As a candidate, I have the privilege of preaching in the churches. I think this serves two ends: (1) it gives the churches more of a chance to get to know me and hear me, and (2) it gets me writing and preaching sermons so I get more practice at it.
Since Rev. van Popta gave me Mark 1:14-15 as my sermon text for my proposal for classis, I have decided to carry on in Mark and do a short series (for myself, since I won't be preaching that often in any one church). I decided to use the theme of the identity of Jesus, and picked 5 passages which I think emphasize who Jesus is. I won't tell you what the passages are as I haven't written the sermons yet. But Mark itself is a wonderful book of the Bible. It seems simple and straightforward, but once you start to think about it, it has some complexity to it. Not the least of which is the so-called "Messianic secret," the fact that Jesus tries to conceal who he is while at the same time not being able to do so. I won't say much about it here, as books have been written on the subject--books which I haven't read yet!--but it gives a very intriguing quality to this short little gospel.
In the texts which I have picked out, I also don't get into Jesus' death and resurrection, as those are things which will come up more appropriately at different times in the church year.
I have noticed, though, that picking texts is not as easy as I thought it might be. After being given most of my texts during school, and picking fairly random ones last summer for my internship, the idea of having to fill a whole year with sermons that need texts is a little daunting. Can any experienced ministers give me some advice? Or even experienced sermon-listeners?
I should look for a church calendar too, I suppose, by which I can figure out the different seasons of the church year. That will help immensely I think.
Anyways, that is what I am up to these days. I will start writing sermons next week, although I will probably start with one a week, and see later on whether I will/can fit in a catechism sermon as well just to get in shape for when I do receive a call.
Other than that, we are just waiting for a call so that I can start the next stage...pastoring a congregation. What a daunting thought that is!
3 comments:
My advice would be to take two books of the Bible (OT and NT) and systematically (lectio continua) preach through them. There are a few advantages to this:
1) By taking two books, you can alternate OT and NT every Sunday. The variety will guard against the congregation bemoaning the fact that this is the 29th sermon on Mark.
2) Picking two books is also easier on your book budget. You can plan ahead and buy commentaries for just those two books and then use those commentaries for a considerable length of time.
3) Like Catechism preaching, lectio continua prevents you from developing homiletical hobby horses. You'll be forced to preach texts that you might not otherwise want to preach.
4) This method is also the most efficient. When you preach a series of sermons on a book (whether lectio continua or not), a few sermons in and you're more in tune with the book. For instance, you don't have to spend as much time on the canonics when you're preaching a series.
I could add more reasons, but I think those are the top 4. I've been preaching on Mark since 2006 and am now at Mark 5:21. Of course, being a co-pastor the situation with the preaching does give a lot of variety to the congregation. And I don't preach on Mark every Sunday.
Thanks, Wes, that does sound like a good plan. I had intended to do series already, as I like the chance to really get into a book, but I hadn't thought of alternating between two books. That seems like it would keep things interesting for the congregation. And I like that it would be a wise use of the book budget!
Another bonus is that if I do OT and NT, I keep up with both Hebrew and Greek!
I will definitely try to see how I can work it out well.
I would echo Wes's advice. Just start at the head of a chapter and begin to work through every verse. You don't need to clearly plan out all the sermon text divisions; you only need to commit to not skipping any! I've been working through the Sermon on the Mount for more than two years. I have a few Old Testament series going along side and then there are the church year calendar "interruptions" as well as office bearer ordination, public profession of faith and other special or pastoral items along the way.
One of the greatest benefits for me, with the lectio continua, is that you don't need to cast about for a text for next week. The program is set out. You know in advance what the next texts are.
Best regards, Stu, as you await a call.
jvp
Post a Comment