Last week nearly 2000 leaders within the Wesleyan Denomination gathered for the, rightly named, Gathering in Jacksonville, FL. I had several profound encounters with God throughout the 3 day event. I enjoyed some helpful seminars as well. One of the seminars was entitled, Holiness Preaching in the 21st Century. I appreciated the insightful comments from the panelists. However, when I got the chance to ask a question of the panel, I didn't receive an extensive and satisfactory response. Most of the Q and A focused on holiness in the preacher and in the sermon content. So, as a teacher of preaching I wanted to explore with the group the importance of developing a holy process of sermon development. The question I asked the panel was, "What are some holy and unholy homiletic habits when it comes to developing the sermon?" One of the panelists addressed my question with a helpful insight, but I was hoping for more discussion than my question received.
So, I thought we could tackle the question here. What do you think? When it comes to developing the sermon, what are some unholy homiletic habits other than the obvious plagiarism and laziness? More importantly, what are some holy habits the preacher can and should practice in the sermon preparation process?
Looking forward to your comments,
Lenny
3 comments:
Many preachers get a thought and search the scripture for a verse to use to justify their position. I have had preachers to call me on a Saturday night and ask if I knew a scripture to go with their sermon....Huh.
Most sermons should flow out of study and prayer. Certainly life circumstances will contribute to sound preaching. But it seems a little lazy,possibly manipulative, and ego centric to shop for a scripture after you have the sermon.
Thanks for your thoughts, Anne. I totally agree. The sermon is like a dance and we preachers need to decide who will lead in the dance- our idea or the biblical text. Blessings!
Lenny
Pastor Lenny –I had served in the military and remember being told “time spent on reconnaissance was seldom wasted”. My Captain was telling me to prepare myself for whatever lay ahead by being prepared ahead of time. Our predecessors prepared themselves to deliver their messages by preparing their hearts and minds. I suggest we can adapt the military expression for sermon preparation by saying “Time spent on prayer is seldom wasted”.
Anton Topilnyckyj
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