Which Comes First — The Need or the Text?
Where do you begin your sermon preparation – with a contemporary need, or with a biblical text? This is a trick question, and you should not fall for it. Be careful neither to emphasize human need to the neglect of the text, nor to emphasize the text to the neglect of human need. To do the former is to wallow in a quagmire of questions with no real answers. To do the latter is to try to preach the Bible while missing the point of the Bible.
Living in Contentment: Philippians 4:10-20
As Paul brings his epistle to a close, he offers a heartfelt “thank you” to the church in Philippi for the gift they had sent to alleviate his distress. In the middle of this “thank you,” however, he assures them that the primary reason for his joy in their giving is not because of the benefit that he had gained by receiving it, but the benefit that they had gained by giving it. At the core of this attitude was his deep contentment in life …
Towards A “Big Story” Homiletic
How do we go about intentionally establishing a ministry of “big story preaching?” We need a “big story homiletic” that could secure a metanarrative thread in every sermon. Such a homiletic will need to weave the big story into its theology, its hermeneutic, its cultural engagement, and its application of the text.
Review: Biblical Theology and Preaching
Must Christ be preached from every text? Is it realistic, or even right, to expect that every sermon should proclaim the Gospel? Can you be true to the original intent of the human author behind the text while also tying it to the grand intent of the divine author over the text? Graeme Goldsworthy would answer each of these questions with a resounding “yes!”
Beating the Bane of Monday
I used to have a cartoon clipping on my desk portraying the weekly evolution of a pastor. It was a chart, patterned after those old “evolution of man” illustrations. On Monday, the pastor was collapsed like a puddle on the floor. On Tuesday, he was crawling. Each day he progressed a bit more until Sunday, when he was erect, composed, dressed and in his right mind, ready to take on the world. Then, on Monday, he was a puddle again, and the whole thing started over.
If you’re like me, you’ve experienced those Mondays. The highs and lows of Sunday have left you physically, mentally, emotionally, and perhaps even spiritually depleted. I’m pretty sure Jeremiah wrote Lamentations on a Monday. A lot of preachers I know take Monday off, but I never did — just because I didn’t want to spend my day off feeling so worn out. Besides, taking Monday off just postpones the inevitable. Yesterday’s sermon is history, but Sunday is only six days away. Better to go ahead and get back to work.
Living in Peace: Philippians 4:6-7
In this final chapter of his epistle, Paul begins with a section addressed in a very personal way to his dearly loved brothers in Philippi. The opening verses of Philippians 4 (v. 2-9) are bound together by the common theme of “peace.” Sandwiched between verses on either side that address the issue of peace among the brothers are two verses (6-7) that address the issue of peace within ourselves.
What does the “Big Story” Do?
We are all shaped by a story. The question is, which story will it be? For disciples of Jesus, this life-shaping story is the Gospel. Before we turn to specifics of how to integrate the “big story” into our preaching, we should ask another question: What are the goals of Big Story Preaching?
How do we expect the grand narrative of the Scriptures to form disciples of Jesus? I will focus on four ways: The big story defines identity, shapes worldview, informs and guides mission, and creates community.
Review: Reading for Preaching
One of my missionary supervisors once told me that the first step towards connecting with the secular Europeans with whom we wanted to share the Gospel was simply to “be an interesting person.” Cornelius Platinga’s book, Reading for Preaching, has just such a goal in mind.
Getting Started Without Getting Stuck
Maybe your pastor, for a reason clear to him but a mystery to you, has asked you to preach. Or you are going on a mission trip, and every member of the team must be prepared to speak. Or you are the designated preacher for your family reunion. Or perhaps you are a new pastor, suddenly overwhelmed with the responsibility of preaching at least once each week.
Whatever the reason, you are faced with the daunting task of bringing a word from God to the people of God. Where do you begin?
living in Harmony: Philippians 4:4-5, 8
The gospel not only heals our relationship with God, it heals our relationship with others, beginning with the body of Christ. We can’t live in gospel reconciliation and be at odds with our brothers and sisters in the family of God.
“Big Story” Preaching: Making Disciples in a Post-Christian World
How do we make disciples in a post-Christian world?” I am convinced that the answer must begin with the story we tell. I’m not talking about merely “telling stories,” that people like to hear. We must tell the story — the grand narrative of the Scriptures that shapes our view of the world, of ourselves, and of history. Why? Because the single most important factor for forming identity, character, and purpose is how we answer the question, “In what story am I living?”
Living With Purpose: Philippians 3:12-4:1
In the first half of Philippians 3, Paul defines the goal of his life: to know Christ. In this second part, he discusses his active pursuit of this goal, and invites the Philippians to join him.
How to Tell the Gospel Story in Every Sermon
So far in this series of posts, I have tried to make a case for story-shaped preaching. I hope the message has come through clearly that the most compelling reason for story-shaped preaching is that “story” is the shape of the gospel. The question now becomes, “How do preach in such a way that every sermon is a retelling of the gospel story, applied to some aspect of contemporary life?”
Review: Telling God’s Story
If you are mainly interested in continuing to preach the way we always have, only better, you should probably avoid this book. John Wright is not willing to allow us to pursue business as usual, at least not without taking a hard look at what “business as usual” actually is.
Living in Serentiy: Philippians 3:1-11
When we see this passage in light of its context in Philippians, we can see that Paul is doing two things. First, he is taking an opportunity to reaffirm the Gospel, that salvation does not come by works. Second, he is advancing the cause of community through humility in the church.
Living With Perspective - Philippians 1:12-30
These verses highlight both the difficulty of Paul’s circumstances and his joy in the midst of them. The perspective he displays towards is sufferings, the spiteful efforts of his enemies, and his questionable prospects towards the future, points to some core understandings about his life that flow from the Gospel. We can’t have confidence in the face of difficult days without the same foundation from which to see all of life.
Why Story?
Let me tell you the story of my journey with story…
It began with a practical need. I was teaching preaching in Portugal, and asking myself, “How can I equip my students to preach effectively to their generation?” The traditional method I knew best was fine as long as they were preaching to congregations filled with believers. But I became convinced that, when it came to skeptical, post-modern, anti-authoritarian Europeans, a deductive frontal assault was usually ineffective. So I began to look around for a different method, a more post-Christian-friendly rhetoric.
Story-Shaped Preaching, Part I
I believe that preaching in a post-Christian context will require, as a rule, a story shape. I have some good reasons for this, which I will share, but I recognize that I am swimming upstream in our Evangelical sub-culture. The weakness of some narrative preaching is no reason to discard the Bible’s most prominent form
Perhaps the best starting point for this series of posts on Story-Shaped Preaching is to define what it is, and what it isn’t. I’ll do this by answering three myths that I sometimes hear about narrative preaching.
Living Towards maturity: Philippians 2:12-18
Following the great christological hymn in verses 6-11, Paul returns to the initial concern that he voiced in the beginning of the chapter. He wants the church in Philippi to be unified. Now, however, in stead of looking to Christ as the example of the humility they will need, he looks to Christ as the source of the maturity they should cultivate, which will yield the attitudes necessary for unity.
Gospel-Driven: How?
Is it realistic to say that every sermon should be gospel-driven? What do we do when the text doesn’t seem to be about the gospel at all? Do we just bend it and squeeze it until a gospel presentation oozes out? Does this mean that every message should be evangelistic? Shouldn’t some sermons just teach, exhort, encourage, or comfort?