Homiletics

The Added Challenges of Being a Visiting Speaker – Part 2

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More things to think about when you are a visiting speaker. The few minutes between arriving and the service starting can be quite busy!

Program awareness both pre and post message – What will go on before you step up to speak? It’s no good having an icebreaker moment of hilarity if they’ve had heart stirring worship for twenty minutes. However, sometimes you can tell that after what is coming before they will need some help to settle and focus. Also, what comes after you? Should you close in prayer, announce a song, simply sit down? It’s best to know! And there may be ways to make subtle connections to what comes before and after, thereby helping the whole service to sit together well.

Personal introduction, by whom? – Will they be introducing you so that people know who you are (and what will they say – see previous post Speaker Introductions!) Or do they expect a brief personal intro at the start of the message? (Or do they like an informal interview intro – I would not suggest this idea, but some places seem to choose it!)

Final audience analysis – As a visitor I always use the last few minutes before the service to get to know the people, either by observation or by probing a local about the kind of people present. It’s amazing what you can learn in just a couple of minutes that can help to tailor the message.

(If you didn’t see it then, also check out the post from December 9th – The Time Before You Speak)

The Added Challenges of Being a Visiting Speaker

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In my ministry I get to be a visiting speaker regularly.  This presents some additional challenges that have to be thought through.  I’d like to mention a handful, starting with two today.  If you get invited somewhere, try to get as many of these questions answered ahead of time as you can.  Otherwise you just have those few minutes after you arrive.  If you only ever preach in your own church, perhaps these posts will remind you of what you’re missing!

Dress code – What is the speaker expected to wear?  Is this a neck-tie congregation, or a jacket and tie, or would either be too formal?  Best to ask, but be careful, sometimes the person you speak to on the phone has a personal opinion that sways the answer.  So be sure to look around and generally dress one notch above the average.  (It’s not worth making an issue of this, let them fight it out in-house, you’re a guest!)

What version of the Bible is preferred? – If there is a mix and freedom to choose, great.  But typically there is a pew Bible in one version and most people will carry the same.  Don’t make an issue out of the version, just tolerate it and use it.  There are subtle ways to “improve” the reading or explanation without drawing attention to the Bible version issue.

Don’t Dress Up Non-Preaching In Bible Dress

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Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that you have something to share that is not the normal biblical sermon.  Perhaps you have an announcement to make, a vision to cast, an update on the new building project, some other leadership issue to address.  Even though you are in church, don’t automatically attach a Bible text.

Typically, if not always, there will be a biblical basis for what is being communicated or done.  It is obviously fine to share that, but make it clear that is not an authoritative warrant for the action.  For example, you can present a biblical basis for fellowship, but don’t leverage that biblical content to add pressure for attending a church social event.  There are biblical examples of God’s people working together on a building project, but that is not divine pressure for your people to sign up to the current project.  It is fine to give some biblical support, but evaluate if it is really fair and helpful.

Don’t automatically attach a Bible text.  Just because you’re in church doesn’t mean every announcement has to be “sanctified” in this way.  Let people evaluate what they hear on its own merits, not with the unnecessary pressure of apparent biblical warrant.  This is not a hard and fast rule, it’s a judgment call.  If the church is following through on church discipline, I would strongly suggest you do give a biblical explanation for the procedure.  But for a social event, just take the pressure off and let them choose!

Who Put Them There?

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The first stage in preparing a biblical message is to select the passage.  This is incredibly easy if you take an arbitrary approach to the canon.  For example, maybe you plan to preach chapter-by-chapter through a book, or even verse-by-verse through a section.  Wait!  This sounds easy, but we must not take this approach.

The chapter divisions and the verse divisions are not there by author’s design.  These helpful little reference markers were added later to help us find our place, not to help preacher’s select their passage.  This is not new news for most of us.  But it is so easy to slip back into bad habits like this. After all, every time you open your Bible to read it you subconsciously take in a silent number every sentence or so.  Although not spoken, their voice is still heard, at least subconsciously.

Let me quote Richard Erickson’s helpful book, A Beginner’s Guide to New Testament Exegesis, as he makes the same point:

If we desire to be as faithful as we can be to the text as its author first wrote it, then we should never set out to “preach through” a biblical book chapter by chapter (or worse, verse by verse).  We have no guarantee that the later editors of Scripture who added the familiar chapter and verse divisions did so in the way the original authors would have done it.  In fact, we have many reasons to suspect they did not!  As far as you are able, let the book itself tell you where to make appropriate divisions in the run of its “argument” or its “plot.”

As you prepare for your next sermon, take a few moments to evaluate the passage boundaries – are they what the book itself would tell you?  Ignore the numbers, the author didn’t put them there.

New Site Address

/ Peter Mead / 2 Comments

I just wanted to let you know that in the next few days the site address will change to biblicalpreaching.net  – the current address will still work, so there should be no problems.  If you are receiving a daily rss feed and it suddenly stops, please visit the site and sign up again for the feed.  Most feeds will handle the change without any trouble.  The good news is that when you are chatting with other preachers, you can mention the site and they can more easily remember it (or you can write it on less square inches of paper!)  Thanks for visiting the site, it’s a blessing to be serving Him together.

A Life’s Work

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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

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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

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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

/ Peter Mead / 2 Comments

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

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

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.