c







 


 

You should not open the Bible without praying for the guidance of the Spirit in
understanding the principles found in the text.

1. ×  
  

3ow before you really get into thinking deeply about the text you
want to get the initial impressions. Read the text and simply note whatever comes to your
mind. A title may come to your mind, a theme may come to your mind, and even a gospel
song or hymn. Whatever comes to your mind write it down. Here you are at your most
creative point. However you will need to refine these observations later.

c
 

 









 












  c 






 




 





 !  "










 

!



 

#

$


 




$
 




2. c  

 




- What was going on at the time that can help you understand the text. 3ow you can
begin looking at other resources like a good Bible dictionary. Here you want to know
who wrote the text and what was the occasion that brought forth the writing?

3. c  

c 




- It is one thing to know what the text is trying to convey, but it is another thing to know
"how" the author conveyed that truth. In other words what words were used to teach the
truth? What illustrations were used? Preachers can often find the illustrations in the text
itself.

4. c  

 




What is the author of the text trying to say about God? What kind of God does the text project?

º c  

 




 -Where is the power in the text? Who has it and
how is it used? Does humanity have power? What kinds of power are in the text? Are
they spiritual or temporal? What is the nature of the power? Is someone or something
trying to take the power?



è. c  

 





 - Look at the text for things that affect the
senses. What do you smell in the text? What do you see in the text? What do you feel in
the text? One might see a rugged mountain sloped downward when we see Jesus in the
desert. This might be of use in our sermonic preaching. What about the smells. It might
be interesting that the prodigal son saw the bright lights of the city as welcoming when he
was coming, but by the end of the story, the were a repellant. Think about how the text
affects your senses.

7. c  

 





 - How does the story make you as a reader
feel? How do the different characters in the text feel?

We are told that we need to eat a wide variety of foods if we are to grow up into healthy adults.
In addition, adults must continue the practices of eating a wide variety of foods if they are to be
healthy in their adulthood. 3utritionists tell us that we need to eat according to a food pyramid.
We must have enough vegetables and fruits and water as well as the other components of the
pyramid.
I began to reflect on this idea along with the food that preachers are serving their congregations.
How many of us are simply serving junk food? How many of us are giving vegetables, but not
giving any fruit? How many of us are neglecting the water that is needed for our people to
grow? Preachers simply must help to provide a wide variety of foods that will be helpful to their
congregation's needs if they are to grow into the people that God would have them to be.

So what are the components of a homiletic plan that will provide for the nutritional needs of our
congregations? I wish to tip my hat to Cleophus LaRue who got me to thinking about this idea
in his book The Heart of Black Preaching.

  
 

Because of my evangelical and holiness tendencies, I see the great need for "heart" religion in
our preaching and in our churches. I believe that no true change will happen unless God, by
some miracle, changes us into people that live as God would have us to live. Because of this, we
must preach about personal holiness. We must preach about living right. We must preach
against running on our wives or husbands and stealing things. While some would disagree, I
believe that personal piety is an important part of all of our preaching.

 
 

We have to preach about God's healing that comes to us. We must have the guiding, directing,
healing, and sustaining components of the Gospel. This has ever been a part of our preaching
and it should continue to be. I do hasten to add that we cannot only preach this or any other
concern. Some of us only preach this and thus end up with people who do not have the
nutritional needs that piety or prophetic, or empowerment brings us. Preach this, but don't only
preach this.

  

 

You can do it, yes you can. You can overcome the things that stand in your way. You can get
that job. You can live the life that God would have you to live. This is important and should be
taught as well. I think many preachers bounce back and forth between this and the previous
component. This is good, but remember to include all compoentns when putting together your
sermon plan.


 

Here we look to more than just our "individual" needs. We look towards our corporate needs.
Here we learn about communal empowerment. Here we learn about how to grow as a corporate
entity not just as individual entities. We must spend some time here. We cannot forget from
where God has taken us as a people. As we forget what God has done for us, we forget who God
is.

 
 

We have to preach the truth to power. We have to let the people know that God is not happy
with inequality. We must stand up against racism, sexism. But we also must not fall into the
trap of thinking only pointing the finger at others while the church faces its own elements of
problem behavior. We must have the willingness to stand up like the prophet 3athan and say
"thou art the man" whether that is to the president, business manager, or even church leader.

×    
!   

Ok, we have to maintain our institutions. This includes showing our responsibilities to the
institution. We must preach that on occasion. We do owe our institutions something. During
this preaching we tell the people what this is that we owe.