*Studying the Scriptures
*Discovering what others have said or written about a given passage
*Understanding who will be listening to the sermon and what makes them who they are
*Prayer that immerses the whole process of preperation with the questions, 'is this what you want me to sayand how you want me to say it?'
(Standing, 2004, 15)
R. Standing. (2004). Finding the Plot. Milton Keynes: Paternoster Press
After the most recent module at college it is intersting to think again about constructing sermons. The problem I have is that I pretty much always do these 4 points, but this doesn't mean it is a good sermon. Though I am aware that God's word can still be spoken through a donkey and that St Paul sent people to sleep when he preached...
...whatever method is used to prepare a sermon it is still down to inspiration and perspiration.
Yes, it is so encouraging - I often think about that famous donkey too and poor Eutychus falling to his death and Paul raising him through Christ's miraculous intervention. Perhaps if they fell asleep but then suddenly jumped to life in such a way at the end of our preaching, we could begin well and end well and not have to worry quite so much about the stuff in the middle :-D. It is often the stuff in the middle, however, that needs the divine help.
ReplyDeleteGod bless
Hi Rach, thanks for commenting, it is great to know that the Holy Spirit does reveal Jesus, fortunately there are no windows which people can fall out of at St Paul's but who knows what miracles God wants to perform...glad your solo flight went well without the guidance of the clergy!
ReplyDelete