Homiletics

That Time Before You Speak

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

Between the start of the service and the sermon, there are lots of dynamics at play in the mind and heart of a speaker. This is especially true, I think, when you are a visiting speaker. In your own church you have less surprises and sometimes more influence over the first part of the service. Here’s the start of a list of pre-sermon dynamics with a few thoughts. Perhaps you can add to the list.

1. The Clock – sometimes the biggest dynamic of all. Announcements take longer, song introductions take longer, sometimes everything takes longer. Which means? You are supposed to preach shorter. So on the one hand, you have to consider where to trim the message (trim support material, not major material or transition material). On the other hand you have to avoid getting stressed or annoyed (it easily shows and does not help!)

2. The Content – a lot is usually said and sung before the sermon. On the one hand you need to listen to it so that you can integrate any elements that really fit with the message. On the other hand you have a message to pray over and think through. And if I can borrow someone’s hand, for me there are often humorous comments that come to mind that should usually be discarded rather than shared!

3. The Speaker Introduction – it is amazing what people say right before the message. Be aware of it, but be careful not to try a quick response without having the time to think it through first, it may not come across as you intend.

4. The Service Mood – your humorous and witty introduction may not fit after the tone set by the music. Adapt. Of course, that could go the other way too.

5. Your Focus – you need to be aware of these things and others that may be added to the list. You also need to be aware of your message. But somehow in the midst of that you have the opportunity to be praying about it all as well.

I preached yesterday evening, and it went okay. But to be honest, I made mistakes in 1 (lost the strength of transitions), 2 (a great song that I didn’t note the lyrics for use in the message), and 3 (quick response that didn’t come off as intended). Make a note and learn for next time. A forever student of preaching.

Bigger Passage – Bigger Big Idea?

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

Is it possible to arrive at one big idea for a passage, even if the passage is relatively long? The answer is yes, as long as you are dealing with a unit. Where there is a unit, there is some level of unity. In almost every case (maybe in every case), a book could be treated as a unit of Scripture. Within that greater unit there are sub-units. Perhaps we could call them major sections. Within major sections there are sub-sections. Within sub-sections there are complete thoughts. These terms are deliberately vague to allow for the different genres. But essentially a book is like a Christmas tree. The higher you go, the more is included within your chosen section.

For example, is it possible to determine a big idea for Ephesians 1:13-14? Yes, in the English Bible this is a sentence with a complete thought. (I know that for Paul it was not a complete sentence, but we’ll get to that!) Now if you step up a level, these two verses would be swallowed into 1:3-14. Again, big idea is possible, but would be different than just the last two verses of the section. Then you could step up a level again and preach that section swallowed within a larger unit – perhaps 1:1-2:10? Certainly you could move up to 1:1-3:21. Again, a big idea that would have to encompass more text, but still it could be a preachable big idea. Then you could move up another level and preach the whole book.

The main idea of a shorter passage becomes a point or movement within the main idea of a longer passage.

The important thing to remember in preaching a larger chunk of text is that you still have to deal with a legitimate unit of Scripture. Also, the details in the smaller units cannot be reflected fully in a succinct big idea. Be very wary of over complicating a big idea for a bigger passage. It may feel more responsible with the text, but it will undermine your main goal of communicating the text relevantly to your listeners.

Take a Good Thing and Make It Better

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

Ideally the passage is studied fully, leading to a strong passage idea.  Then the congregation is taken into account and a message idea is formulated.  Great!  That’s already put the message into a league above many that lack such unity.  But just having a big idea or message idea is one thing, having a good one is another.  Some preachers try so hard to be pithy and clever they’ll sacrifice the idea on the altar of wit.  Don’t do that.  Others have ideas that are almost as long as the message itself.  Maybe more accurate, but they won’t communicate well, they won’t stick.  So how to refine a long idea?  How to take a good thing and make it better:

1. Write out the idea and count the words. I’m not a huge fan of rules in preaching, but several writers have suggested the idea should not be more than 15 or maybe 18 words in length.  I tend to agree, although it’s a flexible guideline rather than a rule.  If you need more, use them, but in reality most ideas could be refined without harming them.

2. Evaluate it phrase by phrase and trim words. Don’t say in six words what could be said in two. Are you using roundabout ways of saying something?  Could you be more direct?

3. Could internal lists be summarized? Within the idea you may have two or three qualifiers for an element, perhaps qualifiers that will be points in the message.  Consider whether these are needed at the level of the idea, or whether a summary term might be more memorable.  If the message is preached well then that summary word will be explained and defined by the message anyway.

4. Is there a more memorable option available?  Some will give up too much to make this step.  Don’t.  But if there is a song title, pithy phrase, play on words, movie line or contemporary proverb that can be adapted to add memorability to the idea, consider it.

Often just getting the idea in any form takes a lot of thinking.  But if you’ve got any energy and time left, consider how it could be leaner, meaner, more precise, more memorable.  None of us get a killer big idea every week.  Even the authors of preaching books only share the strongest few they’ve managed in years of ministry!  But effort invested here is effort well spent.  Work on the idea pays dividends in the message – you’ll be taking a good message and making it even better!

The Balancing Act of Evangelism

/ Peter Mead / 1 Comment

This Sunday may be it. The only chance you will get. There may be someone there this Sunday who may never come again. So it would be wise to spell out the gospel in detail, wouldn’t it? After all, this may be the only opportunity and so it would make sense to be sure to cover all the bases. This is the approach many of us from time to time. Perhaps aware of visitors or motivated by something we heard, we decide to pack the corners of our message with evangelistic information.

I’m not suggesting this is wrong. But it is certainly not so simple. There are two sides to this issue. On the one side you are preaching the text to people that ultimately need to either respond to the gospel, or continue to apply the reality of the gospel in their lives. It may well be that this is the only opportunity for somebody to hear the important details concerning themselves, their predicament, God’s provision, and so on. I’ve sat through many supposedly evangelistic messages that did a lot of work, but then failed to spell out how to respond. So perhaps we should look to present the gospel as fully as possible in every message?

On the other hand, are we not running the risk of forcing every text into a certain gospel form, rather than honoring the text in a truly expository manner? Are we not running the risk of adding detail to a message that does not support the main idea and thereby complicating the message? People find clear messages easier to follow, ones that are built closely around a single main idea. If they are easy to follow then the experience is more enjoyable and people are more likely to return for more. A message considered confusing and complicated will not motivate people to want more.

Perhaps part of the solution is to present the gospel every Sunday, but if it risks complicating the message in some way, then it could be presented at some other point in the service. This may be the last Sunday someone will be able to hear the gospel. Equally, it may be the last Sunday they will bother coming to church if the communication is overwhelming and complicated. Present the gospel, or motivate them to return for more, or maybe you can do both?

Preach the Word, Lead as a Champion

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

If you are a preacher, then you are a leader.  Your self-esteem may not say so.  Your mannerisms and style may not say so.  Your church structure may not say so.  But when you preach, you have the influence of a leader.  Of course it is easy to be a poor leader.  You can undermine the whole thing by your style, your ego, or your lack of planning, not to mention your life out of the pulpit.  But it is important to remember this; when you preach, you are a leader.

So preach the Word with relevance.  Leaders know the people and know their needs.  Leaders know that there is no time to waste on interesting trivia when life change is needed.

So preach as a champion.  This does not mean that you preach with a trophy on a stand next to you.  This means that you champion the values and goals of the church.  Don’t fall into the trap of perpetually plugging programs in the preaching.  That gets old really fast and confuses the communication.  Plug and promote programs in the notices / announcements.  But while preaching deliberately present the values and vision that hopefully underlie those programs.  This is all secondary to the primary concern of preaching the specific text with accuracy and relevance, but there are numerous ways to appropriately pursue “secondary” goals while communicating.  If your church’s values and vision are biblical, then there will be numerous opportunities.  And if it doesn’t fit, don’t do it.  But when it does, take the opportunity to be a champion, to be a leader.

You Have Your Style, But It Is Not An Excuse

/ Peter Mead / 8 Comments

In reality every one of us has our own style when we preach. There has to be an integrity between who we are and our style, which is why if you copy your favourite communicator, it doesn’t seem to work very well (even if it seems to in your mind, ask your people – it doesn’t work very well!) But even though our style may be personal, this does not mean it is above critique or beyond repair. We should carefully consider every factor in our preaching and make any necessary adjustments. We do this not for some vain goal of personal perfection (not possible), but for the others’-centered goal of ministry effectiveness.

I appreciate the analogy Andy Stanley uses in his book, Communicating for a Change. He writes (p177):

In the past four years we have experienced a big influx of adults in their late fifties and sixties. Do you know why they come? Because we have reached their young adult children. Our “style” is not necessarily their “style,” but they are willing to make adjustments in order to be in church with their kids; kids they weren’t sure would ever engage with a church. They have adjusted their style in order to worship with their kids. Shouldn’t we be willing to adjust ours to reach their kids? Boring, confusing, complicated, scattered, and dry are all communication styles. But they are not styles worth defending. They are styles that should be abandoned.

Eyes May Be Looking, But Are Ears Listening?

/ Peter Mead / 5 Comments

Who’s responsible for the attentiveness of listeners?  Is it the listeners?  After all, they choose to come to church, they should be able to focus on what is happening.  Or is it the sound technician?  That individual plays a huge role in removing certain distractions, but they cannot engineer attentiveness.  What about life circumstances of the listeners?  Surely God could make it so there was nothing going on in their lives in the days leading up to a Sunday?  Of course we can point to the important role of sound technicians and the parents of crying children, but these can only remove distractions.  Attentiveness is almost entirely up to the preacher.

Howard Hendricks, prof at Dallas Seminary, was devoted to the fact that the attention of his students was his responsibility.  He would go to whatever lengths he could to arrest and maintain the attention of those in his class.  He had ways of making you listen!  Perhaps we should be the same?  If so, this has several implications:

We must plan a message for attention – as well as planning a message that is biblical and clear, we must also endeavor to be interesting and relevant throughout.  

We must be aware of our listeners – preaching is a form of two-way communication.  Usually only one party ever speaks, us, but there is still continual feedback through body language, facial expression and so on.  We must be careful never to get into a mode that is all about us.

We must be responsive to the situation – if there is an interruption or distraction, consider how best to overcome it. Sometimes ignoring it is the best or most sensitive approach, but often not.  If others are aware of it but think you’re not, that is distracting.

Are they listening?  That’s up to you.

Fear of Forgetting

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

I’m sure that I’m not the only one to get to the end of a message, sit down, and realize I forgot something.  A great illustration, a clever one-liner, some piece of support material.  When this happens, remember one thing – nobody else knows!  People listening accept what they hear as long as it makes sense and is somewhat engaging.  They don’t sit there thinking, “Well, that point would be better if it had a second illustration.” 

Elements of a sermon can be overlooked whether you preach without notes, with notes or with a manuscript.  It’s simply a reality of sermonic delivery that there is not a constant and equal attention given to that which is being said, that which the sermon design suggests should be said and the feedback being received from the listeners.  Sometimes our minds get ahead.  Sometimes we get distracted.  It’s alright.  People are not evaluating the sermon based on our manuscript.  They are listening to the delivery and if that goes well, then missed support material will not harm the message.

However, there are some elements that, if missed, can be very serious.  The main idea of the message should not only be included, but made to stick in the hearts of the listeners.  The surfacing of need for the message is very important in the early stages (and often not included in the prepared sermon or in the preached one!)  If this is overlooked then the listeners are unlikely to have genuine attention.  Also, the transitions of the message are important or people will get lost.

Pay attention to remembering the main idea, the creation of need, and transitions.  That clever one-liner or pertinent story from yesterday’s paper feels important to you, and may help if it gets in there, but won’t missed if you forget it.

Preaching Camera Angles

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

You might get the impression from this site that I watch a lot of television.  Truth is I don’t own one.  I watch DVDs now and then, but don’t have a TV.  Anyway, the analogy of film or TV is helpful as we consider ways to improve our communication of God’s Word.  Let me suggest one issue worth considering – perspective.

If you ever watch an old show or movie from the fifties, it will feel quite stilted and unreal now.  The fixed position camera observed all the action and conversation in the room, but essentially didn’t move very much.  Today camera work is so different.  Moving positions, wide and narrow lenses, changing speeds, even filming within the consciousness of characters (dreams, memories, fears, etc.)  Human consciousness is much more complex than the old fixed camera angle allowed.

Whether the contemporary approach merely reflects the complexity of human consciousness or a if actually it reflects changes in human consciousness (in an age where a fixed perspective on the world is shunned), well, that can be a discussion starter to keep up your sleeve in case you need it.  But a point to ponder right now is this – do we as preachers communicate in a way that feels stilted, stuck and so 1950’s?  Or are we able to adapt our presentation to vary the perspective, delve into various realms of human consciousness, intriguing and engaging as we go?  The Bible provides great variety of perspective, emotion, awareness, intrigue, and so on.  Do we do justice to that, or do we stultify it into a predictably unchanging perspective?

Back-Burner Sermon Study

/ Peter Mead / 2 Comments

In ministry we often live under the tyranny of the urgent. Sunday comes about every three days, or so it seems. Often we are hard pressed from every side, not only in terms of sermon preparation, but all the other complex needs of complex humanity that we are trying to serve. So it is easy to get into a routine of short-term sermon preparation.

I think it is healthy to have at least one long-term project on the back burner. Something you would like to pursue biblically, perhaps theologically and academically. Over time, gradually redeem the brief moments of time that you can find by accumulating resources. Read a journal article now and then. Work through the biblical text piece by piece. Utilize your original language skills to the max.

Allow it to percolate very very slowly. Some weeks you may not even give the project ten minutes. But some weeks you will find yourself making time to pursue this element of God’s Word with a passion. Do not rush to formulate sermons. It’s easy to rush to sermon outlines and then think you are done with the project. Perhaps the end result will not be just a sermon or even a sermon series. Perhaps it might also be journal articles. Perhaps a thesis/dissertation. Perhaps a book. Or perhaps it will just be the fruit of long-term pondering on God’s Word. That might just be the most valuable fruit of all.