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I recently took my wife to a fancy restaurant. The prices were significantly higher than what I was accustomed to, but my wife appreciated it. It struck me, that the food was not so different than what I might have ordered elsewhere. There were vegetables, bread, rice, and fish. The desert was a pastry covered with local berries. I could have picked the blackberries wild from bushes just down the street. And yet, in my experience, blackberries had never tasted quite like they did in that restaurant. I could have ordered fish and chips from a stand along the roadway, but it would not have born resemblance to what we enjoyed that night. The difference was in the preparation and in the presentation. The chef had certainly started with the best ingredients, but ingredients alone do not insure a gourmet experience. The chef must know her business. The food must be properly cooked and artfully offered.
Preaching is similar. We start with the best ingredients, God’s Word. We take care to prepare the meal properly (exegesis). Then we find a way to present the sermon so that it is desirable and palatable to the consumer.
The Sermon
Just because we have interpreted the text carefully does not mean that we are ready to preach. We may have developed a clear and compelling theme statement, but that alone is not enough. The preacher must take that material and construct of means of presenting the message so that it will be appealing and powerful for those who will hear. This second stage in sermon preparation is construction. The thing the preacher seeks to construct is the sermon, which could be described as a structure sufficient to communicate the message. It is not uncommon to hear the words “message” and “sermon” used interchangeably. For our purposes, however, it will be helpful to distinguish the terms. The message is the content. It is the thing that that God is saying. The sermon is the vehicle for the presentation of that message. The quality of that presentation can make the difference between a twenty and a thirty dollar entree at the restaurant. In preaching it can make the difference as to whether a listener is able to hear the message offered with conviction.
Steps to Construction
Discovery is a homiletic process. Preparing a sermon that will help listeners hear from God is a process requiring attention to several steps.
First Step: Pray through the Message
Prayer ought to characterize the work of the preacher throught the preparation process. Nothing good will happen in a sermon if it is not the product of intensive prayer. Yet this is a particularly important time to pray. Having understood the message that God wants to be heard it is important now to ponder the message prayerfully. This would be a good time for the preacher to interact personally with the message determining the points at which he or she needs to do business with God. Begin by reviewing the sermon’s theme statement. Make the message of the sermon and its application to your life the subject of your prayer at this point. Nothing of consequence will happen in the act of preaching if the preacher has not prayed. Helping people hear from God implies that the preacher has himself or herself heard from God.
Second Step: Find an Image
The next step is to identify a primary image that can give dramatic direction to the sermon structure. A dominant story, illustration, word picture, or metaphor can be a powerful tool assisting the preacher in keeping the attention of the listeners. One must be careful not to let the story dictate meaning to the message. Images must serve the message, not define the message. If the message is well established, however, an effective image can be a significant help in holding the listener’s attention and driving the meaning deep into the listener’s consciousness. The best place to find this image is in the text itself. The Bible is rich in picture language the preacher can employ in the service of the sermon. Rather than assembling a variety of competing images, creating a grid of related stories and metaphors can give a powerful unity to the sermon.
Third Step: Develop the Content
The actual sermon content will conform to the four quadrant integrative model for preaching.
So What?: The listener needs a reason to listen. We can’t assume that they will be appropriately motivated to listen avidly to what we say. Imagine the listener sitting back in his or her chair saying “so what.” In this opening section of the sermon the preacher connects the original story behind the text with the contemporary listener’s situation to answer the listener’s desire for relevance.
What’s What: Having established a connection between the listener and the text the preacher now works to make the point. Telling the story is important but just as important is the preacher’s effort to establish the propositional truth intended by the text. The preacher needs to lay out the cognitive content of the sermon so as to inform the listener of “what’s what.”
Yeah, But…: Now the sermon moves to the listener’s side. Just because we have made the point does not mean that the listener is prepared to respond to the truth. There is always something getting in the way – some objection or presupposition that interferes with our ability to obey. “Imagine the listener saying, “Yeah, I understand what the Bible says, but I have this problem…”The wise preacher will take advantage of the situation in order to engage the listener at a deeper level.
Now What?: The sermon concludes with the question, “now what.” Having established the point and engaged the problem, the preacher moves to imagine the difference. The intent is to motivate the listener to a meaningful obedience through affective appeal and tangible example.
Specifically, then, the preacher makes four primary moves:
Quadrant One: Tell the Story: It is hard to go wrong when one begins with a compelling story. People love stories because we live our lives in narrative. We experience life as a sequence of experiences. The preacher that wants to connect listeners with the word of God will begin by connecting the human story in the text with the human story of the listeners.
Quadrant Two: Make the Point: Preachers ought to make points. Stories are compelling, but preachers do not need to shy from articulating “the moral of the story.” This section could require complex structure (i.e. three points) or it may be simpler in nature. Some texts my lend to greater depth than others, yet every text intends a point. We ought to take joy in making that point.
Quadrant Three: Engage the Problem: In this third quadrant, the preacher engages the listener’s innate objections. The best way for the preacher to achieve this goal is by remembering that she or he is a listener too – the first listener, in fact. The preacher, as a fellow human, can help the listener by engaging those natural objections which must be overcome in order for the respondent to engage God in his word without reservation.
Quadrant Four: Imagine the Difference: At the end of the sermon, the preacher needs to describe the difference the sermon is intended to encourage. The preacher ought to be as specific as possible here, offering tangible pictures of what it would look like if the listener did exactly as God intended. This section of the sermon ought to engage the listener emotionally. The goal is to motivate the listener to that he or she actually wants to respond.
The exact shape of the sermon will vary. The four quadrants do not necessarily need to be given in four equal quarters. They do not necessarily need to be given in exact order. All four, however, should find their place in the sermon.
Fourth Step: Tag the Movement
Having described the overall sermon shape, the preacher ought to create taglines that describe each quadrant’s content. Unlike traditional point statements, taglines are pithy phrases that the preacher can use to signpost the movement of the sermon without clubbing the listener over the head. These phrases summarize, indicate, and direct the flow of thought. In constructing a set of taglines, the preacher strives for simplicity of expression, listener impact, and unity. Often taglines make use of the sermon’s dominant imagery. While not essential to the sermon, strong taglines can sharpen a sermon, helping it stick in the listener’s mind and heart.
It may be helpful at this point to review the theme (big idea) statement and see whether improvements can be made. The theme statement often doubles as the second (or sometimes fourth) quadrant tagline.
Fifth Step: Settle Title
Finally, the preacher needs to give thought to the sermon title. Titles do more than simply introduce content. Titles ought to be creative enough to stimulate interest in the sermon, while at the same time, directing the listener’s attention. The sermon’s main image can be useful in titling. The title ought also, to be in harmony with the taglines for the sake of unity.
Careful Construction
All of these elements combine to present the message in an appetizing manner. A strong biblical message offered in a package tuned toward the listener can be very helpful. Of course, it is hard work. Sermon construction is not a static process. Good preachers are constantly tinkering with their sermons, always looking for tighter structure and more powerful turns of phrase. The work seldom seems complete. Yet, when faithfully engaged, the effort generally pays off in more compelling messages and more attentive listeners. It is the work we do to help people hear from God.