Two major cultural events will take place in the next few days: the Super Bowl on Sunday and the presidential primary elections in twenty-two states on Tuesday. For many, Super Sunday and Super Tuesday will eclipse the worship of God. As preachers, our responsibility is to let the worship of God inform these events. Will your preaching this weekend address either one or both?
I’m not planning to focus on either event, but I will address both events. This is typically my approach for Super Sunday. I always try to find an illustration or image connected to the Super Bowl. The reason is not simply to acknowledge the elephant in the room. I do it because Jesus and Paul made their points by using illustrations and examples from their culture. People can wrap their minds more easily around ideas or concepts when they see them illustrated by activities or realities from their everyday lives.
Super Tuesday offers a reminder that Christians need to think carefully about their relationship to the political processes in our nation. I plan to address this issue more fully as November’s general election draws closer, so any references to it in this Sunday’s sermon will be brief and probably illustrative. But I see the need to help Christians carry out their civic duties without placing too much hope and trust in the politics.
When I preach this Sunday, I want people to realize that the gospel provides for their deepest desires and needs. The Super Bowl can provide limited joy and satisfaction. The elections on Super Tuesday may produce a limited increase of peace and justice. But only the gospel can reach our deepest needs and produce lasting solutions. That’s why the most meaningful events that will take place in the next few days are not the Super Bowl or the presidential primaries. The most meaningful events taking place this weekend are the hundreds of biblical sermons preached around the world. Yours is one of them. For the glory of God and the good of His people, do your best!
Posted by Steve Mathewson at 2:48 PM on February 1, 2008
Comments
Dear Steve,
I am writing a paper on the narrative of Nehemiah. I have been thinking about plot. Here is a question: what is the difference between plot and theme? Is theme the message of the narrative and plot is how it is worked out? Am I understanidng this right?
Thanks,
Thomas
Posted by: tom shuck on February 2, 2008
Thanks for your question, TOM. Yes, your understanding is correct. Theme is the message of the narrative. The plot is basically the sequence of events or the flow of the action.
Plot typically includes exposition(what we might call background information), conflict (or crisis), resolution, and sometimes a separate conclusion. Of course, some stories are a bit more complex, so there are a series of rising crises which make up the conflict. The resolution may happen in stages, too.
Some scholars (like John Walton) distinguish between the storyline (details of the story) and the plotline (the unfolding revelation of God), but I haven't found this distinction particularly helpful. I simply think of it this way: The theology (message) develops and unfolds as the plot develops and unfolds.
Posted by: Steve Mathewson on February 8, 2008