It’s Saturday night, about 9:30pm mountain time, the kids are in bed, the wife is watching a movie upstairs, and I just discovered live Pink Floyd from ’74 being played on YouTube (with original visuals, no less), …So why on earth am I blogging about preaching right now, on a perfectly good Saturday night?!?!?
I guess I can’t help it. Back when I was a vocational minister I had a ritual of sitting down and going through my class/sermon notes every Saturday night. I’d put some good music on, grab a snack and a soda, and try to get some good review time in before catching the first 30 min. of Saturday Night Live. No matter how many hours I put into the sermon or lesson that week, I would still review them with a red pen late Saturday night: Indeed, I miss those days (and my little ritual) a great deal. Perhaps that’s why I’m sitting here, Floyd’s “Us and Them" on my computer speakers, typing this blog about preaching. It certainly brings back very positive memories.
Okay, so on to business. Based upon the two scriptures sited in the last preaching post (Mark 1.14-15 and 1 Corinthians 2.1b-5), I believe that in order to preach a good sermon (or to avoid preaching a very bad one), every preacher must follow three rules. These are the backbone of my philosophy on preaching, and they also apply to everyday-commonplace-communication as well. I held these truths to be ‘self-evident’ back in 2008, and I still do to this day, despite how much my life and perspective have changed since.
The Big Three Of Preaching:
1) Every sermon you attempt absolutely MUST proclaim the Gospel, the Good News, “Christ and Him Crucified.” Regardless of the text or topic, it must all come back to this and the hope that this entails. This seems so obvious, but if you stop and think about it, how many countless sermons have you heard that was about everything and anything but this? In my hearing and experience, way too many to count, I’m afraid.
2) If you are going to preach a sermon, you absolutely MUST do your homework!!! It is inexcusable to not study and prepare as much and as often as you possibly can! Research, write, and edit: Whittle it down to only ONE key point (in relation to the gospel, of course!) that you can write in ONE sentence. Keep it tight, keep it structured, practice as often as you have time (without neglecting other duties, of course). Your message is so important, please don’t neglect to present it in the most organized, clear, and concise way that you possibly can. Hit the books, work as hard as you can (actually sweat!), and pray continually that God will guide and inspire your efforts.
3) As you begin to preach, GET YR EGO OUT OF THE WAY and allow the SPIRIT to SPEAK THROUGH YOU! Follow the Spirit’s lead! Pray that God will grant his Spirit to speak through your efforts, and that folks will hear exactly what they need to hear. Preach boldly, not because of your own work, but because you are confident in the Spirit’s work. While you are at the pulpit, follow that still small voice inside your head that will direct you on which points to emphasize, which to discard, what roads and detours to take, etc.! Rely solely on the Spirit’s guidance, trust it, and discard your own ego.
I will touch on each of these three points in detail at a later date, for I have much to say on them (especially #2 and #3). Suffice it to say, if you are preaching tomorrow, please take time to consider these points: They have absolutely nothing to do with style or method: They have everything to do with heart and attitude. And if you are going to be listening to a sermon tomorrow, pray that your preacher will actually preach and emphasize the gospel, and that the Spirit will allow him/her to communicate that good news clearly and effectively.
Enough for now, it’s 10:04 and I need to quickly edit. The next few posts will have nothing to do with preaching, I promise! (but man, this has been fun!)
In Christ,
Mark Wylie
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