For every sermon I preach, I write three

This is me. John Calvin, as the final words in his introduction 'to the Reader' in Institutes of the Christian Religion quotes Augustine;

I count myself one of the number of those who write as they learn and learn as they write.

Far be it from me to create comparisons between myself and Calvin, or even Augustine for that matter. But it is telling that Calvin recounted these words in the introduction to a book that would run to over a thousand pages. So maybe I am like Calvin, that is, longwinded.

I've realised that each time I preach I actually write three sermons. And depending on which one you get will determine the length and quality of what you hear.

Sermon 1
I think while I write and I write while I think. Traditional wisdom says don't start writing until you know what you have to say. My unconventional wisdom is how can I know what I have to say if I haven't started writing? So I work through a passage noting down interesting bits, thoughts for the big idea, questions I have, some commentary on what is being said, noting linked ideas, possible applications etc. By the time I've finished this I've got a lot of content.

Were I to preach now it would read a bit like a commentary, except longer, with less focus, but I have worked out a rough outline. I could preach at the this point. I've only had to do this once. It was horrible. For all involved.

Sermon 2
Now that I know what the passage is about, I've got some form of metanarrative to unravel. This storyline will be the driving force behind the sermon. Sometimes it comes with a big dilemma, sometimes it is a tension within the passage that needs to be resolved, but at this stage I have a hook. This allows me to set in motion that story arch, to hopefully give some form to what I say for the hearer. At this point I have started to cull what I've written, have hopefully placed in some linking sentences so the thing will kind of flow.

This is oftentimes when I will preach. It is meaty, but it makes sense. It is in fact too meaty, death by chocolate kind of thing, and generally the feedback I receive is it was great, faithful, you kept my attention but there was too much. And I almost always agree.

Sermon 3
Occasionally I'm prepared enough that version three gets at least partially completed before I preach. This is where I get on the slimfast, hit the gym and cut the fat. I cut. I cut and then for good measure I cut some more. What is hopefully left is still a meaty sermon, benefitting from the hard work done with sermon 1, but though meaty is punchier and easier to digest.

I usually get to this version when I preach a sermon a second time on a later occasion (not when I preach it twice in one day). The benefit of the preaching itself helps me get to this point. Plus, the shame and embarrassment felt when version two bombed forces my editing hand. This is the sermon you really want to hear, but don't get nearly as much as you should.

Sermon 4
I haven't had a chance to do a sermon 4 yet, but I anticipate it will come in the future. This is where having preached gradually through an entire book - which has forced me to do the hard work of delving into the larger structure and argument - I then actually know what I'm talking about and throw out everything I've written before and start again.

---------

This probably sounds like I'm spending three times the amount of time and effort on preaching than is necessary. That's not really true. I just kind of start writing right off the bat which means where other people might spend time thinking before the writing, for me doesn't happen. Or at least it isn't scheduled and occurs whilst I'm washing up or laying awake at night.

Perhaps if I end up with a ministry role where I'm publicly teaching each week (or multiple times weekly) my pattern will change. But this is how I go about it at present.

Now, enough procrastinating, I must get back to work on the text for Sunday or I'll be lucky to make it past sermon 1.