How do you draw your sermon preparation to a close? My friend, David Hansen, prays a simple prayer over and over on each Friday before he preaches. His prayer may be simple, but it's profound. This is what David prays . . .
"Lord, of all the things I can say about this text, what do your people need to hear this week?"
David spends considerable time each week listening to the people he pastors. He says that he wants to "crack the code of their lives." He listens to them describe their progress in Christ, and he pays attention when they share about the sin that drags them down. David insists that the biblical text is the primary input to his sermons. However, he seeks God on behalf of his people because he needs to know "what kind of decisions they need to make to follow Christ."
That is a wise approach! May God raise up more preachers who love the Word of God and the people to whom they preach. When a love for God's Word and a love for God's people converges, pastors will wrestle with what God's people need to hear most from a particular text.
"Lord, of all the things I can say about this text, what do your people need to hear this week?"
For more insights from David Hansen on preaching, read chapter 6 in his book, The Art of Pastoring (IVP).
Posted by Steve Mathewson at 9:05 AM on November 9, 2007
Comments
I like this quote and the sentiment behind it very much. We need to remember, as Rick Warren says, that our 30 minute sermons are the only pastoral care many people will get that week (month, year?). "Lord, what should I say?"
In many cases, I suppose that the answer to that prayer will not be, "Tell them all the exegetical stuff you discovered during your study." Maybe the answers will be "Tell them you love them." "Tell them I love them." "Give them hope."
Thanks, Steve (and David Hansen)
Posted by: Jeff Arthurs on November 14, 2007