Preaching is one of the most challenging, enjoyable and dangerous things any pastor will do. The responsibility is tremendous and the world allies with our sinful flesh to make preachers deliver poor sermons and to distract inattentive hearers.

The newly minted pastors leaving the seminary for their first calls have had excellent homiletical training from the finest professors. They’ve immersed themselves in the study of sacred writ. They have engaged energetically with doctrinal writings and historical texts. Now they are ready to preach. Yes and no. Preaching is as much an art as it is a science. One can compose a technically fine sermon but one that lacks beauty or warmth.

There are many types of preachers. And I know a number of very excellent Lutheran preachers who have dramatically different styles. What works for one fellow in his particular setting might not fly for another elsewhere. There is no one size fits all. However, as one who is still terrified, excited and challenged every time he stands in a pulpit, these are my “tips” for preaching. It’s certainly possible that some preachers will take exception with this or that point. They are in no particular order. FWIW

• Whether you use an outline or a manuscript, when you write the sermon, write for the ear, not for the eye. Your words will primarily be heard, not read. That should make a big difference in how you write.
• Use everyday language. Your sermon is not an English lesson. Your objective is not to expand people’s vocabulary. Use good grammar, but be flexible. Speak in the manner your parishoners are accustomed to. When you write, imagine you are having a one-to-one conversation with a typical member of the congregation.
• Reviewing sermons from the fathers of the church for insights is commendable, but don’t adopt the flowery Victorian style of many translations.
• Be natural. Avoid all pulpit-tone. Unless you hail from the British Isles, do not anglocize your speech. It’s pretentious.
• Preach with authority but without being pompous or bullying.
• Keep all non-biblical quotations to a minimum, and brief.
• Humor can be helpful or it can be harmful. It’s like salt on your potato. A dab will do. Don’t use jokes or puns to draw attention to yourself.
• Do use illustrations. Don’t over-use them. And make certain the illustration really does help proclaim the gospel and isn’t just a cute story you can’t resist using.
• Preaching is not about you. If it ever becomes about you, repent.
• Preach Jesus Christ crucified. If you haven’t declared the cross and its benefits, you haven’t preached.
• Be specific and direct in preaching the law to convict. Never use the law as a means to puff up the self-righteous. It kills. Kill them with it.
• The gospel raises us to life again. Pierce and crush them with the hammer. Resurrect them, specifically and directly, with the gospel.
• Preach the law with compassion and sympathy. Don’t water it down, but don’t be spiteful. You don’t have the right.
• Have someone critique your gestures and body language.
• Make sure people understand you. If you ramble or use too much highfalutin vocabulary and thus aren’t being understood, you may as well be speaking in Klingon.
• Don’t be wordy or long-winded. Verbosity is an atrocity.
• The gospel works. Don’t get in its way.

Congratulations to Jonathan Grotefendt of Concordia, Seward for submitting the second and final winning answer to the question: Which is your favorite hymn in the LSB and why? Jonathan’s answer follows. Both he and our first winner, Peter Ahlersmeyer from Concordia, Ann Arbor will receive a personally embossed, leather bound, personal LSB.

“I Come O Savior to Thy Table”

No matter if we sing this hymn or not on Sunday, I always use it as a prayer before and after communion. After reviewing another week’s worth of sin against the savior who so freely saved me, I do approach his table with a weak and weary soul. I need his bread of life to make me whole once again.

After a repentant review of my sin and after I once again realize how dependant I am on Christ, I rejoice in the fact that I have inherited eternal life through Christ’s death and resurrection.

Tlus, he freely gives me his good and gracious gifts through this wondrous meal! What more could I ask for? What greater gift can I inherit?

The thing I love most about this hymn, however, is the beautiful refrain “Lord may your body and your blood be for my soul the highest good.” This continually reminds me that salvation and forgiveness is not of my doing. I am not forgiven because I can make it up to God. I am not saved because of the righteous works I do. I am saved because he was the atoning sacrifice for my sins. His death and resurrection allowed all men to be reunited with God. He then continually works for our good. He daily blesses us with his presence. He daily forgives us and supplies us with his Holy Spirit.

He continually and freely gives us his body and blood which is “for our souls the highest good!”

So no matter what this world tries to offer us, we must always remember that it will all pass away. The things of this world will leave us empty. For it is Christ alone who is our “life and strength forever” and it is by him that our “hungry souls are fed.” So when we approach his table, may our prayer always be, “Lord, may your body and your blood be for my soul the highest good!”

Our first winner is Peter Ahlersmeyer for the following entry to our contest. We are giving away 2 beautiful personal leather-bound editions of the Lutheran Service Book. Go here if you would like to read about the contest.  We will announce our second winner in two weeks.  Congrats Peter!

“Now the Light Has Gone Away” is indeed my favorite hymn in the hymnal. Why is it? Let’s start with the history of it. Growing up every night as my mother would tuck me into bed she would sing me this song. It was never a song that I knew, but rather something my mother introduced to me. It had a catchy lullaby tune and seemed like a short little song that got past down generation after generation. In fact I didn’t know it existed in the hymnal until around high school when I was just flipping through and stumbled upon it. It was then I examined the lyrics (which I always thought were pretty generic) more closely. The great thing about a hymn like this is how easily accessible it is even to little kids. It isn’t loaded with special meanings and language and vocabulary that were used long before I was born. It speaks the language of a child. The hymn is essentially a prayer that asks for forgiveness, a fresh start, Christ to be with loved ones, and thanksgiving. We see throughout the Bible that Jesus took the children and always encouraged them and showed so much love for them.

And this hymn reiterates the love that Christ shows on us. It is something every little kid needs to hear and even more so adults. It is amazing how a hymn so simple can be so uplifting. I can’t be thankful enough to have parents that helped plant the seed of everlasting faith in me and being taught that hymn as a child has helped me up until this very day. As it will continue to be my source of inspiration as I prepare for my life of service not only in the Church but in the world. I hope that you too take the time to focus on this hymn and learn the words. It is a great nighttime prayer but it is also a great song for the many struggles one does encounter in life. I can’t wait to be able to share this special hymn with my children some day just as it was shared with me as a child.