How you start sermon preparation is very important.
I often relate sermon preparation to bearing a child. Though I am a man, and will never carry a child, I have watched my wife go through the process twice and this has made the analogy all the more vivid for me. (However, I don’t suggest that you tell your 8 month pregnant wife that your sermon preparation process is like her maternity process – just trust me, I made that mistake already).
Molly’s doctor always says – “Take care of your body – and your baby – in the first trimester! That will determine how the rest of the pregnancy goes.” With that statement, he’s giving baby carrying AND preaching wisdom (thanks, Doc!).
The first step I take when preparing a sermon (after I’ve prayed through what I will preach) is this:
- Print the passage on a piece of paper with 2 1/4 margins on each side. This become the place where I write all my notes. Yes, it is an actual print out and not an electronic documents. I want to be able to write on every square inch of the thing.
- I read the passage (in the translation that I will preach it, which is the print out) over several times. I make marks around all the words, phrases or sentences that are important to me. I also dump out anything I know of this passage already (from previous study, etc.) and note things that God speaks to me in this passage.
- I read it in every other translation I can get my hands on. I am sure to highlight and note and major differences on my print out. These differences in the english will tell me what I need to go press on more in the original language.
- I do my word studies and write them on this sheet.
- I will read at least two commentaries and write any special notes from my reading there on this sheet. I may read more and write more notes later on my “Study Notes” document.
By doing this first, I have a 1-page sheet with lots of notes that gather my first impressions and understandings of the passage. It is not rare for me to find my preaching point though this process, but I always refine it more later. Preacher, you know that finding your preaching point is just about as exciting (or terrifying) as finding out your pregnant. Now the idea has to develop before it is delivered.
This 1-page sheet also become the template for my study notes, and from that I eventually get my sermon outline (the 1 page document I take in the pulpit).
A few pointers if you are going to make a 1-page messy sheet like this:
- Use different colors
- Assign meaning to your colors (green = application, blue = revelation, red = don’t miss this!, etc.)
- Highlight key or repeated phrases
- Use Pencil for things you’re note sure about because you may want to erase any heresy that sneaks on your page
- Double space the passage so you can write between the lines
- Try to keep it to one page (from and back if needed)
- Keep this sheet in the file, I find it is a great review piece when I get ready to preach the passage again because it conveys a bit of passion from my first time working with the passage
Here is a sample of the sheet I’m working on for this Sunday’s sermon. I don’t have all my work done here yet, but you can tell that it is very full and will be pretty packed with I am done with it later today:
Stay Calm and Preach On!
