The last post on staying ready received more feedback than I anticipated. One reader contacted me through facebook asking for more help in how to stay ready and avoid being rusty when it has been months between preaching engagements. A few other readers contacted me through email wanting to know the same thing.
How can preachers navigate the three intertwining stories we must exegete if we are to preach powerful sermons. Elder Cox addresses this issue in this audio.
Download the audio at this link.
H. Beecher Hicks in the second chapter of his book Preaching Through a Storm has a sermon entitled How to Silence a Preacher; or, Shut Your Mouth!. Rev. Hicks preached this sermon at the ordination …
The sermon should begin by telling the story of the man who brought his son to be healed by Jesus. The story should be told completely and in a way that people can feel, see, and touch the story. I would say that you tell the story from the centurion stopping Jesus up until Jesus told him that his servant shall be healed. Then give the three points. After that pick the story back up on the way home for the celebration.
Lowell Erdahl, in the book Best Advice for Preaching, quotes someone who said: “There are two kinds of preachers–those who have to say something and those who have something to say!” A preacher gains …
This past weekend I listened and looked on the internet to a preacher who was preaching without notes. The preacher simply stated everything that came to his mind on the subject or not on the subject. He had highs and lows, but there was no rhyme or reason to the sermon. Then the preacher ended with a whimper and sat down.
At the end of the sermon it was difficult to remember any points from the sermon. There were a few “flashes of brilliance” but largely it was a long “stream of consciousness” without purpose. What went wrong?
