Preaching Tips
Metaphors that connect –Preaching Tip for 17 June 2018
Connecting metaphors is sort of like weaving on a loom. You need to make sure to connect your source strand with the new peg in order to create an image that speaks to people in their own context. For example, we can’t read the story of the “Good Samaritan” without…
The Hidden Metaphor of the Tongue –Preaching Tip for 10 June 2018
The tongue is a frequent hidden metaphor in scripture indicating an issue known in Judaism as lashon hara, that is, telling evil about another (or gossiping if you will). We might say in our culture, it means, “talking trash” on someone. In the story of Esther, Homan speaks lashon hara against…
The Squall –Preaching Tip for 4 June 2018
The metaphor of wind continues throughout Pentecost….. but this is not just breath but can also be “chaos.” The idea of the storm, the squall, the perfect storm, unfathomable gusts, noise, and indistinguishable language sums up our experience of God, whom we can’t comprehend but can only attempt to describe.…
The Contextual Locust –Preaching Tip for 27 May 2018
The scriptures have many, many references to locusts. You can be sure, they have multiple meanings. Metaphors are contextual. Sometimes, a metaphor can mean one thing in one context, and in another context, something entirely different. This is why one cannot simply talk about metaphors in terms of “typology” or…
Pentecost Metaphors –Preaching Tip for 20 May 2018
Naturally, everyone loves the metaphors of breath and wind for Pentecost. You can play with these metaphors in worship in interesting and creative ways. With prayer, with sound, with instruments, with movements. This may be a great time to try something new such as simultaneous prayer. Or extended prayer. Prayer…
The Marriage Metaphors –Preaching Tips for 13 May 2018
The scriptures are filled with marriage metaphors. These are the meat of the covenant in the Hebrew/Jewish understanding. We don’t understand Betrothal in the same way today. However, a betrothal was a binding contract, sealed with a covenant meal. And then there would be a time of waiting –up to…
Mountaintop Metaphors –Preaching Tip for 5 May 2018
The metaphor of mountain typically symbolizes a place where one meets God. The mountaintop lies above or within the clouds, a place where reason and everyday “sight” don’t apply. Instead, the mountaintop is bathed in mystery, clouds, intensity of light, and a view of the world significantly different than from…
Primal Metaphors –Preaching Tip for 29 April 2018
The metaphor of Light is a primal metaphor. It comes from the very genesis of the scriptures and appears everywhere in scripture in a multitude of forms. It is the most primal metaphor (in addition to voice) used to describe the revealed presence of God, the creative presence of God,…
The Relationality of Metaphor –Preaching Tip for 22 April 2018
The scriptures are not written linearly but relationally. For this reason, we need to view the metaphors of scripture not as individual entities only with depth, but as part of a network of interconnective threads, both deep and wide. One way of finding more depth and meaning in a metaphor is…
The Beauty of God in Metaphor –Preaching Tip for 15 April 2018
The transcendentals have long been known to describe God who is beyond our comprehension in ways scarcely imaginable. God is “beautiful,” “good,” and “true.” The metaphors of scripture that weave from Genesis through Revelation embody these three conditions. God is Light. God is Living Water. God is Wind and Breath.…