Cross

Preaching Easter (Podcast Post – Episode 6)

/ Peter Mead / Leave a comment

In the latest Biblical Preaching Bitesize, I share ten pointers for preaching Easter effectively.  The Easter story is the heart of the Christian faith, and a key moment in our church calendar.  So why might we struggle with preaching at Easter?

1. The story is so familiar.  The Easter story comes up repeatedly throughout the year as we present the gospel in various situations.  Sadly, the most wondrous news of all can become stale and predictable.  We can end up saying the same things about the cross and the same things about the empty tomb.  Listeners can bring assumptions from artistic images they have seen, or from presentations they have heard before. 

2. The wondrous truth can get buried.  Each passage that we might choose to preach is saying something about Easter.  But sometimes, that theological and potentially life-changing truth can get buried in the story’s recounting.  Or it can be lost because listeners get the sense they are listening to a famous old myth rather than the central moment of human history. When stories feel like a myth, listeners listen differently.

3. The preacher can feel flat.  Familiar material, a busy time of year, and a preacher recounting history rather than feasting on the Word of God can lead to a flattened heart at the front of the church.  We don’t want that, for our sake and theirs.

So, ponder the ten pointers in this Biblical Preaching Bitesize! To watch the Bitesize, click here.

And don’t miss the encouragement at the end.  What could be more powerful than a vivid image projected on the screen in a church using the best contemporary software?

To follow the Podcast, click here for Apple, or here for Spotify.

Thank you for helping to get this podcast to others by sharing it with people who care about preaching, as well as for any positive reviews, comments, etc. All good interaction with this material helps the algorithm put it in front of more people.

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.