Issue 19 Single LivingBlog | How I prepare by Rebecca Coatsworth
How I prepare by Rebecca Coatsworth
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 06.06.19
Have you ever noticed how often Jesus asked questions and told parables? Most probably! I love that Jesus not only made his message relatable without watering it down, but he also challenged people, often by answering others’ questions with questions of his own. For me, the joy in delivering sermons comes from communicating the Good News in a way that is accessible and relatable, and I love to use my own personal stories to illustrate the theme or central topic of the talk.
PRAY
When I sit down to prepare a sermon (I don’t recall an occasion where I’ve stood up to prepare one but there’s a first time for everything) the first thing I do is pray. Preparing to preach without praying is like neglecting to fill up a car with fuel before you head on a long journey: it doesn’t matter how nice and shiny your car is, you won’t get very far. I learned the hard way that if God’s not in the message, then it’s going to fall flat and you’re going to feel even flatter
ALOUD
When I have my Bible texts, I read them out loud. This is a fairly recent development; I used to sit and wait for inspiration to strike, and would f ind myself in a horrible mess when after several hours (or days) I still had nothing to go on. But then God reminded me: I’m an external processor. I need to talk things through in order to reveal the message. So I read the passage aloud and speak about it as if I’m explaining it to someone else, drawing out the things I notice – it’s amazing what you do notice – and then I write them down so I can come back to them. Going through the list later on helps me to discern what’s relevant and important for this particular sermon, and what can be put aside for another talk.
