1. I always second-guess my decision to use a first-person narrative form, but I never regret it in the end. I was restless on Saturday night. I worried that telling the story from a character’s perspective might appear ‘cheesy’ to some people. I worried that people might perceive it to be less of a sermon because of the more dramatic form. I worried that I might not be able to pull it off. But I walked away glad that I used the first-person form! Every time I preach this way (once or twice a year), I go through the same set of emotions. But I’ve never regretted it because it works so well. Here’s why . . .

2. The form lets me get away with giving a lot of exegetical and historical-cultural data. During the sermon, I slipped in a discussion of the kinsman-redeemer concept as well as a discussion of the Hebrew term HESED (‘loyal love’). People can handle more content because first-person preaching holds their attention and engages them. The form brings to life material which comes out of a lexicon or a Bible dictionary.

3. First-person preaching actually requires less creativity! That sounds absurd, but it’s true! The form works so well that you don’t need a lot of illustrations. The challenging part is telling the story well. Once you get this down, the form carries the sermon. By the way, I never wear a costume. Some preachers do this when they preach first-person narratives. But I think that dressing as I always do helps to communicate that I’m still preaching, not acting.

4. First-person preaching works well for me because I do it infrequently. Like any form, it would probably get old if I did it too often. I’ve heard homiletics professors say not to use more than 4-5 times a year. I do it only once or twice.