Inspirational Preaching….is that an oxymoron?

Dear Trinity Tribe,

I am sorry this is late today! Cindy Boyles has been kind enough to help me get the August/September newsletter together and we were working steadily on that this morning.

You can participate in making the newsletter meaningful by sending in articles, advertisements from your ministry areas, and anything you think people need to know about! We especially need help updating the prayer list. If you have a friend or family member that needs to be on that list, please let me know via a phone call, email, or carrier pigeon as soon as you can.

Today is day four of the discussion of characteristics of vital United Methodist congregations.

To catch you up…

According to a study of the United Methodist Church, the four main drivers of vitality in a congregation are:

A mix of both traditional and contemporary worship services
Small groups including programs for children and youth
Inspirational preaching and length of pastoral appointment
Lay leadership
Inspirational Preaching
This is a tricky point for people who stand in front of others proclaiming the Gospel week in and week out. I have written many things in my 40 years of life, but a sermon is one of the most difficult ones. There has to be a balance in a sermon…it helps if you are easy to listen to and to follow…it helps if you are a good speaker…it helps if you know the Bible…it helps if you have stories at your fingertips. However, this is not something you can train a monkey to do like the Progressive car commercial on TV. A sermon is a creation between God, the preacher, and the congregation. A sermon may be written down on a piece of paper, however a sermon does not live until it is preached.

I typically spend many hours in prayer, study, and preparation for each 15-20 minute sermon. There are literally pages of biblically solid, interesting, and sometimes funny material that God does not want me to use. In fact, God works on me throughout the whole process. God gives me ideas. God leads me to scriptures. God has me cut out whole pages and rewrite them at 5am on a Sunday morning at times.

Plus the way the congregation responds or doesn't respond changes how the sermon comes off in the pulpit. God gives me ideas last minute as I preach as well. That being said, if I do not spend the time in preparation and therefore preach a sermon that is difficult to follow, I have missed a key element of my charge to preach the Gospel to God's people. If I preach a sermon that is all jokes and no Jesus, I have also missed the boat. If I focus on how funny and clever I am, then I have fallen off the boat entirely.

For me personally, an inspirational sermon applies to my life. It helps me see Jesus more clearly. It helps me apply biblical principals to my life. It helps me look at my sin, really look at it, and ask forgiveness for it. An inspirational sermon helps me move past the mundane into the miraculous.

For me to be an inspirational preacher, I need your help. Let me know when God works through me to touch your heart. Similarly, let me know if I am missing the mark and not speaking to your heart. I cannot learn and grow without feedback, so I welcome it. (However, I do listen best when there is a little honey in the vinegar. )

I also need your help with real illustrations for the sermons. Lots of people copy stories off the internet when they write sermons. However, I would much rather use your stories. For me a story about Abigail or Howard or Adelle would be much more helpful and meaningful and applicable than a story about Joe Schmoe. Please help me learn your stories. When I get unpacked, I will be laying out the sermons for the next quarter or two. I will publish these, probably online. When I do, I want you to be on the look out for stories or articles that would help illustrate the points of the sermon. I will continue to put ideas that need your input on the Facebook page and in my devotional emails. So, feel free to put your two cents in there as well!


Chicken Salad Plate Sale Tomorrow!!!
Don't forget that you won't have to make lunch tomorrow! The Scouts are selling chicken salad plates and sandwiches beginning at 11-2.


"The best is yet to be!"
~John Wesley