Tag: sermon

Posted in Ministry

Christmas sermons

Posted on by William Douthwaite

My Christmas Eve and Day sermons are just about done for this year. Writing a sermon for a celebration like Christmas is different than weekly Sunday sermon preparation. The story is so familiar that it seems there’s nothing left to say. The story is so real, that it’s hard to add anything to it. At the same time, the incarnation is big. It must be preached.

Here’s how I approach my message for one of the best attended (Christmas Eve) and worst attended (Christmas Day) worship services.

First, I read through the Matthew and Luke texts of Christ’s birth a number of times, until something jumps out at me or a question occurs to me. (Why did God announce the Savior’s birth to shepherds? Wasn’t it risky for the life of the Messiah to be entrusted to the care of two first-time human parents? Why was the Savior born at this time in the history of the world?)

Next, I link that thought or question to some aspect of our celebration of Christmas. (Who’s hearing the message of the Savior’s birth for the first time this year? Into what culture would the Savior be born in our world?)

Third, I take the idea and run with it, making some applications and offering some challenges. (Where do we need to take the message of the Savior? Why have we been entrusted with this good news? Who will we go and tell?)

This year for Christmas Eve, my “angle” is the birth itself in Luke 2:7. When a child is born, many look to see if he or she has his mother’s eyes or her father’s nose. What did Jesus look like? He’s just like us in every way, yet he’s so much different: sinless, obedient, holy. He looks most like us on the cross, for there he takes our sin and is punished as if he were us. So his birth makes our birth special, too, for we become holy, blameless children of God with a mission.

Christmas Day I’ll talk about expectations. For Christmas, we don’t get what we expect, we don’t get God’s punishment. We get a Savior, and God’s forgiveness. So a Christmas that doesn’t live up to your expectations is a very good Christmas.

Posted in Ministry

A little dialogue

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Last night at our Advent Midweek service, I tried to interact with the congregation during the sermon. I asked questions to get responses, to get at what they were thinking or their impressions of a person or situation. I’ve done this a little bit in the past, but tried to do even more. It’s an interesting process. In our church, they aren’t used to talking to me during a sermon, although we’ve had plenty of personal conversations in the past.

I believe they liked it. I believe it kept their attention on a warm, rainy evening. (Yes, in Florida, Advent is usually warm.) And it gives me a chance to respond to their thoughts, rather than simply guessing what they might be thinking.

The idea of some dialogue in a sermon requires a lot of flexibility, and the ability to keep moving towards the goal and conclusion. It requires a lot of faith, that people will respond and that you’ll be able to think on your feet, responding to what they say. You may need to abandon something you were going to say along the way, to make room for other thoughts. It works best, of course, in a smaller group. In front of 500 people, it just won’t happen. But with 50 or so, it has possibilities.

Posted in Ministry

Storyboarding

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I’m not writing out my sermons.  At least, not lately.  I’ve gotten into “storyboarding,” just like they put together movies or commercials.  I’m not sure where I picked up this idea, but it forced me to be more visual in the way I put together my sermons.  I have to come up with an image or a description for each point rather than just an outline.

This is totally different than how I was taught to put a sermon together.  My sermon preparation professor, Dr. Gerhard Aho at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN, made us thoroughly outline everything.  And that is how I approached every sermon for years, as if he were watching over my shoulder.  It was a good foundation that made me think through my text, points, transitions, and illustrations.

Lately, though, I’ve used a storyboard approach.  I try to put a picture with each part of the sermon that supports that one point I’m trying to get across to people.

How’s it going?  Well, my personal reviews are mixed.

It consumes less time than outlining and writing out a whole sermon.  I used to spend hours writing and rewriting.  Then I realized no one was actually reading these sermons so a manuscript wasn’t really important.  I didn’t even read them; I always preach without notes.

It’s easier to memorize.  Rather than trying to remember all the paragraphs I’ve written, I’ve got 8 to 12 images to recall, which bring to mind that part of the sermon.

But it’s a little nerve wracking, knowing that everytime I preach, I am composing as I go.  Kind of like jazz improvisation.  I’ve worked hard to learn the chords, and then work from there.

No one knows I’ve changed my approach except me.  Until  now.  Now all of you do.