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| The priest follows the Son of God, Jesus Christ |
PREACHING THE WORD OF GOD
The priest of God is called to
preach the mystery of faith as taught by Jesus Christ.
Within the four gospels
lies the kernel of Divine Wisdom and the map directions to our true home;
Heaven.
In a world which has suffered a coup by
satan, the adversary of God, the person of godly character requires wise
counsel, steady guidance and divine support.
The priest imparts wise
counsel by means of pastoral visits, pastoral counselling, confession and
preaching.
Steady guidance is given through godly example and balanced advice
based on gospel values and preaching.
Divine support is given by God through the
gift of the Holy Spirit to enlighten minds and hearts, inspire work, give
courage and enable believers to bear dissent and persecution.
God also gives His Life through the Holy
Eucharist and the sacraments, strengthens faith and heals infirmities through
sacramentals.
Divine support and comfort are also imparted
through the reading and preaching of the Word of God.
The priestly privilege of
enlightening others about God’s Word is known as preaching, or homiletics.
The sermon, or preached word, or homily, is
the means by which the priest inspires wisdom, gives words of comfort, and imparts
the luminous teachings of Christ.
The ordinee preaches a sermon for the reason
that Jesus Christ did.
The Saviour observed all the trials, joys and sorrows of
daily earthly life, and used this knowledge – illumined with the Divine Wisdom
of God – to give us a blueprint of life that brings earthly peace, patience and
joy.
The Word of God does more – it points the way to the goal of eternal
happiness with God in Heaven.
Jesus used six preaching methods. The priest does
well to follow the example of the greatest Preacher ever to walk the face of
the earth.
& Jesus used parables. He told stories that captured
the imagination. These seemingly simple stories held within morals, great
spiritual truths. Instead of merely proclaiming “God loves you go much that no
matter how far you have wandered from Him, He will welcome you back with joy”,
Jesus told the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The Master storyteller recounted
the story of a wayward youth who rebelled against his family, wasted his
inheritance and became destitute. Thereafter he decided to beg his wronged
father for mercy. The father unconditionally welcomed his son back with open
arms. It turned out he had waited daily for the son’s return. If you want to
preach like Jesus, tell stories.
& Jesus caught the attention of His audience. He used hyperbole,
exaggerated examples that caught people’s attention. His statements were often
not meant to be taken literally, but were used effectively to get His point
across. For example, Jesus did not mean that people literally had logs in their
eyes [Matthew 7:3-5]. He was making the point that many times we are aware of
the minor faults of others, not realizing our own faults are often so much
larger. The competent preacher is able to use large statements to catch the
congregational attention and direct it to the point being made.
& Jesus crafted memorable sayings. He used language
with ease and precision. He distilled a full sermon into an easily memorable
phrase. One such example is “Love your neighbour as yourself.” [Mark 12:31]
Another, “Judge not, and you will not be judged.” [Matthew 7:1] Like Jesus,
make the main point easy to remember.
& Jesus interacted with the crowds. Jesus led His
audience to conclusions by asking questions. He used this method in Mark Chapter 8, verse 29. Questions are a powerful
teaching tool, and encourage critical thinking. When preaching, ask questions
as Jesus did; encourage your audience to think and come to conclusions.
& Jesus used object lessons. Jesus used object lessons to
communicate vital points to His audience. He washed the feet of the disciples
in order to teach servant leadership. [John 13:1-17] He noted selfless giving
after watching a widow donate two small coins into the temple offering. [Mark
12;41-44] Visually communicated truth is more powerful than mere stated truth.
The good preacher uses object lessons within the sermon.
&Jesus used repetition. Jesus helped the crowds learn His lessons by means of frequent repetition. He returned to important themes repeatedly, such as the teachings on His death and resurrection [Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:33-34]. Teachings which are repeated are remembered.
PREPARATION FOR PREACHING
There are a number of steps which are of
inestimable value to both novice and experienced preachers alike.
& Prayer. In order to prepare for a sermon, first kneel
at the Feet of the Lord to ask pardon for personal failings and for the
inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit. The priest asks the Holy Spirit as
ultimate Teacher for insight into what the preached message should be about.
& Bible-based. The priest needs to know the
Bible thoroughly. God often enlightens the mind and heart of the priest with
fresh insight into Bible chapters and verses. Although the particular passage may
have been read on many occasions, suddenly new enlightenment is experienced
regarding a certain verse or word. The meaning of the verse with relevance to a
particular situation also becomes clear.
& Preparatory invocation. The preacher needs thus to
invoke the aid of the Holy Spirit for understanding of the Bible passage. The
priest prays that the true message that God wants the congregation to hear be
successfully passed on.
& Different Bible translations. The preacher needs
to choose the topic of the sermon. If the decision is made to give a sermon on
the Resurrection, the priest – if possible – needs to read the same Bible
passage regarding the Resurrection in different Biblical translations. It is
often helpful to see how the passages are written in the different
translations. A study Bible may be helpful in order to read the scholarly
commentary about the verses to be preached on. It is helpful to have some
knowledge of Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. This knowledge enables the
priest authentically to check back to the original sense of the gospel.
& Draw up a sermon outline. Write out or make a copy of
the section of the Bible chosen for the sermon – such as the Resurrection. [Luke
Chapter 24] Put in the original Hebrew or
Aramaic words in order to clarify points about the passage theme. Make the
sermon outline with different headings. Give a brief word or two about sections
of the theme. The prism the preacher is inspired by the Holy Spirit to choose
will lead the congregation into deeper understanding of the gospel message. The
members will be inspired to develop godly values, deepen in character and
become more devoted in their service to God. The good preacher is aware that
the priest is called on to give the message; to God falls the ultimate task of
helping the hearer to enlightenment and personal enrichment of spiritual life.
The preacher plants the sermon seed: God nurtures it, and the Holy Spirit
brings the seed to life within the hearer. It must also be remembered that a
sermon seed may remain dormant within the hearer for many years: and may only
come to fruition much later. The good priest need not worry about this. The
success of the preached word is not as important as the duty to preach the Word.
God, indeed, will do the rest.
& Practise the sermon. The able preacher reviews the
sermon, sometimes reads it out aloud or reads it to someone else. It is helpful
for giving parts of the sermon in front of a mirror, or to tape the sermon and
play it back. Sometimes a close friend or family member will come to sit in and
give constructive critique.
& Keep the sermon short and simple. It is helpful to
keep the sermon understandable with about three main points. Often the
congregation will remember the last point so make this the most important one.
Some congregation members like to make notes on the sermon as it is being
preached, for reflection later.
& Unleash the power of God’s Word. When the priest
gives the sermon, ensure the congregation knows what book, chapter and verse is
being used. The preacher has the option to inform the congreganists that the
sermon to be preached is based upon a Biblical text; e.g. Luke 24:1-12 which witnesses to the Resurrection of Jesus. The
preacher then gives the congregation time to find the text if they so wish. Pew
Bibles for congreganists are helpful. It is beneficial for the congregation to
read along with the preacher because the real
power is not in the preacher but in the Word; it is always in the message and
never in the messenger. Unleash the power of the Word.
& The good priest
must keep in mind that each ordinee is only an under-shepherd to the Great
Shepherd and it is His church, not theirs. Each priest is ultimately
responsible to God for the messages given and for the ones that should have
been given.
Rev Catherine
Disclaimer: this information is not meant to replace your Priest, Theologian, Doctor or
Health Professional Care
Disclaimer: this information is not meant to replace your Priest, Theologian, Doctor or
Health Professional Care
