Sermon experiment reflections
Undoubtedly more reflections will come to mind as I process and have the input of people from yesterday. Here are my initial thoughts:
1. I was dead wrong about people not noticing a difference. I should stop being surprised at the insight of people when listening to God's word. They noticed the difference and mentioned it.
2. This type of sermon is much more 'uncontrollable.' I was surprised at how I was really "left out to dry" a bit at one point. I completely lost the story I was telling. I chalk this up a bit to lack of protein in my brain. Definitely need something substantial to keep my mind wired between services. But at a deeper level, I began to see the story that involves me preaching is the story God is telling, even in me preaching. This one is harder to explain, but undeniable in the moment.
3. Real life is what people need. STOP DIVORCING THE TEXT FROM REAL LIFE. I see how I do this unintentionally. I have explained on this blog before how I see principle-preaching doing just that. It's not that principles are bad things, or even strangers to the biblical story (although only one book is called 'Proverbs'). But life is not made up of principles; it's made up of people. And whenever someone asks me who I am, I never say, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" or, to put it in sermon-ese, "Realize what God has given before striving for more." Now, those things are true in some sense, and I could definitely incorporate the second into a sermon. BUT, if change happens in relationships, and resurrection is the hope for ALL relationships, and preaching has to take resurrection form--taking seriously death, but providing hope!--then the sermon has got to incorporate transformational elements. Modeling transformation via the story of the sermon is the closest I've come to seeing that happen.
4. I have never prayed so much for a sermon. And never needed to pray so much for one.
5. A stranger would not have known what was going on. But I think they would be more intrigued to return. I think that's the way it should be.
1. I was dead wrong about people not noticing a difference. I should stop being surprised at the insight of people when listening to God's word. They noticed the difference and mentioned it.
2. This type of sermon is much more 'uncontrollable.' I was surprised at how I was really "left out to dry" a bit at one point. I completely lost the story I was telling. I chalk this up a bit to lack of protein in my brain. Definitely need something substantial to keep my mind wired between services. But at a deeper level, I began to see the story that involves me preaching is the story God is telling, even in me preaching. This one is harder to explain, but undeniable in the moment.
3. Real life is what people need. STOP DIVORCING THE TEXT FROM REAL LIFE. I see how I do this unintentionally. I have explained on this blog before how I see principle-preaching doing just that. It's not that principles are bad things, or even strangers to the biblical story (although only one book is called 'Proverbs'). But life is not made up of principles; it's made up of people. And whenever someone asks me who I am, I never say, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" or, to put it in sermon-ese, "Realize what God has given before striving for more." Now, those things are true in some sense, and I could definitely incorporate the second into a sermon. BUT, if change happens in relationships, and resurrection is the hope for ALL relationships, and preaching has to take resurrection form--taking seriously death, but providing hope!--then the sermon has got to incorporate transformational elements. Modeling transformation via the story of the sermon is the closest I've come to seeing that happen.
4. I have never prayed so much for a sermon. And never needed to pray so much for one.
5. A stranger would not have known what was going on. But I think they would be more intrigued to return. I think that's the way it should be.
posted by Aaron Perry at
9:28 AM
2 Comments:
AP, I appreciate point #3. In my experience, my preaching/teaching tends to gravitate toward principles and so I always have to remind myself in preparation to be more relational.
I think the reason it is difficult for me is b/c i'm really not as relational in real life as i want or should be. We preach what we are.
Also, I notice that the less prepared I am for a specific teaching session, the less relational teaching/preaching is.
Thanks for posting the feedback, it's right where i'm at this weekend. God bless
matt, i definitely relate to being ill-prepared and losing relationality. i was afraid this would happen this week, but it didn't, praise God.
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