The next pattern in Ronald Allen’s book, Preaching Patterns is what has been called “3 Points and a Poem.” This is an old deductive form where you begin by stating the major claim of the sermon. You then identify some key points that you will discuss. Then you end by helping the people reflect on the points in their daily living. Many times you close with a poem.
Category: Preaching
Vivid Description the Key to Making a Sermon Sizzle
Peter Mead over at the Biblical Preaching blog presents another very helpful thought on how to Make Your Sermon Sizzle.
How do you do it? Simply use vivid and concrete descriptions.
Mead notes:
When you describe a Biblical scene, or an applicational situation, or an illustration, be as specific as possible. When you are specific, then listeners will be able to see, feel and experience. Do it well and your sermon will sizzle.
Should we have Personal Application in Preaching?
Lamey answers “Yes” and I agree with him. He also hastens to add that we must be careful not to have applications in our sermons that are “contrived, forced or ‘moralistic.'”
Sermon as Journey to Celebration
The next pattern in the book Preaching Patterns by Ronald Allen is the Sermon as Journey to Celebration.
Puritan Plain Style of Preaching
The first style of preaching talked about in the Patterns of Preaching book is the Puritan Plain Style. Allen notes: “As the term ‘plain’ implies, this approach is simple to the point.”
Six Sections
There are six sections in the structure of this style of sermon
Patterns of Preaching
In the coming weeks, I will discuss some of the patterns that Ron Allen has defined in his book Patterns of Preaching: A Sermon Sampler. That book has 34 patterns and a sermonic example of each one.
Learning to Preach from a Novelist
What can a preacher learn from a novelist? What specifically can we learn from Earnest Hemmingway? The Preaching Today Blog picks up this interesting question.
There are two primary things that the author notes that he learns from Hemmingway. First is Hemmingway’s question for love and deep healing. The second is his effectiveness in communication.
Communicate to the Real People in Front of You
The Unashamed Workman blog has a post up on Reading Your Audience when preaching. The author suggests that preachers must change their presentation based on the congregation that is actually there. He then notes five types of audiences and how we should change our presentation to address each one.
Biblical or Contemporary?
The Unashamed Workman teaches truth by quoting John Stott’s new book entitled The Living Church. Stott says in part:
But authentic Christian preaching is a bridge-building operation. It relates the text to the context in such a way as to be faithful to the biblical text and sensitive to the modern context. We must not sacrifice either to the other.
Only have one Major Point in your Sermon
Perhaps one of the most common errors in sermonic structure is to have too many competing points. Sometimes preachers exhibit this error when they go on tangents or on asides that are only marginally related to the main point.
Prominent Preaching Instructors Weigh In
Expository Black Preaching?
Xavier Pickett over at Reformed Blacks of America has done it again. He has presented a concise attack on the status-quo from the perspective of the Black Preaching Tradition.
He states:
The goal of preaching is not expositional preaching, but rather to present and proclaim Christ as resurrected.
How to Preach a Text With a List
The Brand New Biblical Preaching blog has an interesting post up on How to preach a text with a list in it. This is actually a helpful post. I encourage you to go over and read it. I especially like this point:
Secondly, within the list, notice the places of emphasis. These are almost always the start and end, as well as the middle on some occasions (especially if the structure is clearly chiastic). Notice any repetition of terms, or clustering of concepts.
Purpose in Preaching
The Biblical Preaching blog has a post up entitled “After you preach, then what happens?” In it the importance of a sermonic purpose is discussed. The author states: “we should be preaching for response.”
Preaching by Playing Words Like Notes
Kirk Byron Jones introduces the concept of “playing words” in his helpful book The Jazz of Preaching.