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Preaching Tips

Make Baptism Important –Preaching Tip for 4 August 2019

When you have baptisms, make sure all in worship take part in some way. You can include the metaphors in your message, or you can use the metaphor of water visually. Or you can have the children witness the event. Or you can use songs that reflect that this is…

The Apothecary –Preaching Tip for 28 July 2019

One of my favorite metaphors for Jesus is the “apothecary.” Prevalent as an image in Christian art of the renaissance, Jesus is depicted behind the apothecary’s counter handing out cures for ailments, such as avarice, greed, gluttony, and envy. Yet it’s clear that the hand of Jesus Himself is the…

Fire –Preaching Tip for 21 July 2019

The metaphor of fire is one we use and celebrate throughout Pentecost. Pentecost is not just one day or one Sunday but an enduring season for Christians, in which we remember what it means to be “on fire” for Jesus. Use the metaphor of fire not only in your sermons…

Dig Deeply –Preaching Tip for 14 July 2019

Metaphors are meant to be excavated, uncovered, and revealed in their prismic glory. This requires digging and dusting, as though they are archaeological gems. If you see a metaphor of a nest, search for all meanings for nesting.  Then look at meanings and words for nesting appearing in scripture and…

Change Your Metaphors –Preaching Tip for 7 July 2019

Sometimes preaching needs to be about changing a bad metaphor. For example, if you want your church to be more missional, you don’t want them to think of themselves as a hospital for the ill and dying. You want them to think of themselves perhaps as a ship sailing into…

Using Props –Preaching Tip for 30 June 2019

The more you can use props, the more people can feel/embody your message. Try to gather a plethora of touchable items, such as shepherds’ staff, hyssop, olive tree, almonds, and other biblical items, so people can see the items you are speaking about. Not only then are your metaphors visual…

Follow the Metaphor –Preaching Tip for 23 June 2019

Follow the metaphor: Metaphors are like rabbits. You need to chase them down holes and into crevices and into the past wormholes in order to find their origins and their history. Once you understand them in their contexts, you can transport them into current context. The metaphors of baptism and…

Teach Metaphor!

Teach metaphor. Although our world speaks in metaphor and story and soundtrack, we can’t always assume that our people know what a metaphor is or how to identify it in scripture. So it’s important to teach metaphor in Bible study and in preaching. Help people understand how metaphor opens up…

EPIC –Preaching Tip for 9 June 2019

Make your sermons appeal not only to the mind but to the heart. Using sensory props, music, visuals, and other tangibles will help people embody worship, especially on Pentecost Sunday. Be creative and EPIC (experiential, participatory, image-rich, and connective).

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