Putting a sermon together

Writing sermons is an art. It is not enough just to study. You cannot leave it to the last moment and say, "Oh well, I'll leave it to the Holy Spirit." That's presumption - not good stewardship.

Research is an essential part of spiritual warfare. As one who stands in defence of their flock, you have a responsibility to have a relationship with them. Your responsibility extends to feeding them appropriately. Therefoe you must know their state of spiritual health. This is not to squeeze out the work of the Holy spirit - on the contrary; it gives Him more material to work with in order to inspire something truly worthy of the label 'anointed'.

This is where choosing illustrations comes in. Don't just think of something that worked for someone else - manna was fresh each day for the Children of Israel in the desert. Craft your illustrations to meet the flock's needs - make it relevant to them. This was Jesus' model. When talking to farming communities, he used illustrations that both He and His listeners would be familiar with.

Tell a Story

The old preacher had an important point. "You have to talk to people on their level. Look at Jesus. All He did was sit down an tell stories about things his audience would be familiar with."

I could see what he meant. But there had to be more to it than that.

Now, several years on, I look back and I can see he was right all the time. The occasions I have conncected best with my audience haven't been where I've been expounding on something theoretical. It has been where I've been able to draw out spiritual principles from issues that have been part of their daily lives. Just observations - sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant.

So, look out for examples of great storytelling. If you can't think of anywhere to look, pick up your Bible and start looking at the parables with the eyes of someone from a 1st Century rural society...

An addition to my little network of weblogs on spiritual themes. This one on the art of sermon illustration. My specialism is exposition, rather than homiletics. But there are a few basic ground-rules that are always worth going over again and again.