And this is so true, where some preachers make the mistake of plunging right into the application part to the message!

Many thanks for your detailed response! I’ve tended to read the whole passage, however long, either before the sermon, interspersed within the sermon, or a mixture of the two. But I’m beginning to see how it might be better to re-tell the story, without necessarily reading every verse. It makes the preacher’s job more demanding, of course – much more personal involvement is required to actually tell a story, rather than simply to read it and analyse it.

Best wishes,
Anthony