not a theologian, Lewis’s thinking is unparalleled (which is not the same as saying he was a good exegete). Joe Rigney’s book, however, is excellent. And the other books I’ve read in the series are also extremely good.

It seems like modern pastor-theologians that are worth studying always quote the likes of Lewis and also Jonathan Edwards. I encourage you to join that club so our Lord continues to receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

P.S. Rigney’s analysis of Lewis’s thoughts on the corruption of human love and how temptation works on men and women is an example of how such thinking adds theological depth to sermons.

Posted on

The Past Few Months and Months to Come, Lord Willing

by

A Snippet of My Personal Journey

I am finally back to the place where I can create these short preaching posts each week.

For the past couple of months–actually since August–I have been scrambling to put the finishing touches on my Ph.D. dissertation. The deadline for attempting the oral exam was early November.

God graciously allowed me to pass that exam about a month ago and I graduated this past Friday.

I enjoyed the whole process immensely, except for the hectic pace. The Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from LBC|Capital Seminary & Graduate School included two years of course work, qualifying exams, and then approximately two years of research and writing the dissertation. The generalist approach was beneficial in that it covered both Testaments, plus historical theology (not to mention extensive language studies: ancient semitic languages such as Aramaic, Ugaritic, and Akkadian, plus modern research languages such as German and French).

I believe my preaching is the better for it since the training helped me read Scripture better. The incredible congregation of Christ-followers at Calvary Bible Church in Mount Joy, PA provide the real evaluation!

The push over the past few months, however, meant some things simply had to be delayed. Like this blog.

Looking ahead I intend to continue to provide 300-ish word posts on preaching and the connection between hermeneutics and homiletics that reflect my own practice and learning. Lord willing, I will also be presenting some of my recent research and also writing projects that have been on hold since I matriculated into the Ph.D. program.

Thank you for reading and interacting with my material through the years. My prayer is that our Lord will receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus as a result of our efforts (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

P.S. Blessed Christmas and New Year to you!

Posted on

What Sermons Can And Should Not Do

by

We Have An Uphill Battle With Young People Ages 13-25!
Photo by Pier Monzon on Unsplash

“For Young People, A Church Disconnect” by Clare Ansberry appeared in the Personal Journal section of the Wall Street Journal, Tuesday, October 26, 2021. She reminded me of the uphill battle we preachers have these days.

Here are my takeaways from the brief article:

  1. Many congregations are feeling the pressure, exacerbated by COVID, of needing more “believers to sustain their congregations.” Ansberry proposed only that young people between the ages of 13-25 feel a disconnect with the churches that need them. I was reminded that the Church is God’s and He promised to build it. The current day and mindset is no match for Him.
  2. This age group cares deeply about racial justice, gender equity, immigration rights, income inequality, and gun control. And they don’t think we “care as much as they do about [these] issues that matter deeply to them…” (“The biggest disconnect involves LGBT rights.”) Concerning the statement in parentheses, we have our work cut out for us differentiating between rights of a citizen versus how a faith-family conducts itself according to God’s will. The same goes for gender equity and Paul’s reference to creation order to explain gender specific instructions for the church.
  3. Finally, Ansberry wrote, “I hear loud and clear that young people long for their churches to engage who they are, and embrace the full identity of young people.” This includes embracing their views of LGBT rights and all things inclusive.

If you and I preach and teach Scripture, our listeners will hear about a God who is very concerned with a certain kind of justice, but is also crystal clear about certain “differences” He will not accept (a part of His justice).

I am bracing myself for the uphill battle of reading Scripture in such a way that our young people will learn that God intends to transform them into a brand new identity. Then, little by little they will see that God critiques the spirit of the age, not the other way around.

Sermons can do that. Sermons should not feed the instincts of our young people with respect to their negative feelings toward a God who “discriminates.”

May we boldly and graciously preach His Word so He continues to receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21),

Randal

P.S. Some of you may have noticed my inactivity over the past few weeks. I was swamped with the task of completing and defending my Ph.D. dissertation.

Posted on

The Critical Move from Meaning to Application

by

Okay, maybe not “Good Results,” but, certainly, “Good Intentions.”

Not good results because we can’t guarantee “ears to hear.” We can’t guarantee that our listeners will respond to God. But we can guarantee that each Sunday we will supply God’s intention for the preaching portion.

Tomorrow, as you begin working on your Sunday sermon, be prepared to complete the following sentence:

“This morning, we worship our Lord by _______________________________.”

You and I fill in the blank with God’s intention for the passage of Scripture. This is the foundation for all expressions of application.

So, as you begin to practice your exegetical method this week, include the search for the intention of the passage. You will have to look for clues provided by the biblical author. It’s easiest usually in the epistles; toughest usually in OT narratives.

The main thing is to ask yourself what God intends to do in what He has written. Or, you might ask it this way: “How does God intend for this Scripture to function for the church?”

If done correctly, the way you fill in the blank above will be determined by the big idea of your preaching portion. The meaning and application are organically related through God’s intention.

So, while you can’t guarantee good results (actual worship), you can guarantee you will communicate good intentions, God’s intentions for the passage.

And He will receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21).

Randal

P.S. I practice trying to complete the worship response as early as possible in my work week. That way, I do not have to wonder how the exegesis is functioning all week long. I am thinking about application early on in the process. And since God’s intention is the focus, I don’t have to worry about the search for application tainting the exegetical process (kind of an ole school approach!).

Posted on

Checking in on Your Wordsmith Superpower

by

How’s your ability to work with words these days?

Before getting back to sermon application, I wanted to take a moment to ask you about your word smithing. I know it’s not a word. The spell-checker just rejected my one-word and spit it into two.

One of the top five books on communication that I’ve ever read is Humes’, The Sir Winston Method. He analyzes and summarizes Winston Churchill’s powerful communication style.

A top takeaway from the book is the CREAM approach to crafting words. The acrostic stands for:

C = contrast

R = rhyme

E = echo

A = alliteration

M = metaphor

You can use this acrostic to guide the development of key concepts in your sermon such as your big idea or theme.

I am not great at this, but every once in a while my wordsmithing superpower kicks in. This happened a couple of times the past two weeks.

First, while preaching in 1 Corinthians 1:17ff. where Paul teaches about the cross of Christ and how foolish that message sounds, I urged our folks to

“stick to the script.”

This would help them fight the temptation to change their message ever so slightly to make our Gospel appear more palatable.

Then, yesterday while preaching Jude 5-10 I reviewed the purpose for our series with this broad directive:

“We proclaim the Gospel out there; we protect it in here.”

The first one has a lot of alliteration and a little bit of rhyming going on. The second example has more alliteration and a little bit of contrast.

If you’re serious about practicing CREAM, you’ll enjoy Humes’ relatively short, but packed paperback (see what I did there?). My Doctor of Ministry thesis, Teaching the Skills of Preaching, is not nearly as enjoyable, but does contain examples of CREAM.

May our Lord receive glory in the church and in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:21) as we put our word smithing (there it goes again!) superpowers to good use each Sunday.

Randal