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Author: Peter Mead
A Life’s Work
As preachers we have the privilege of intensive Bible study. Most believers have the privilege of Bible study, but few have the added pressure of having to communicate it to others. However, it is easy to fall into the trap of simply meeting the next deadline and preparing the next sermon. This way of functioning can easily get us trapped in a “micro” approach to God’s Word. Instead, I’d like to encourage us all to be “macro” students of the Word.
Bible study requires both micro and macro views. My first professor of hermeneutics used to refer to the analysis-synthesis interchange. This speaks of the moving back and forth between analyzing the details and synthesizing the passage as a whole in its larger context. Details, like words, can only be truly understood in their context or setting.
Three things push us toward micro Bible study. The first thing is preaching itself. We tend to need details that “will preach” in order to make the sermon sound biblical and interesting. The second thing is personal preference. Some of us are more micro-inclined, while apparently fewer are more macro-inclined. Third, Bible school training has traditionally given more micro tools and approaches, leaving many students unsure how to pursue “bigger picture” study.
We need to master the Book, book by book. As we study a book in order to preach it (or for personal growth – imagine!), let’s try to be aware of the whole. How does the argument flow throughout, how do the pieces fit together? Keep a document that is all about the big picture of the book. As one writer puts it, “Begin to build up a living understanding of Colossians, or of Genesis, or of Mark’s Gospel – whatever – as a whole. Make it your life’s work, and take your time. Let yourself enjoy it.”
I agree. We can never truly master the Book, but let’s spend our lives trying, book-by-book.
Reading for Discomfort
To be an effective preacher, it is necessary to be a reader. We need to read in order to prepare messages. Obviously there are biblical reference works, commentaries and so on. We should also be reading in order to keep our finger on the pulse of our culture and local context. Then there are other areas of reading related to our role – theology, apologetics, etc. Once in a while we may also take the opportunity to read for pleasure – perhaps fiction, biography, or hobby related. All of this is good. But let’s not forget another broad category.
It is healthy to read works that we find uncomfortable too. We would not read them for pleasure. Nor would we automatically read them for sermon preparation since they are not from our preferred group of scholars. This is a broad category since it could be theological or cultural or both. Right now I am reading a book that I find quite uncomfortable on the whole. Written from a perspective I would lean away from politically and spiritually, and attacking some perspectives that are close to my own, this is not a comfortable read. Yet I feel it is right to read it.
When there is a sense of discomfort in our reading, there tends to be a couple of side-benefits. Our thinking is challenged and stretched. Our prayer lives are prompted as we process it before the Lord. We become more rounded preachers. Make sure some of your reading is quite uncomfortable. It’s well worth it.
I Can’t Use The Word “Sensitivity” For This
Yesterday I wrote about careful and considered sensitivity toward diverse groups within the congregation. I deliberately left out a very significant group and would like to mention them today. Problem is, I can’t call it “strengthened by sensitivity – part 2.” I don’t really want to open the can of worms relating to seeker sensitive church models. There are strengths and weaknesses in all these approaches to church, but I don’t want to make us think of that right now.
I want us to think about the next congregation we will speak to, those individuals sitting in the chairs and listening to us preach. Among them there may well be non-Christians. We need to be careful in what we say. As Nathan suggested in his comment yesterday, “Sometimes we pepper our messages with phrases like, “You know the story about Japheth…”, or, “But we as Christians….” These phrases can unintentionally make the non-Christians feel like what we’re saying doesn’t apply to them, and that we’re oblivious to their presence among us. It can also give the impression that church is like a graduate course that requires a bunch of prerequisite courses in order to track along.”
So take a moment to think through who may be there tomorrow. Pray for them. Prayerfully consider whether there are elements in the sermon that could require too much background, or anything that could be misunderstood, or might imply something you don’t intend (in reference to outsiders, or the gospel, etc.)
Let’s pray that tomorrow, whether we are being overtly evangelistic or not, many non-Christians will respond to the captivating work of the Spirit of God and spark celebrations in heaven!
Strengthened by Sensitivity
Sensitivity can really strengthen a sermon. If it is overdone it can also neutralize a sermon, but well-placed and well-worded sensitivity is well worth the extra thought it takes. If the text was originally targeted at one specific type of person (such as the early chapters of Proverbs targeted at young males), perhaps a careful comment or two can open up its relevance to a wider audience. Or in your illustrations and applications, perhaps another one is needed to include a group that may feel excluded. Or when the subject can feel sensitive to some, a careful acknowledgement of that is well worth considering. For example:
Singles. A lot of biblical stories and teaching relates to marriage, either human or the relational image of God and His people. For some singles in the church, this can be hard to take. Sensitivity to their feelings can really help.
Childless. It is natural and easy to relate stories of your own children, but for some in the church this can be painful since they remain childless. Be especially careful in biblical stories where God has “closed the womb” as a form of discipline.
Women. It is definitely worth being sensitive to the existence, worth and ability of women. Make sure your illustrations don’t always default to male imagery, male characters, and male thinking patterns. As ever, too much is generally not appreciated by men or women, but deliberate well-placed sensitivity is well worth the effort.
The elderly. High energy practical applications for hectic families and workplace interactions can easily miss the elderly who no longer have a full nest, a full work schedule or even a full tank of energy.
The unemployed. In our desire to be relevant to the majority, we can easily apply the sermon in respect to work life. There may be some wrestling with the reality of unemployment and the many feelings that come with that. They probably don’t want to be put in the spotlight, but will sense your sensitivity.
So five groups of people that can easily feel left out or even hurt by insensitivity from the pulpit. Any other groups we should be aware of in our sermon preparation? A well-placed and well-worded comment here and there, an extra illustration from daily life, and our sermons will be strengthened by sensitivity.
Musts From Beyond The Schedule
It is so easy to get into ministry maintainance mode. We do what we have to do to keep things ticking over. As soon as one program is over, the next is looming. And there is certainly something to be said for faithful plugging away in local church work. But while remaining faithful to what must be done, we should remember that there are other things that must be done too. These “musts” comes not from the tyranny of the weekly schedule, but from the beating heart of God.
Dream – Take some time to dream. Let’s unshackle our imaginations and prayerfully imagine what could be. We should break out of the small confines we easily find ourselves in and engage sanctified imaginations for God. Imagine what could be for individuals in the church, for ministries in the church, for the church itself. Dream dreams that don’t fit in the weekly schedule. Tangibly meeting specific needs in the local community. Mobilizing missionaries who will actually go and make a difference. Taking a stand on a key ethical issue and seeing God work through that. As we walk close with the Lord, His values become our values, and increasingly our dreams should reflect His.
Strategize – Pray about taking steps toward these bigger goals. Your strategy will go beyond preaching on the subject, but it should include that. The pulpit ministry of the church has a unique and definite role to play. Even if you are not able to define a five-year detailed strategy, just taking some steps is worth it.
Preach – It’s easy to lose sight of how influential preaching is in the life of the church. It’s easy to allow negative feedback or a perceived lack of response to drain your motivation. But preaching does matter and it does influence. So preach. Preach the Word of God for the transformation of lives.
Pursue – If you are pursuing a goal, then pursue it after you preach on it. That might involve further messages. It’s easy to expect too much from a single message. It might involve conversations, convening an interest group, distributing resources, the targeted giving of key books, further prayer, of course. If you want to lose your passion for something, then reflect only on the apparent lack of response from a message. If you want to see greater things happening, then pursue with further preaching and more.
Not Commentaries, But Within Reach
One of my preaching instructors at seminary once mentioned a handful of books that he keeps within easy reach of his desk for sermon preparation. I’ve done the same ever since and find myself referring to them often.
To preach the text effectively we have to do more than dissect the text and preach the parts. We have to be concerned with understanding the flow of thought, the literary artistry, the implications of the genre and form, etc. So when I’m preparing to preach a text, I tend to use the Scripture index to find if it is addressed in books like these:
Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible by Leland Ryken is a very helpful book – perhaps just a paragraph or two, but often those thoughts are very helpful. The Art of Biblical Narrative by Robert Alter – a classic that should be required reading for us all. It covers less biblical texts, but its great when the text is in there! Reading Biblical Narrative or Poetry, both by JP Fokkelman is worth a look too. As is The Literary Structure of the Old Testament by David Dorsey.
There are others, but I’ll leave it there. These are not atomistic commentaries, but rather literary guides. Do you have a shelf like this close at hand? What is on it?
Commentaries – The Golden Ones
Since we’re talking commentaries, here’s another thought. How are we supposed to know which ones to buy? As a preacher I often note a common problem in commentaries – they tend to be atomistic. That is to say that many of them seem to deal only with the word or phrase at hand. As a preacher I benefit from this, but value very highly those commentaries that wrestle with the flow of the text, those that include a significant macro view as well as the micro. This is determined more by author than by series, so we have to hunt carefully in order to find them. But when you find one that gives a very clear picture of the flow of a text, snap it up, it’s worth its weight in gold!
A couple of basic tips on commentary buying:
If possible, don’t buy blind. If you are able to access a library or borrow from a friend, then do so. Once you’ve used a commentary you have a much better idea of whether you need to own it.
Try to have more than one. Since commentaries are conversation partners, it is better to have more than one so he or she doesn’t dominate the conversation.
Generally buy selectively rather than a whole series. No series keeps up the same standard throughout, so it is worth picking and choosing from different series. If you’re looking for “flow” commentaries that I described at the start, recognize that they can come in the small format (EBC, Tyndale, BST), or substantial English format (NAC, PNTC), as well as the chunkier exegetical formats (Hermeneia, NICNT/OT, WBC, NIGTC, BEC). However, it is worth noting with discount retailers doing their thing, it may be worth buying a good series for the PC and letting that be the conversation partner, for example NAC or WBC.
Before you buy another commentary, meet John Glynn. John Glynn’s Commentary & Reference Survey from Kregel is worth its weight in platinum! I find his evaluation and suggestions on commentaries and other reference tools to be generally excellent. Paying a few dollars, pounds, euros, yen for this will save money on poor purchases – guaranteed!
Commentaries are important tools of the trade, and buying well is a skill worth aquiring. But if you can find those commentaries that do a good job on textual flow and macro appreciation of the literary artistry in a book – well, then you are finding gold!
Rumors of Commentaries
When I get to listen to a sermon, I sometimes pick up on a commentary vibe. That is, a sense that the preacher has been spending some time in the commentaries. Sometimes it is overt references to “the commentators” or a specific commentary (I am describing what I hear, not affirming the practice of citing and quoting the commentaries). Other times it is a series of background facts that feel like they’ve come from some time in the books.
On the positive side I am always glad to know the speaker has been working in preparation for the sermon. I’d much rather have somebody who has prepared responsibly than someone who is “winging it” without humble reference to “experts” in the field.
On the negative side I sometimes get a feeling of concern. It’s hard to pinpoint, but it’s a feeling of concern nonetheless. I wonder whether the commentaries have been conversation partners in the personal study of the text, or crutches leant on to short-cut the process of exegesis. I wonder whether the commentaries have simulated wrestling with the structure and flow of the text and consequently the sermon, or whether they have merely furnished a dissected structure on which to hang the broken pieces of a partial sermon.
I thank God for commentaries and good commentators. We are so blessed today with access to these reference works. I think it is either arrogance or stupidity that would lead us to ignore them in sermon preparation (provided we are blessed with access to them). However, they are just one part of our preparation. We have to wrestle with the text, with its flow of thought, its meaning, its purpose, its idea. We have to wrestle with the sermon purpose, its idea, its strategy, its structure, its flow, etc.
Commentary study alone will provide a veritable pile of tidbits that can easily fill the sermon time. But remember that as the preacher, our job is not to fill sermon time, but to prayerfully, carefully, and personally develop a sermon that faithfully explains and relevantly applies the text for our specific congregation.
Vulnerable Time
I recently spoke to a preacher after he had preached and thanked him for his ministry. I asked how he felt about it. To my surprise he said something like, “Oh, I never think about it, the job is done and I move on.” If that is true, it is strange. I suspect most preachers are full of feelings after they’ve preached.
Positive Feelings – Every now and then comes that feeling of having really nailed the message! It’s a great feeling, but probably the rare. It can be accompanied by high energy or a sense of being wiped out.
Negative Feelings – If you are like me, then these are much more common! The feeling of having fallen short, failed to fully communicate something or connect as you had hoped.
The Truth – The truth is that these post-sermon feelings can be very deceptive. We have to try to rest in our Lord, not our perceptions about the ministry. It probably was not as negative as it felt, so rest in Him. Or it may not have been as effective as it felt, again, rest in Him.
The Danger – There are several dangers for those of us who have a feeling or two after preaching. It is easy to take offence, to give offence, to miscommunicate or to misunderstand. For that hour hanging around the church building after the service, and the first few hours after getting home, be careful. Don’t get too caught up in any conversation. Don’t try to make big decisions. Try to smile, engage with your family and enjoy your lunch (accepting that every other home may well be eating roast pastor!)
You may want to share this post with your spouse, or slip it to that person in the church that always chooses Sunday after church to pick a fight with you about something. It would be nice if people could leave the feedback for a day or two, but they probably don’t understand. Whether your feelings are positive or negative or a confusing mixture of both, post-sermon is vulnerable time!
