The making of a sermon
This week James explained what goes into a sermon, and the steps I take are fairly similar, except that I usually have more time to prepare since my sermons are more spaced out. I start once I know I am covering a week and pray as I look through the section of the Bible we are in, which happens to be early-mid Mark right now. So far I have felt called to continue on the path of diving into Mark and then I choose which passages I am going to cover. After that I read it at least once or twice a day and discern what I am meant to focus on. A verse or theme typically jumps out at me pretty quickly.  One of my constant prayers regardless of who is preaching is that it would be 1. God’s word, not mans, 2. shared in a way that will meet the needs of at least one, 3. shared in a way that at least attempts to clarify God’s will and character to all. That said, preparing a sermon also involves steps like dissecting the passage, asking questions I have and questions I think others might have, pondering those questions, looking at commentary on the verses, and ultimately sitting in front of my mac to write out the sermon. Once it is written, (which I am in a smaller class at Saint James who feels the need to write it out, which is not saying that not doing so is bad, it’s whatever we are called to) I read it out loud and tear it apart, piece it back together, and do this up until Sunday morning. By that point I have heard my voice more than I ever care to and I have prayed almost as much as I would have liked to (though never as much as I ought to) and I feel like the sermon is all His words. When I get up there something happens and it is like an out of body experience. I don’t even feel that nervous that what I have written is not in front of me. Most of what I prepare stays the same, but some of it changes. Believe me, the congregation plays a huge role to. You can feel the energy of prayer, ah-ha moments, healing, questioning, etc. It’s an amazing experience. This is not an exact science and everyone experiences the way they craft their sermons differently, but this is what I have found and what I am in the process of as I prepare for this week’s sermon.
