Over at A Wee Blether, Adam shares 10 things he’s learned about preaching. It’s a fun exercise, so I thought I would share my own. I don’t preach with notes, but I do have a few ideas about good preaching.
First, start with a very serious problem that has to be solved. No need to give it all up in the beginning.
Jokes are fine, especially at the preacher’s expense. Refrain from teasing the congregation.
Read the material in advance. A week in advance, not during the hymn before the gospel.
You only need one core metaphor.
Eventually the cross.
And then the resurrection.
Explore misreadings.
Kill the platitude. Kill all of them.
Nothing wrong with rhyming.
Yelling at people usually doesn’t help, unless they’re asleep.
People like it when you talk about your mistakes, as long as they’re legal.
References to Hegel, Feurbach, or Lessing is of limited use unless you quote them in German.
Talking about how terrible other churches are is tacky.
The Divine Latitude 
Published by