Enriching And Polishing The Message
Preaching
The Preacher's Edge
Sometimes the hardest part of sermon preparation and experiencing the edge which is ours is simply getting started. Here are some ideas that might prompt you to begin the task:
*Read over the scripture propers appointed for the day if you are pastor in a church that follows the church year. See the connections between the Old Testament lesson appointed for the day and the Gospel.
*Look at the New Testament lesson and see if there is a special emphasis that is needed from the pulpit of your congregation this week. Often the New Testament lesson does not connect with the Old Testament or the Gospel for the day.
*Think about the season of the church year you are in and what its general theme is and how that fits with the scripture appointed for the day.
Before you begin you'll want to consider the options of kinds of sermons from which you might select one and prepare:
*A textual three points and a poem.
*A people's sermon.
*A dialogue sermon.
*A sermon drama.
*A letter sermon.
*An extended metaphor sermon.
*An audience reaction sermon.
*A sermon based on a hymn.
*A simple narrative sermon.
Thomas G. Long in his excellent book on preaching, The Witness of Preaching, lists the following sermon forms that are frequently used. If you go through them while you're getting started, they can prime the pump and give you some ideas for an appropriate focus and way of organizing.
1. If this ... then this ... and thus this.
2. This is true ... in this way ... and also in this way ... and in this other way, too.
3. This is the problem ... this is the response of the gospel ... these are the implications.
4. This is the promise of the Gospel - here is how we may live out that promise.
5. This is the historical situation in the text ... these are the meanings for us now.
6. Not this ... or this ... or this ... or this ... but this.
7. Here is a prevailing view ... but here is the claim of the Gospel.
8. This ... but what about this? Well, then this. Yes, but what about this? And so on.
9. Here is a story: simple story; story reflection. Part of a story; reflection; rest of the story; issue; story.
10. This? Or that?1
Some other places to look for resources in enriching and polishing the sermon would be Newsweek and Time magazine cover stories. The inside few pages of these weekly news magazines often have very brief stories which cover in capsule form the entire content of that issue.
As you start your story hunt look for anecdotes that fire your thinking and stimulate your imagination. Vignettes that reveal human nature or the way the world works as you perceive it. Jot them down in your story journal. As you collect stories, you will automatically develop good listening skills, and you will discover the principles of good story telling. As you add to your repertoire, make adjustments and amendments that suit your style.2
Your local newspaper is probably your best source of finding stories that can be used to serve as a vehicle and metaphor for the Gospel message.
Perhaps it would help to get started by trying to put the message in four or five phrases much like those which used to appear on Burma Shave signs. An old example would be: "How odd of God to choose the Jews."
Consider a hymn verse on which you could base or organize the gospel message. The congregation or you could sing it several times throughout the sermon.
Another way to get started would be to talk directly or on the phone to some of the people in your community and congregation to ask their opinion about this Gospel text and what ought to be said to the people of your community this Sunday.
Of course, commentaries can help open up the significance of the scripture. William Barclay's Daily Study Bible series is still probably one of the best helps in getting the context of the Bible passages.
Consider if there might be a visual aid or aids that can be displayed during your preaching. If the sermons of former pastors of the parish have been preserved in the archives, you might want to see what they said on this particular Sunday of the church year and quote them.
After your sermon has been written, go through it and see if you could enrich it by using a couple figures of speech like alliteration, which means the repetition of a particular sound. Other possible figures of speech are repeating the last words in the next sentence, defining something in terms of what it is not, using contrast of words, addressing an abstract quality, or using a number of sentences beginning with the same word or phrase. Use some words whose pronounced sound reflects their meaning. This is called onomatopoeia.
There's nothing wrong with repetition in a sermon. In fact, you'll probably want to be sure that the main thought is repeated several times and ways throughout the message. Repeating an individual word which can be remembered after the people leave the worship service is also a good technique. Similar to that would be repeating similar word endings.
Some preachers find asking a question and then answering it works well if it's not overdone. I especially like to use words that when pronounced suggest their meaning. So, a quaver in our voice indicates fear. When we describe the wind we use such terms as "whoosh."
Giving human form to inanimate objects can polish the sermon and be an effective way of communicating. Of course, the old standby of using similes is still worth trying. This simply means we tell the similarity between two objects using such words as "like" and "as if" and "so."
After the sermon has been prepared, you might want to ask the following questions that can serve as a screen through which you put your sermon in order that you use the preacher's edge and use as effective language and speech communication techniques as possible. Ask yourself:
*Have I been inclusive in my language?
*Is my vocabulary understandable to fifth graders?
*Have I left room for inspiration in the pulpit?
*Have I included implications for our congregation?
*Have I acknowledged vital concerns of people this week?
*Is there more of God's grace than God's law?
*Have I made my own witness?
*Is there some humor for relief throughout the sermon?
*Does the sermon acknowledge the season of the church year?
*Is "so what" answered with specific, clear steps to take?
*Does the sermon start where people are?
*Are there places where it would be more interesting if I used figures of speech?
*What one thing do I believe God wants them to remember? 'Have I been faithful to the scripture text?
1. Thomas Long, The Witness of Preaching (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1989), pp. 127-9.
2. Roy Alexander, Power Speech (New York: Amacon, American Management Association, 1986), p. 157.
*Read over the scripture propers appointed for the day if you are pastor in a church that follows the church year. See the connections between the Old Testament lesson appointed for the day and the Gospel.
*Look at the New Testament lesson and see if there is a special emphasis that is needed from the pulpit of your congregation this week. Often the New Testament lesson does not connect with the Old Testament or the Gospel for the day.
*Think about the season of the church year you are in and what its general theme is and how that fits with the scripture appointed for the day.
Before you begin you'll want to consider the options of kinds of sermons from which you might select one and prepare:
*A textual three points and a poem.
*A people's sermon.
*A dialogue sermon.
*A sermon drama.
*A letter sermon.
*An extended metaphor sermon.
*An audience reaction sermon.
*A sermon based on a hymn.
*A simple narrative sermon.
Thomas G. Long in his excellent book on preaching, The Witness of Preaching, lists the following sermon forms that are frequently used. If you go through them while you're getting started, they can prime the pump and give you some ideas for an appropriate focus and way of organizing.
1. If this ... then this ... and thus this.
2. This is true ... in this way ... and also in this way ... and in this other way, too.
3. This is the problem ... this is the response of the gospel ... these are the implications.
4. This is the promise of the Gospel - here is how we may live out that promise.
5. This is the historical situation in the text ... these are the meanings for us now.
6. Not this ... or this ... or this ... or this ... but this.
7. Here is a prevailing view ... but here is the claim of the Gospel.
8. This ... but what about this? Well, then this. Yes, but what about this? And so on.
9. Here is a story: simple story; story reflection. Part of a story; reflection; rest of the story; issue; story.
10. This? Or that?1
Some other places to look for resources in enriching and polishing the sermon would be Newsweek and Time magazine cover stories. The inside few pages of these weekly news magazines often have very brief stories which cover in capsule form the entire content of that issue.
As you start your story hunt look for anecdotes that fire your thinking and stimulate your imagination. Vignettes that reveal human nature or the way the world works as you perceive it. Jot them down in your story journal. As you collect stories, you will automatically develop good listening skills, and you will discover the principles of good story telling. As you add to your repertoire, make adjustments and amendments that suit your style.2
Your local newspaper is probably your best source of finding stories that can be used to serve as a vehicle and metaphor for the Gospel message.
Perhaps it would help to get started by trying to put the message in four or five phrases much like those which used to appear on Burma Shave signs. An old example would be: "How odd of God to choose the Jews."
Consider a hymn verse on which you could base or organize the gospel message. The congregation or you could sing it several times throughout the sermon.
Another way to get started would be to talk directly or on the phone to some of the people in your community and congregation to ask their opinion about this Gospel text and what ought to be said to the people of your community this Sunday.
Of course, commentaries can help open up the significance of the scripture. William Barclay's Daily Study Bible series is still probably one of the best helps in getting the context of the Bible passages.
Consider if there might be a visual aid or aids that can be displayed during your preaching. If the sermons of former pastors of the parish have been preserved in the archives, you might want to see what they said on this particular Sunday of the church year and quote them.
After your sermon has been written, go through it and see if you could enrich it by using a couple figures of speech like alliteration, which means the repetition of a particular sound. Other possible figures of speech are repeating the last words in the next sentence, defining something in terms of what it is not, using contrast of words, addressing an abstract quality, or using a number of sentences beginning with the same word or phrase. Use some words whose pronounced sound reflects their meaning. This is called onomatopoeia.
There's nothing wrong with repetition in a sermon. In fact, you'll probably want to be sure that the main thought is repeated several times and ways throughout the message. Repeating an individual word which can be remembered after the people leave the worship service is also a good technique. Similar to that would be repeating similar word endings.
Some preachers find asking a question and then answering it works well if it's not overdone. I especially like to use words that when pronounced suggest their meaning. So, a quaver in our voice indicates fear. When we describe the wind we use such terms as "whoosh."
Giving human form to inanimate objects can polish the sermon and be an effective way of communicating. Of course, the old standby of using similes is still worth trying. This simply means we tell the similarity between two objects using such words as "like" and "as if" and "so."
After the sermon has been prepared, you might want to ask the following questions that can serve as a screen through which you put your sermon in order that you use the preacher's edge and use as effective language and speech communication techniques as possible. Ask yourself:
*Have I been inclusive in my language?
*Is my vocabulary understandable to fifth graders?
*Have I left room for inspiration in the pulpit?
*Have I included implications for our congregation?
*Have I acknowledged vital concerns of people this week?
*Is there more of God's grace than God's law?
*Have I made my own witness?
*Is there some humor for relief throughout the sermon?
*Does the sermon acknowledge the season of the church year?
*Is "so what" answered with specific, clear steps to take?
*Does the sermon start where people are?
*Are there places where it would be more interesting if I used figures of speech?
*What one thing do I believe God wants them to remember? 'Have I been faithful to the scripture text?
1. Thomas Long, The Witness of Preaching (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1989), pp. 127-9.
2. Roy Alexander, Power Speech (New York: Amacon, American Management Association, 1986), p. 157.
