Sermon Preparation and Preaching

A Few Thoughts on Sermon Preparation, Writing and Delivery. . .

The photo of me above was taken surreptitiously by my brother during a service at Exeter Cathedral in the UK. Preaching in that pulpit was quite an experience! It was a great privilege to be a part of that community while I spent time at Exeter University working on my PhD. The pulpit was so tall that you could see all the way over the choir stalls into the nave where there are tourists wandering around taking pictures (even while there is a service going on) - it was a bit distracting at times! It was rather daunting to preach in such a place! I think sometimes sermon preparation on the whole can feel rather daunting, and so I would like to offer a few thoughts and best practices. Hopefully this will be helpful to you!

I am a manuscript preacher. I know that many people glorify the practice of preaching with an outline or even without notes. For some people that works fabulously! Yay for them! I am a better writer than orator, so I write my sermons out. The advice below will probably work less well if you like to preach without notes, but hopefully some of it will still be useful.

PREPARING . . .

Marinating
Not just for steaks anymore! :) *Note: I love to cook, so this is likely one of many food related sentences on this blog.
For me the first step in a good sermon is the brainstorming. I like to read the lectionary texts assigned and let them just sit in my brain for a day or two. I think about them while driving in the car or cooking dinner. Inevitably the Holy Spirit is at work and the beginnings of an idea or theme begin to form.

Conversation 
Once I have a sense of where I might want to go with one or two of the texts, I like to have a conversation about my ideas. I try hard to stick to my preaching professor's rule never to talk about more than three texts in a sermon, and then only three if there is a really strong connection between them. Sometimes the conversations are with fellow clergy or sometimes with my mom (who is a writer and teacher), but most often they are with my husband (sainted man that he is). One of the reasons I love brainstorming sermons with him is that he is a mechanical engineer. His brain works completely differently than mine, and he sees the world differently. His mom is an organist. He grew up in the Church and has heard a lot of sermons - even before he met me! :) He gets Church, and he knows what it is to be the person in the pew. Conversation with him usually helps me to catch mistakes. It keeps me from trying to accomplish too much in a sermon or from being too formal or academic. Conversation with him helps me keep my sermons connected to real life. I strongly believe that the whole point of preaching is so that we can make the Scriptures relevant to the daily lives of people in the pews. I highly recommend having conversation partner or partners with whom you can digest the Scriptures and get your creative juices flowing.

WRITING . . . .

Write and write!
When I preached the first few times it took me days or even weeks to work on a sermon. Getting into a position where you have to preach every week or at least close to it quickly cured me of that! I can now easily write out a sermon in about an hour (once I have done my brainstorming and conversing). So, as the saying goes, practice makes perfect. The more sermons you write, the easier it will be. If you find yourself staring at a blank screen, just start writing. The ideas will come. The first draft does not have to be the final one!

Short and sweet 
Remember, people have to listen to this. Avoid long complicated sentences. Avoid a lot of references to something said earlier . . . it is not a book, they cannot turn back a page or two to check. If you find yourself writing "Thirdly" or "And finally" you might want to go back and reassess whether or not your audience is really going to be able to remember ALL your points. To that end, it is generally best to have ONE take home message in your sermon. If you can't sum your sermon up in a single sentence, it is probably too long. Also remember that you can hold most people's attention for about 7 minutes. If you go on for twice that, people are not likely to remember what you said. I find that it is generally good to aim for about 1000 to 1200 words. Generally speaking, people are not known for complaining that a sermon is too short. :)

Format and Formulas
Generally speaking, I find there are two formulas that work well for crafting sermons, and they are just variations on each other.

1.  Scripture > story, real life examples > so what?

2. Personal story, anecdote > Scripture > so what?

Most often I go with number 2 because I find that if you start with a hook - tell a personal story, an example of daily life, something well known and engaging - people are interested and likely to stay tuned into what you are saying.

Sometimes there is something particularly notable or striking in the Scripture itself and that can be a great place to start and then you move to a connection with daily life. Again, I think the whole point of preaching is to help people feel that the Scriptures they have just heard are real and relevant to their daily lives.

Audience 
As you write, keep in mind the people who will hear your sermon. Is there something particular going on in the community or in the world that you need to speak on? If people's lives and hearts have been shaken by recent events on a global scale or a local level, it will be incredibly helpful to them to touch on those events in your sermon. If a horrific murder has just happened in your town or it is the Sunday after 9/11 and there is no mention of it in your sermon, people will feel you are out of touch, and they may stop listening. Be attentive to the needs of your community. Occasionally, it is okay to put the lectionary aside (or even to preach on what is not in the lectionary) because the message the community really needs to hear that week is something else.

DELIVERY . . .

Clear and Concise 
Even if you write out sermons, you still want to practice them. You don't want to stumble over your text in the delivery. That said, write as you would speak. The text does not need to (and probably should not!) read like a research paper with multiple footnotes. Use colloquialisms and short sentences. Casual, conversational style is fine in almost all settings, although that does not mean you should deliver it in such a relaxed manner that people have a hard time hearing or understanding you.

Loud, but not too loud 
Project and don't swallow the ends of your sentences (my error early in my preaching). Also be aware of the sound system (if there is one where you are preaching). I spent a while preaching in small churches without any sound systems, so I got used to projecting. Then when I went to a big church with a sound system, someone told me that my 8am sermon sounded like I was angry or yelling because I was so loud. Oops! Always good to check out the sound system and see how sensitive it is!

Pauses are okay 
Again this is one straight out of my own experiences and mistakes. I generally talk fast and early on in my preaching, particularly when I was very nervous I would fly through my sermons. My dear parents (who heard many of my early sermons) would keep reminding me to slow down! It took a while to get the hang of a good rhythm that was neither a Formula One race nor molasses on a cold day. Practice will help you find yours! And sometimes it can even be helpful to add in extra punctuation (even if it is not grammatically correct) to your text so that it can help you slow down and pause when appropriate.

Eye Contact 
After a recent sermon I gave, a retired priest came up to compliment me on my sermon and also to let me know that he wished I had looked into the eyes of members of the congregation more. Doing so would have helped my sermon to have a greater impact. This is wise advice. It can be tricky to do, however, particularly if you are preaching on something that could be controversial or challenging for people to hear. Try to at least pick a few people with whom to make direct eye contact with during the sermon. Try also to know your manuscript well enough that you can keep your eyes up more often than they are down on the page.


Feedback 
And when it is all over, ask for feedback. I am indebted to my family for all the sermons they have read and listened to and all the feedback that they have given to me on content, style and delivery.  If you don't already have a setup for receiving regular feedback on your preaching, create one. Put a small committee together. Record a sermon or two and send it to a colleague. Attend a preaching workshop. We all can always improve our preaching, so be on the lookout for feedback!

Pat yourself on the back!
Preaching is hard work. Like any creative process, when it is done well, we pour our whole selves into the creation and delivery of our sermons. It is a big deal to expose ourselves to the world in that way and can feel very vulnerable. Give yourself credit for putting yourself out there, for taking the time to prepare a sermon. And if it doesn't all go perfectly, don't worry! There is always next week! And our lectionary repeats every three years. You will have another opportunity to do it differently!

USEFUL RESOURCES

Working Preacher

http://www.workingpreacher.org/

The Text This Week - Textweek - Sermon, Sermons, Revised Common Lectionary, Scripture Study and Worship Links

http://www.textweek.com/

The Thoughtful Christian

http://www.thethoughtfulchristian.com/

Death of Preaching

http://blog.timbaker.cc/death-of-preaching/

When does a text show up in the Lectionary?

http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/

Alban - Listening to the Listeners of Sermons

http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=10225

SermonSuite - Online Sermons, Children's Sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Lectionary Sermons, Lectionary Resources

http://www.sermonsuite.com/

Bible in a year? Same, same but different http://www.anglicannews.org/features/2013/10/bible-in-a-year-same,-same-but-different.aspx

Connections

http://www.connectionsmediaworks.com/

Creative Strategies for Sermons

http://www.patheos.com/About-Patheos/Alyce-McKenzie.html

16 Ways Progressive Christians Interpret the Bible

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogerwolsey/2014/01/16-ways-progressive-christians-interpret-the-bible/

Fermenting the Word:While editing sermons at my favorite watering hole, I'll post about the different beers I am trying.

http://fermentingtheword.blogspot.com/

12 Things TEDx Speakers do that Preachers Don’t. | Scribblepreach

http://scribblepreach.com/2014/02/26/12-things-tedx-speakers-do-that-preachers-dont/

The Bible Reduced To Minimalist Posters | Co.Design | business + design

http://www.fastcodesign.com/3027229/the-bible-reduced-to-minimalist-posters#10

Scripture in Context

http://www.scriptureincontext.org/

Test Taking Tips

View image | gettyimages.com

Many future priests will be taking the General Ordination Exams next week, and so I thought I would offer a post with some basic test taking advice for the Exam.

1. Prayer 
Begin each day with prayer. If you are not gathering each morning with fellow test takers for Morning Prayer, try to find time to say it yourself. If nothing else, find a few minutes to read over those prayers, psalms or Scripture passages that ground you. Read the ones that will remind you that you are a beloved child of God, that will help keep things in perspective and help you remember that this exam, though it looms large at the present moment, does not define you nor your ministry.

2. Place and Atmosphere
Be sure you have a place to take the test that is quiet and free from interruptions. While you don't need to go the lengths of putting a sign up like the one pictured above, being able to take the exam in peace and quiet is important. Presumably you have made arrangements for this at your home or seminary, so that your friends and family know when not to interrupt you. The other tricky bit is that you will be taking this exam online, and so you need to be at your computer with an active internet connection. And there are so many more fun things that come over that internet connection than an exam! Facebook! Twitter! Instagram! Email! Text messages! Disable all your notifications, so that you are not distracted by where you friends just checked into or the big after Christmas sale at your favorite store. All those things will be there when you are done writing for the day and need a distracting break!

3. Timing and Writing
Be sure you have a clock nearby. Try to plan out your time. Take the first 15 minutes to read through the question and get yourself organized. Then spend 30 minutes researching and outlining your answer. Spend two hours writing. You only have to write 1000 words. This is about 10 words a minute. You can do it! Then spend the remaining time proofreading. Go back and reread the question to ensure that you have answered all the parts of the question. Also ensure that your answer does not contain any identifying information, e.g. seminary, diocese, etc. The GBEC site says to write your exam in the browser (note that only Mozilla's Firefox works), and as a back up, I would recommend that you copy and paste your answer into a word processing program on your computer after each paragraph, and certainly before you click anything that would take you away from the page. Alternatively, you can likely write in a word processing program and then copy and paste into the browser. Either way, be sure you save a back up copy of the answer you submit!

4. Food and Water
Even though you will likely be sitting in a chair for the better part of the day, be sure to keep yourself hydrated and fed. Keep a water bottle and perhaps a thermos of tea or coffee nearby along with some snacks. Although if you are clumsy like me it might be best to keep anything liquid at a little distance. :) You have an hour between the morning and afternoon sessions. Eat a good lunch. Writing is hard work. Keep yourself fueled up!

5. Let it Go!
Apologies to any fellow parents of young children, if I have just prompted Disney's Frozen soundtrack to start playing in your head. Elsa does have good advice. Work hard. Do your best. Then ultimately, let it go. When each session is over, take a break. Plan some kind of fun treat for yourself on the day off. You deserve it.

And in the end, it is always good to remember the wise words of Dame Julian of Norwich, "All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well."

You all are in my prayers as you take the Exam. Blessings!

Important Dates for 2015

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Here are some important dates to keep in mind. Please mark your calendars!

Postulants and Candidates:


April 10-11, 2015 - Retreat with Bishops at Camp Washington

Saturday, June 20, 2015 - Gathering with COM at The Commons from 9-3

January 16, 2016 - Gathering with COM & SC at The Commons from 9-3

Recently Ordained Clergy Gatherings
The Commons, 9-2

January 8 

February 12

March 12

May 7 

Commission on Ministry Meetings/Events


February 28 (Joint Leadership Saturday)

March 25, 5:30-7:30

April 15, 5:30-7:30

May 1, Interview Day with Potential Nominees for the Priesthood

May 16, Discernment Day Event 

May 30  (Joint Leadership Saturday)

June 17, 5:30-7:30 

June 20, Gathering with Postulants and Candidates 

July 15, 5:30-7:30

August 19, 5:30-7:30

Praying with our Camera and Social Media

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Anglican and Episcopal News Service recently issued an invitation to us to observe Advent with our smartphones, particularly with our cameras and our social media accounts:

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/11/12/anglicans-invited-to-celebrate-advent-using-your-camera-phones/

I hope you all will consider taking up this invitation and trying on a new way of observing Advent. I have been doing something similar in the month of November on the theme of gratitude and thanksgiving. 

I serve on the Board of The Young Clergy Women Project, and we have been exploring the theme of thanksgiving this month via social media. We have been invited to post a photo each day inspired by a word, e.g. grace, presence, enough, etc. See post here: http://youngclergywomen.org/thanks-giving/

The hashtag for this is #thanksliving14 and you can search for it on Facebook or Twitter. If you would like to see my posts for November, you may view my Twitter feed here.

I have found this to be a remarkable exercise. It is really been a powerful, prayerful experience to have the discipline to think each day about a word related to gratitude. It is helped me pay a bit more attention and to see the world a little differently as I have been on a lookout for an image that captures the day's word. 

If you engage in this activity for Advent, I wish you a prayerful and enriching experience!

The Power of Story

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I spent part of last week at a remarkable training at Sewanee called "Living in the Green." [More information on the program can be found here: http://programcenter.sewanee.edu/programs/living-in-the-green]

While I am still absorbing all I learned and thinking through how it can be asset to the work we are about in raising up leaders here in the Episcopal Church in CT, one of the biggest lessons I carry from it is that of the power of story. Part of our training was to "try on" and experience a particular way of doing discernment and conversation. This involved the use of story prompts and small group sharing. We used a passage from a speech by Howard Thurman (see an excerpt here) about the "sound of the genuine." What struck me most was the profound level of sharing that happened through this story prompt. Within a few minutes, I was deeply connected to two other individuals who I otherwise barely knew. And I also was profoundly aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit, in their stories and in our conversation. 

We often talk about story. We are a people rooted in story - in Scripture, in the stories of our own Anglican tradition, in our own individual stories - and yet I so often find myself operating on the more superficial, informational level. I can be so task or goal oriented that I can forget how essential it is - to the work we are about, as well as to the building up of God's kingdom - to share and to listen to our stories. We are stronger, more deeply connected, wiser and more thoughtful beings for the gift of hearing one another tell our stories and for the gift of being heard. The Holy Spirit is at work through my time at Sewanee and the opportunities I have to engage with those in discernment, formation and in leadership positions. Clearly I need to pay more attention and leave more room for stories.

 

Change your bookmarks!

As a result of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut's branding process and the desire to standardize all our blogs, the url of this blog has changed to http://episcopalct-formation.blogspot.com

Please update your bookmarks so that you don't miss any formation resources. If you are signed up to receive email updates, this shouldn't affect that at all. 

Local Faith Formation Resources

As I sat in Ian's presentation to our group of Recently Ordained Clergy (ROC) yesterday, I heard him mention a scholar who was going to be giving a lecture at OMSC and a light bulb went off. It occurred to me that all of you (particularly if you are new to CT) might not be aware of some of the amazing resources for theological education, for broadening our horizons and deepening our faith that are quite literally right in our own backyards. So today's post is a bit of info about a few of them. And I am sure that there are more that I am forgetting at this present moment or that I don't know about. If you know of others, please let me know! It would be great to expand this list!

So first, the OMSC . . . the Overseas Ministry Study Center (http://www.omsc.org/) is a place of study and rest for Christian Missionaries and Scholars from all over the world. It is a remarkable place that really makes global Christianity come alive! Many of its lectures are open to the public, and you can subscribe to E-News to learn more about the Center and its events.

And right across the street from OMSC in New Haven is Yale Divinity School, which of course hosts numerous lectures and programs throughout the year: http://divinity.yale.edu/ The great thing about YDS public lectures is that they are almost always recorded, so even if you can't get there in person, you can still hear the lecture. YDS digital resources can be found here: http://divinity.yale.edu/core/digital-resources And if you can get to New Haven on occasion, you should be sure to visit the Ministry Resource Center in the Divinity Library. Imagine having the opportunity to browse, sample and try out any and every christian education resource you can imagine (for children or adults) and that is the MRC.

Another great resource for lectures and programs, particularly of an interfaith nature is Hartford Seminary (http://www.hartsem.edu/). They also have an E-News you can sign up for and record many of their programs, so you don't necessarily have to attend in person. For a tiny little school in the middle of Hartford, they draw a remarkable collection of scholars and faith leaders from across CT and around the world!

If you are in Fairfield County, it is particularly worth noting that Christ Church in Greenwich has a robust adult education program, not all of which takes place on Sunday mornings. More information on that can be found here: http://christchurchgreenwich.org/learn/adult/

Another opportunity in Greenwich is the Greenwich Leadership Forum, which is a program run by David Miller (of Princeton' Center on Faith and Work). It brings business people together to talk about faith and ethics. If spending an evening in Greenwich is not convenient for you, thankfully, they also record many of the sessions (check out the video tab on their website).

So those are a few of our remarkable local resources. Please let me know of more!