Preaching Tips

Prayer can be a powerful part of your message, as well as your sermon. Too often, our churches are long on programs and short on prayer. Make your church a “house of prayer” by incorporating prayer into your sermons. You can do sermons on prayer, have prayer before or after…

When you think about metaphors in scripture, think deep, and think wide. Mining metaphors for meaning opens up a plethora of layers. The deeper you go, the more you’ll uncover. Likewise, look for the other places in scripture where that metaphor appears.  Go wide. Chances are, that metaphor has appeared…

As the hymn says, “I love to tell the Story….” As preachers, we need to remember to tell the old, old stories of scripture. Jesus relied heavily on the Hebrew stories in his ministry and mission. When we leave them out of our preaching and teaching, we lessen our understanding…

Prayer is often used as a preview to a sermon, or sometimes a closing.  But have you thought of using prayer AS the sermon, or in the midst of your sermon…. or in a participatory way. Don’t ignore the power of prayer which can deliver more than you can do…

Look for words that jump out at you from the story. Why do they spark your intuition?  Look them up in their original language.  What is it in the Hebrew?  In Greek? Sometimes, there are hidden metaphors lost in translation. When you look at the original word or meaning, you…

“If you want to change a life or a church, change their metaphor.” –Len Sweet Everyone has a metaphor that defines his or her identity.  Churches are no different. But be careful.  There are metaphors that describe what you’d like to be, or what you imagine you are.  And then…

Holy Communion is an event sometimes rushed, sometimes made rote.  Remember that your sermon can introduce holy communion in creative ways, and that you can make communion a participatory and personal event, even as it is also communal and sacred. Change up your liturgy. Make it cultural specific, time specific,…

When you preach, let your faith shine through, and let your passion (and God’s passionate love) flow out. When you speak in the anointing of the Holy Spirit, your preaching will not only be meaningful, but also passionate. And people will feel the power of the Spirit from you and…

Metaphors give the scriptures their depth and beauty. They also deepen our understanding of God by allowing descriptors with many levels of meaning to soak into our minds and hearts and create visions, sounds, and sensory experience about our personal encounters with God. Metaphors have the power to reveal Jesus…

If you want people to “take” your sermon with them when they leave worship, it helps to give them something tangible that reminds them of your message. Whether an experience or an object, it’s worth the investment to leave people with reminders and triggers.