My colleague Ralph Mayhew hosts a preaching workshop at Newlife every few months. For the most recent gathering, he asked me to share for an hour or so on some things I have learned about the craft. As I prepared, I was amazed to recognise that it has been a 30 year journey so far, with much learned and much more to be discovered.
Here is the audio of my talk: Soapbox Reflections
And here are the rough notes that I spoke from:
Preaching is Preparation
Holy Spirit Inspiration
Manuscript Discipline
Preaching is Performance
Find your Voice
Sunday lunch exhaustion
Preaching is Interpretation
Bible - know your scriptures
Culture - know your days
Community - know your people
Preaching is Story Telling
Bible as five act play (NT Wright)
Helping people find their story in God's story (e.g. Babel)
Preaching is Poetry
Mike Frost and Ukrainian Genocide
In a prose flattened world, we need more poets.
Preaching is Multi-sensory
Engage all of you to engage all of them (intellect, emotions, spirit)
Preaching seeks transformation
Not just the passing on of information
Be a Student
Podcasts
Other communicators (e.g. comedians)
Read and then read some more
Engage with ideas
History, science, arts...
Learn from your mentors
But find your own voice!
John Smith's observation re authority and age
Be a Collector
Have a filing system
Evernote is your friend
Deface your books!
Observe everything through a preaching filter (Trevi Fountain)
Borrow, steal and adapt
But always attribute!
Answer the question whether you are making name or honoring the Name
Our motives will never, ever be pure.
Always answer the 'so what' question?
What is God's word calling people to do/be
Great preaching will compel a desire to respond (what must we do to be saved?)
Be obedient, especially when you don't want to
My first sermon at Newlife
Be aware of your quirks
Every message should point to Jesus
It is his story, not ours.
Every message should articulate the gospel
Rob Bell and Leviticus series
Jesus: 'These are the scriptures that testify about me.'
Question: In one sentence or image, define the gospel.
Soak yourself in the word
Psalm 1:2-3 NIV
[2] but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. [3] That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither---whatever they do prospers.
[2] but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. [3] That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither---whatever they do prospers.
Memorise scripture (Wayne Cordeiro)
Journal
Invest in good commentaries
Pray always...
Exodus 33:15 NIV
[15] Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.
Take care of take offs and landings
Sometimes my sermons don't have the same number of take offs and landings!
Start where people are
Finish where you believe God wants people to be
Be creative in your calls for response
Preach in your anointing
Craig and altar calls
I am a teacher/preacher more than a preacher/teacher
Preacher? teacher? Evangelist? Prophet?
Your authority comes from God and his word
Without its foundation in the bible, at best you are giving motivational advice
People don't need good advice; they crave Good News