I regularly volunteer at my church to give sermons at our church services. Though I have no formal ministerial training in delivering a church sermon, it has become an avocation that provides me a reinforcing link to God and an effective way to share God’s word. I have some trepidation with personal, one-on-one witnessing but I find giving sermons to hundreds much less personal without being impersonal and a way for me to learn more about God and Jesus. In the sharing of the Word, I have the opportunity to explain how it is designed for guidance in our lives. For the parishioner, I become a vessel through which God can “speak” his message to those in need.
I have been provided a wide berth by our Priest to find God’s desired message for any given Sunday in the scripture lessons provided by the Episcopal Liturgical Calendar. While this freedom is critical to allowing me to follow my instincts as fashioned by my prayers, it requires discipline and a certain meditation throughout a weeklong process of preparation.
In “3 Crucial Tips for the Writing Life”, William Zinsser mentors his writing students with these words, “I try to refocus my frazzled writers on the process of writing, not the product. If the process is sound, the product will take care of itself”.1
His advice reaffirms the wisdom of focusing on a sermon’s preparation, even more the final product and its delivery. Therefore, the focus of this blog post will be on the process of preparing the sermon while the delivery will be a topic for a future blog post.
A. How do I know what I need to research?
Like any writing project, the research starts with your topic and its key categories. I would recommend an outline of those key categories, organizing them in a logical flow of information designed to introduce, prepare, inform, and guide your reading audience through the conclusions or recommendations you wish to share. With an outline of key categories, or sub-headings, you can organize your research within each.
Here is an example in preparing a sermon focused on Genesis 32:22-31 which tells the story of Jacob’s return home. Three of many optional sub-headings could be as follows:
• Reading Overview: (research Jacob in Genesis; Jacob’s relationship with his father; Jacob’s lie; Jacob’s relationships; Jacob’s name change)
• Jacob’s Expectations: (research Jacob’s plans; Jacob’s expectations; Jacob’s options; Jacob’s return; Jacob meets Esau)
• Meaning of Jacob’s Story: (research Lessons from Jacob; meaning behind Jacob’s story in Genesis)
Remember to be flexible in your research. You will start with a plan of broad strokes and then must be prepared to go in directions the research takes you. This will naturally occur as you fine-tune and narrow your research for your specific use.
B. Where do I find sources?
There is no shortage of research sources. This is why the planning in Section A is important. You could spend hours, days, weeks researching so planning ahead is critical. For this particular topic, “Let’s Give a Sermon”, let’s assume your message is grounded in the scriptures scheduled on a liturgical calendar. Your number one source would be a Study Bible, complete with the verses themselves, authorship, historical time sequences, backstories, notations, scholarly speculation, and accepted explanations.
In addition, the web provides a veritable ocean of research via Google. Searches in my example project could include, Book of Genesis, story of Jacob wrestling with God, Jacob returns home, Esau’s stolen birthright. Websites such as Bible.org and Overviewbible.com; classicbiblestudy.com, or a youtube.com “Esau’s Stolen Birthright video”, could inform you further.
If your project timeline allows, call local resources such as a church priest, a bible study organization, the religious reporter for your local newspaper, any of whom may provide information or perhaps other related resources. To be respectful of their time, be prepared with 2-3 questions before you make the call.
C. How do I know if a source is credible and appropriate for my project?
Begin by looking for information created by an identifiable author or organization. Credentials and/or background information are available online that can tell you if an author is qualified to write on a topic. For example, a Bishop or Priest, or even a lay Christian teacher, who is recognized, perhaps sponsored, by a well-known Christian organization can be considered credible for research on scripture as you prepare your sermon.
If your source is an individual such as a published author, determine who is the publisher, how often has it been copyrighted, what background information can you find as to the education, experience, and genre specific awards given to the author and/or the particular book?
If your source is an article, determine if the publishing entity is well-known and recognized in the field. Did you find the journal article in a known university or governmental library, scholarly websites, Google Scholar? Consider the timeliness of source as well. A review of the sample scripture in Genesis by a credible 19th century Anglican Bishop may be considered inferior/superior to a current PHD professor at the Seminary of the Southwest, a well-known Episcopalian seminary in Texas.
D. How do I incorporate sources into my writing?
Whether you are writing a sermon or any other document, it is my advice that you principally synthesize your source material into your writing project and use periodic, timely quotations and citations. If you try to use too many quotations, your writing can become less authentic. It can also lead to an inconsistent message and a bumpy ride for the reader as you reach from point to point trying to connect too many quotations to your central message. The credibility of your message will be apparent in its authenticity supported by credible, appropriate quotes from recognized, documented sources. Further, if you intend to deliver your writing orally as you will a sermon, excessive quotes tend to neutralize if not destroy your delivery. In a 12–15-minute sermon which would comprise 5-7 double-spaced written pages, I would recommend no more than one or two quotes per page.
If you are expected to provide your written sermon to anyone, for example to your church newsletter, be prepared to cite your sources. There are multiple citation styles but all recent MS Word editions default to the APA citation style. If you choose the MLA style for your written document, be sure to change your citation style to the MLA as well. Either way, be consistent in your choice for the body of your document and the citations.
E. Where can I find more information?
Here is a website, www.logos.com, that provides bible software on a Bible study and Sermon prep platform that allows you to study scripture and consult commentaries, devotionals, Bible dictionaries, and more. Though many of their resources are “for sale”, they also have articles accessible for free. Interestingly, perhaps necessarily, the site provides religion specific resources and has a long, credentialed partner list.
Some churches and religions do not have a scheduled liturgical calendar as mine does. In that case you will want to research sources that provide sermon outlines and actual sermons on hundreds of topics such as holidays (Christmas, Halloween), emotions (fear, hope), living disciplines (gratitude, generosity), or specific bible books, chapters and verses that speak to the message you feel called to communicate. One such source for these options is at www.sermonsearch.com. This site provides an alphabetical list of such sermons for a small fee and other resource information that is free.
In closing, I will leave you with the best resource recommendation a preacher can utilize. That source is Jesus, through prayer and meditation. If you allow yourself to be led into your message by Christ, and if you pray for the words that he wishes you to speak, your research will be complete, and you can prepare and deliver your sermon with confidence in knowing that you are truly preaching God’s message.
1) “3 Crucial Steps for the Writing Life”, William Zinsser, (1922-2015), The Writing Mentor
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