Tuesday, April 19, 2005
What Makes A Good Sermon?
Transforming Sermons pulls a quote from a pastor that is changing his approach to preaching. I am not sure I understand all of what he is trying to say here. I'll try a simple paraphrase, "It is better to preach wisdom and truth, than to simply teach a topic." But I am not sure it conveys it. Consider this:
The preaching that reaches deep inside me and rattles my bones is not usually very easy to outline--though that certainly doesn't mean it isn't carefully crafted. Often, it has seemed to me, the other kind of preaching tends to turn people into Bible Wonks who study scripture a lot but don't catch the overarching themes of scripture. In their search for "answers," they wind up with a reduced world.I love that phrase "preaching that reaches deep inside me and rattles my bones." As a consumer of preaching, I can say where I am affected that way by preaching -- when the reality of the message is evident in the person presenting it. If the preacher reaches deep inside himself, and his bones are rattled, a listener can tell, and the power is evident.
