Essentials of sermon preparation
Next question dealt with in Ayuda Pastoral:
What are a pastor’s indispensible steps in preparing a sermon?
Basic and essential stages in sermon preparation are:
1. Prayer. What was notable about the ministry of Jesus was his time spent in prayer. Typically we read: "while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed" (Mar 1:35 cp Luk. 5:16; 6:12; 9:28; 18:1; 22:44). The preacher needs to pray for understanding of the text, for the Spirit’s accompanying the Word and for his own humility.
2. Think of the congregation. A sermon has to connect with the real world of its hearers. What concerns do they have? What needs to they face? What is their level of understanding? Paul’s sermons showed a noticeable change when he preached to Jews or Gentiles of the Royal Court (Acts 13:13-41; 17:2-31; 26:2-29). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus appreciated his listeners’ background and so spoke to their situation.
3. Study the text without using commentaries. Commentaries are excellent but best left to the final stages of preparation. The text on its own must first minister to the minister. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached with little preparation because Jesus’ message had taken hold of his mind. The songs of Mary and Zechariah indicate that they were people who reflected deeply on the Scriptures (Lk. 1:46-55; 67-79).
4. Ask questions of the text. In order for the preacher to be enthusiastic about what he is saying there has to be an interaction between himself and the text. To stimulate this he should ask questions of the text, for example: Why has Matthew chosen this particular event to include it in his gospel? How does the passage show John persuading his readers to trust in Jesus? What is important to Paul this in his passage?
Basic and essential stages in sermon preparation are:
1. Prayer. What was notable about the ministry of Jesus was his time spent in prayer. Typically we read: "while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed" (Mar 1:35 cp Luk. 5:16; 6:12; 9:28; 18:1; 22:44). The preacher needs to pray for understanding of the text, for the Spirit’s accompanying the Word and for his own humility.
2. Think of the congregation. A sermon has to connect with the real world of its hearers. What concerns do they have? What needs to they face? What is their level of understanding? Paul’s sermons showed a noticeable change when he preached to Jews or Gentiles of the Royal Court (Acts 13:13-41; 17:2-31; 26:2-29). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus appreciated his listeners’ background and so spoke to their situation.
3. Study the text without using commentaries. Commentaries are excellent but best left to the final stages of preparation. The text on its own must first minister to the minister. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached with little preparation because Jesus’ message had taken hold of his mind. The songs of Mary and Zechariah indicate that they were people who reflected deeply on the Scriptures (Lk. 1:46-55; 67-79).
4. Ask questions of the text. In order for the preacher to be enthusiastic about what he is saying there has to be an interaction between himself and the text. To stimulate this he should ask questions of the text, for example: Why has Matthew chosen this particular event to include it in his gospel? How does the passage show John persuading his readers to trust in Jesus? What is important to Paul this in his passage?
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