Good Talk or Good Sermon? 7 Steps to Ensure You're Preaching Good News
I've heard many a good talk that tries to be a good sermon.
The preacher is well-intentioned, sincere, and passionate. But the most intriguing, entertaining, even insightful sermon is more like a clanging cymbal if it doesn't actually offer good news. Too often there's no theology in the "sermon" that elevates it from a lecture to a proclamation of faith and hope of God's actions with and among us.
We might feel instinctively that "we know Good News when we preach it," but it's worth double-checking. Are you sure you're proclaiming Good News?
6 Tips for Preaching the Gospel in a Divided Culture
Few of us have done this before.
Few of us have preached in political and cultural climates as volatile and unpredictable as the one we face in the U.S.right now.
I've preached my share of social justice sermons, but they were issue oriented. I've never needed to preach when an entire country was in foment, when families were separating over political views, when trust was so low it was difficult to even expect common courtesy.
We wonder how to preach the unifying love of Christ while many are divided; the ways to preach peace in the face of vitriol; how to preach dignity when displays of disrespect are sought as badges of honor.
Here are six tips to help.
How to Be a Better Preacher When Your Background Doesn't Include Writing or Public Speaking
Did you have a career before you went to seminary? What was it?
Mine was nursing. Surgical Intensive Care. I worked in a clinical setting for four years before heading off for my M.Div.
My nursing training and career helped with many aspects of parish ministry.
Preaching wasn’t one of them.