Month: March 2008

Length of Rehearsal

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

I would strongly encourage preachers to run through their message, out loud, before preaching it. Call it a rehearsal if you like, or use a different term if that makes preaching sound too much like a performance. Preaching is primarily an oral and aural art form, so to restrict preparation to written and read forms makes little sense. A good outline should reflect the content and structure of the message. A good manuscript will reflect this plus the details and word choices. But running through the message verbally will help to clarify the flow, the efficacy of transitions, and so on.

New preachers tend to speed up. If you haven’t preached much, there is a good likelihood that your actual sermon will go quicker than the rehearsal. The story is told of Billy Graham, preaching for the first time and getting through his message so fast that he ended up preaching four messages in something like 10 minutes. (If you have a reference for the true story, please share it below.) Strong nerves tend to speed up delivery. Knowing this may help you to slow down delivery and time your practice appropriately.

Experienced preachers tend to take longer. Once the nervous reaction of putting the gas pedal to the floor and speeding through the delivery is overcome, the situation changes. Preaching through a message to an empty room is one thing. Preaching to dozens of faces, with all the feedback and distractions, is another. Unless you are a preacher with your head permanently stuck in your notes (search on “no notes” above!), you will subconsciously sense facial and fidgety feedback from your listeners. This will lead you to expand, restate, illustrate more, and so on as you go through the message. The result is usually that you need longer for delivery than you did in practice. If you need to preach 45 minutes, then practice aiming for 40. If the goal is 30 minutes, then practice towards 25-27.

Blessings and Responsibilities

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

We live in a time of unique blessings.  We have unmatched access to information on the internet.  We have more commentaries and Bible study resources than ever before (even online materials).  We have visual media unknown to previous generations.

I don’t think the best way to handle these changes is by ignoring them.  It may sound very pious to lock yourself in a study with just the Bible (especially an old translation), and live out a monastic sermon preparation process.  I think we should be grateful for whatever extra tools God has allowed us to access.  But with the blessing comes responsibility.

We may be able to do instant concordance searches and access lexical information at the touch of a mouse button.  So what do we do with the extra time no longer spent flicking through chunky tomes of fine print?  If the fruit of quicker access to information is cheaper exegesis, then the church will be all the poorer for these advances in technology. Let’s try to take the time our predecessors had to spend in page turning in prayerful interaction with the text and the sermon preparation process.

We are blessed by the visual media available to us.  When the Passion of the Christ was in the cinema I saw it with a group of men from our church.  Then I was preaching on the crucifixion and so went back to see it again, on my own.  It was very moving to watch through it again as part of my preparation.  Since many people were watching it, I wanted to make sure my sermon wouldn’t differ confusingly from the film.  But also, and more importantly, I had to make sure I preached the inspired text rather than Mel Gibson’s screenplay.  It was certainly a blessing to see.  Something previous generations never had.  But it added a responsibility, I had to check the passion narratives more.

We live in an age of many blessings, but we must not forget that with blessing there is usually responsibility too.

Beware the Power of Propagated Rumors

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

There are always troublesome trends around, even in the church. They may be ideas or vague concepts, but they creep in and stick around for a while. Perhaps books are written to support them, but something published is not something certain. Maybe it’s time to put your finger on the pulse of your church and see if there are any ideas drifting around. In some cases we don’t need to address them, but simply be careful not to propagate them in our preaching, either by attitude, inference or reference. In other cases we need to step in and overtly correct with direct Bible teaching.

The heretical understandings. For example, how many people in our churches have the idea that the Trinity can be explained by the illustration of water, ice and steam (a modalistic explanation) or three friends in one group (a tritheistic explanation). If there is heretical thinking, look for appropriate moments to clarify the truth.

The fashionable trends. Not everything we disagree with is outright heresy. Often they are theological fashions and trends. Perhaps an idea pushed in a book that is imbalanced or narrow. Perhaps an idea emanating from a certain “camp” in Christendom. Perhaps an idea pushed on us from pressure groups outside the church. Fashionable “trends” that I’ve heard lately would include the idea that eschatology is other-worldly, always “retreatist” in orientation and therefore irrelevant. The blanket statement that foreign missionaries are no longer needed in other countries. The notion that Paul hated women. Or that any social concern among Christians means they have given up on the gospel. Or the opposite idea that Christians concerned with evangelism have no concern for people. I want to be careful not to add weight to any of these ideas, no matter how popular they might be in some circles.

We don’t have to address every issue going on in broader Christianity. But we should be aware of any way in which a passing comment, or perceived attitude, might continue to propagate ideas we don’t support. And we should have our finger on the pulse enough to recognize when an idea is becoming imbalanced, or worse, when a heresy is becoming acceptable.

Preaching Easter (Pt4): Resurrection Implications

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

NT Wright made an interesting comment this week. He suggested that the New Testament presents many implications that come from the resurrection. However, the one that most preachers tend to emphasize is not really presented in the New Testament. Namely, “Because Jesus rose from the dead, we can go to heaven when we die.” I mention this not to affirm the comment, but to prompt our thinking and Bible study.

Before preaching the resurrection this Sunday, check your text for the implications that are present. For instance, in 1st Corinthians 15 we read that His resurrection gives us hope of our own (v16-20), the fear of death is removed (v26, 54-57), there are ethical implications (v32-34), motivation for ministry (v58), and even prompting to practical help for the poor (16:1, note Galatians 2:7-10).

Let’s preach the truth of the resurrection, let’s even allow our excitement to show, but let’s also try to be specifically clear in presenting the implications. It is easy in our excitement about the event to fall short in our relevance and application. Truly, everything is changed because Jesus rose from the dead. Part of our task is to help people see how that is true.

Preaching Easter (Pt3): Harmonization and the Gospels

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Whenever we preach from the gospels we need to be aware that there may be up to four accounts of the story before us. In the past a great deal of emphasis was placed on harmonizing the gospel accounts. That is to say, placing all four side by side and seeking to combine them in order to have the “full” story. There is certainly a place for this practice, but how much of this should we concern ourselves with as preachers?

There are many elements in the Gospels that only appear in one gospel. In this case the issue of harmonization is largely irrelevant. But then there are events found in all of the gospels. The passion narrative, obviously, is found in all four.

Check all four gospels for accuracy in your preaching. If you are preaching from, say, Luke’s account, then it is helpful to check the other three. You wouldn’t want to undermine your preaching by telling the story in such a way that you make errors because you forgot to check the other gospels.

Preach the text rather than the event. Having checked the other gospels to make sure you are not presenting an error in your sermon, be sure to actually preach Luke’s account (or whichever you have as your preaching text). The gospel writers did not simply recount a transcript of a video taken the first Easter. They selectively chose the details to include in order to write an historically accurate theological presentation. Seek to preach the emphasis of the text you are in.

10 Ideas That Are Changing The World

/ Peter Mead / 4 Comments

This is the cover story on this week’s Time magazine cover.  Interesting title.  The article begins,

“More than money, more than politics, ideas are the secret power that this planet runs on.  Here are a few you need to know about . . .”

Having studied under Haddon Robinson, it is like music to my ears to find someone affirming the importance of ideas.  After all, communication is all about ideas.  People live and die for ideas.  All day, every day, we are in a world of ideas.  Some big, some small, some you wouldn’t give a penny for, others you can stake your eternity on.  Ideas matter, and indeed, this planet does run on them.

So I was interested to read the ten ideas that were included in the feature.  You won’t be surprised to read that it was not a stunning list.  The end of customer service (this is not new news in England!), how we can address global warming, something to do with technology and cooking, something else about aging gracefully, and even the coming constant TV coverage of global sports events.  All somehow novel, yet strangely familiar as they reflect the concerns of contemporary society.

I’ve heard Haddon Robinson say several times that there are basically only eight to ten grand ideas in the Bible.  Each preaching text has its own variation, but essentially these are built on the core ideas found repeatedly throughout the Bible.  In Q&A sessions he is often asked to list these ten great ideas.  In his own style he soon changes the subject, even if he’s started to list off two or three “great ideas.”

The truth is we don’t need Haddon’s list, if we spend enough time in God’s Word we are able to list off our take on the big ten.  We may not need Haddon’s list, but this world does need what the Bible gives to us.  Time magazine’s list of ten ideas will be obsolete in weeks.  But the Scriptures remain vital and highly relevant.

There are ten ideas that are changing the world.  Several of them converge powerfully in the Easter story.  Preach the big idea of the text, and know that you are preaching part of the great story, the master narrative of truly important ideas.  This planet runs on ideas.  As we preach them, by God’s grace, we participate in changing the world!

Struggling With Your Spouse?

/ Mike Roth / 1 Comment

Sunday morning is often an easy time to get into conflict with your spouse.  Somewhere between waking up and pulling up to the church parking lot, sparks can fly.

Haddon Robinson was asked by a seminary student, “How do you preach following a blow-out with your spouse?” Haddon answered, “Everyone wants to know you struggle, they just don’t want to smell the gun smoke. You have to make things right before you preach.”

Preaching Easter (Pt2): Shock and Awe

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

I expect we would agree that the typical crucifixion image that comes to mind is probably a little too “hygienic.” The traditional pictures seen in old churches with the Lord serene and clean, hanging on the cross with a minimal element of humiliation are so far from the brutal reality of the event. Those pictures, combined with the regularity with which we refer to the cross, lead many believers to have an unrealistic mental picture of Calvary.

As we preach the Easter story in the next days, we have the opportunity to tell the story well. We can give enough description, and take enough time, so that the image is able to form in peoples’ minds. We can give enough description so that the image forming is more accurate, less “clean” and closer to what actually happened. Historical and biblical accuracy should permeate our preaching of this great event.

However, this does not mean we should automatically “go all out.” It may be that overly graphic detail is unhelpful to some. I’ve heard some very effective presentations of the crucifixion that went into the medical details and the sickening truth of the event. I’ve also heard some where the “shock and awe” tactic backfired significantly. We must be aware of who will be listening and what will be most effective for them. Our goal is to present the biblical truth and call for response, not to repulse people with images that obscure the message. Remember that people will be drawn and convicted by the Holy Spirit, not by our skill in story telling that can stir the emotions into a frenzy.

Let’s try to find the right balance for our listeners this Easter. We need to tell the story well, we need to help people see and feel the reality of Calvary. But we also need to be careful to allow the Holy Spirit to stir the heart, rather than merely stirring the stomach by excessive shock and awe tactics.

Preaching Easter (Pt1): Back to Basics

/ Peter Mead / 2 Comments

In some ways Easter is not like Christmas.  The Christmas story tends to remain largely unmentioned for eleven months of the year.  So when the advent season comes round again people expect to hear the basic Christmas story.  But the events of the first Easter get mentioned and preached on throughout the year.  So there is a temptation for us as preachers to try and get clever with our Easter messages – perhaps hyper-creative, or super-subtle, or whatever.

Our regular listeners need to hear the basic Easter story.  Jesus told his followers to share bread and wine, “in remembrance” of Him.  In a sense the Easter story never grows old for Christ’s followers – it means too much to us.  So as a preacher don’t feel pressure from somewhere to say something that is somehow clever or different.  There are plenty of biblical passages that can be used, and people will appreciate a clear preaching of any of them.

Remember that irregular listeners need to hear the basic Easter story.  At Easter time there is a higher likelihood of visitors.  Maybe they feel they should go to church at Christmas and again at Easter.  Maybe they are visiting family who go to your church and politely join their hosts.  These people don’t need some kind of creatively opaque and nuanced message.  They need the message of the text clearly presented and applied.

As a preacher you may be feeling the pressure to do something different this year.  I’m not suggesting we should be boring or predictable.  I’m not saying that creativity is inappropriate.  Let us be as effective as possible in our communication of the biblical message of Easter.  However, let’s remember that sometimes it is very effective to simply preach the basics – the story from the text, the implications for us today.

Don’t Preach Lazy Apologetics

/ Peter Mead / 2 Comments

Yesterday I attended a day conference about the resurrection held in Westminster Chapel.  NT Wright and Gary Habermas were the speakers, along with a brief session with Antony Flew.  He is the British philosopher who caused a real stir a few years ago by giving up his atheistic position to state that the evidence had convinced him of the existence of God.  His position is essentially deist, but he was asked what it would take for him to accept the deity of Jesus.  “Well, I suppose it would take something on the magnitude of what you’re talking about today, an otherwise impossible thing like a resurrection from the dead.”  When asked the same question about the Holy Spirit, his response was the same – “If the resurrection is true then everything else would come with it.”

Here is a non-Christian thinking more clearly about Christianity than many Christians.  How easy it is for us to slip into a very lazy apologetic, either directly or in testimony.  It goes along the lines of, “Obviously I can’t prove my faith, it’s like a leap in the dark really, but you just believe and then you know it is true.”

This easter season, let’s be sure to clearly communicate that the Christian faith is founded very firmly on historical fact.  The biblical record carries an unparalleled historicity.  If Jesus rose from the dead, then the implications are massive, but if he didn’t really rise, then let’s give up and do something else with our lives.  As preachers we are in the prime position to communicate the facts of easter and that the Christian message is not an invitation to take a leap into the dark.  As preachers we may also need to sensitively follow up on a testimony given by someone else that both affirms them, but also clarifies that actually Christianity is based and built on fact.