Preaching Tips

Try an exercise. Copy a piece of scripture or a scripture story onto a sheet. Then invite people to circle all of the metaphors they can find. Sometimes, the problem isn’t knowing how to exegete metaphors but identifying metaphors. Step one will at least help people understand a metaphor from…

This week’s preaching tip may seem simple, but it’s surprising how often we try to come up with sermon ideas without going back to the source! Yet scripture has everything we need. It’s a source of endless ideas and metaphors. Since all of scripture is written in metaphor, we need…

We all live according to the metaphors we buy into. This goes without saying. To discover your hidden metaphors that you live by may be harder than you think.  False metaphors can be powerful forces in our lives. Our current culture forces us to re-evaluate our metaphors, to discover false…

When it comes to metaphor, kids can help. Not all metaphors have to be visual. Kids can make signs, motions and mimes that are fun and also teach scriptural lessons. Ask kids to create signs or motions to describe stories from scripture.  You will be pleasantly surprised at what they…

If you want to BE a metaphor, try wearing costumes or colors or symbols or other kinds of tangible metaphors. By wearing metaphors, you can bring experience to life.

If you are not used to looking for metaphors, try underlining them when you read. Then go back and ask yourself….1) is this a noun? 2) is this a tangible object? 3) does this represent something else? If so, what? For example, wind is a metaphor for the breath of…

As a preacher, you can use the changing of the seasons to talk about change, discipleship and time’s cycle. A great book for children for this season is “The Fall of Freddie the Leaf” by Leo Buscaglia.  

Music is a kind of metaphor that can’t be described in words. But music is powerful. Try bringing music into your sermon, into your holy communion liturgy, into your worship in new and exciting ways.

Using props can add not only visuals but fun to your sermon. For example, in the story sermon for this week, try using a rubber snake. I guarantee it will bring your sermon to life, even if it’s not real.  Sometimes tangibles can help people connect with your message.

Looking for sermon ideas?  Try looking up hymns! Many of our oldest hymns contain serious theological and biblical fodder! They also contain a whole lot of wonderful metaphors to mine and use.