Five Minutes on Preaching
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
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By Paul S. Williams
Every other year I teach a preaching course in New York City for Ozark Christian College. On a flight to Colorado after my last class, a seatmate who was also a preacher asked for the five-minute version of the course. I was happy to oblige.
First, whenever possible I preach stories. If they were good enough for Jesus, they are good enough for me. Stories find their own level. I once preached a gospel narrative at Emmanuel School of Religion. One of the professors said, “Thanks for the new perspective on that story.” He proceeded to expound on his new insight. I had no idea what he was talking about. Like I said, stories find their own level.
Second, I often use poetic license with biblical stories. Most people have listened to the stories of the Bible for so long they no longer hear them. I invite a new perspective: “This guy was headed down the mountain from Jerusalem to Jericho and he got to this place where there were nothing but burned-out cars and stray engine blocks and he was mugged and left for dead. A priest came by but he was pressed for time, and a Levite came by, but he had a budget to balance, and the poor guy by the side of the road was not having a real good day.
“Then a Samaritan came by who understood something about pain and suffering the priest and Levite did not understand, and he chose to have compassion on the man. He bandaged his wounds, risking AIDS. He put him on his donkey, risking a lawsuit should the injured man fall off. And he paid for his medical care without government assistance. And Jesus said, ‘Now that’s my idea of a neighbor.’”
Third, whenever I preach I always try to speak a word on behalf of the audience. Peggy Noonan said Ronald Reagan had a knack for speaking words his audience would have spoken if only they could have found them. She made that observation after seven astronauts died in the space shuttle Challenger disaster, when Reagan said, “They’ve slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God.”
Fourth, I keep it short. The average Lutheran message is 20 minutes. Methodists preach 22 minutes and Pentecostals preach 40 minutes. I grew up preaching in New York, where the average Catholic sermon is 8 minutes long. I usually preach from 21 to 23 minutes. Since more editing is involved, it does take longer to prepare a shorter sermon, but no one complains about a short sermon—ever.
Finally, I memorize my sermons. During the memorization process, I forget things. Usually there is a reason. The things I forget are extraneous to the message. So I leave them out as I draw a thread through the message and pull it tight.
There are few things as satisfying as preaching. I consider it a privilege to have been doing it for almost 40 years, and I look forward to preaching for many years to come.
I disagree with the first point. Jesus did not “preach stories.” He and the apostles did reference things that they knew about.
One may and should invoke a difference in the presentation when preaching to the lost and preaching to the saved. The lost cannot follow a text that speaks in depth concerning spiritual things. To them, I concede that extended reasoning (stories) might be needed at some time. But, to the church, those who are maturing, extended stories dull their senses.
I love the point about memorizing the sermon. I started doing that 4 years ago and it made a world of difference. Like you said, it allows the Holy Spirit to edit out that which is superfluous, but it also increases connectivity to the audience. As for preaching a story, it is possible for a story to convey a deep theological concept in a way we can grasp. That’s why Jesus used parables and why good preachers use good illustrations that do more than tell a joke. Good article!
I disagree with the first commenter, Bill Dinwiddie. = )
I agree that there are VERY few things better than the privilege of preaching…I was told as a young preacher that I would “develop my own style.” I have! I have no set style (some may say, no-style) and I find every week’s preparation exciting and exhilarating! Sometimes it’s a story, sometimes expository, and sometimes it’s inductive or deductive and I can’t wait to share what God has spoken to me. I have found that if I intentionally invite God and His Word into who I am, He turns every word, every style into what the open spirited hearer needs to hear & that’s when I find out what He has said through me!
Jim Irby said, “…Preach it high where men seek it, preach it low where men can reach it…”
“Extended stories dull their senses” – really? It’s more likely that “extended doctrinal lectures” dull the senses.
Last time I checked most of the Bible was a collection of extended stories. Are books like Job, Nehemiah, Ester, Acts, and most of the Gospels only for the immature or the unbeliever?
I’m going to agree with the editorial here. Great stories are not devoid of truth or doctrine. The best story is the one that truly teaches an important truth. That is exactly what Jesus did. He told stories full of amazing truth.
Preaching is an art. Unfortunately, our need for clarity and definition causes us to do what Wordsworth described in poetry:
“Our meddling intellect mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things: we murder to dissect.”