The next preaching pattern is the topical sermon. The topical sermon is usually based on a doctrine, teaching, or contemporary issue affecting the congregation. The preacher attempts to help the congregation understand and interpret the topic from the perspective of the gospel.
C. A. W. Clark – Possibility of a Comeback
Pastor C. A. W. Clark, one of the greatest whoopers of all time, closes a sermon entitled The Possibilities of a Comeback at this link. The second part of the conclusion is at this link.
Preaching Patterns – The Funeral Sermon
The next preaching pattern presented in Ronald Allen’s book is the Funeral Homily.
Preaching Patterns – The Wedding Homily
The next pattern that Ronald Allen speaks of is the Wedding Homily.
Preaching Without Notes – Immersion in the Bible Language
An Evangelical Lutheran Blog run by a Father Eckardt has a post up on Extemporaneous Preaching.
In the post there is first some discussion of the Eckardt’s theology and understanding of Preaching. What was of particular interest to me however was his methodology.
Sermon as a Jigsaw Puzzle
The next pattern found in Allen’s book Preaching Patterns is the jigsaw sermon. Here the sermon is split up into small pieces that are related to each other but the congregation can’t see the connections till much later in the sermon.
Sermon As Portrayal of Biblical Character
As we continue looking at Preaching Patterns from Ronald Allen we come to Preaching a Sermon on a Biblical Character. In this method the preacher looks for information on one character of the Bible throughout the Bible as well as in history and other Biblical Reference Materials. Then the preacher tells constructs the story of the Biblical character from all that material.
Novel Authors and Sermon Preparation
In many of the other sermon patterns, we looked at approaches to structure a sermon. However, this pattern is a way of sermon preparation. How do you go about preparing a sermon? This method attempts to follow a method much like that which many novelists use.
The Novelists Approach
Can God Count on the Black Preachers – Where Are the Prophets?
I love Black preaching. I love the style that African American preachers use in bringing a word from God.
Black Preaching Ain’t Just Style
However, African American Preaching is more than whooping, shouting, and style. It is also a prophetic engagement with the powers that be. It stands up against wickedness in all places even if that wickedness finds itself in our midst.
Domestic Violence a Quiet Epidemic
Robert Smith Lessons In Whooping
Here are 4 5-8 minute videos by Rev Robert Smith entitled Lessons in Whooping.
Dunbar Village Rape Case – Can God Count on the Black Preacher?
Have you heard about the Dunbar Village Rape? Up till today, I hadn’t and that is a shame. I wish to give props to the What about our Daughters blog for reporting on this very important subject. Here is a post where What About Our Daughters simply asks, “What is in the water.”
Sermon as Work of Art
The next pattern found in Allen’s Preaching Patterns is entitled Sermon Drawing from the Arts. Allen notes that preachers have drawn from the arts for illustrations of sermons often. However in this mode of preaching the art form is allowed to create a world that the people will participate in.
Sermon as Movement of Images
The next pattern described in Allen’s work Preaching Patterns is Thomas H. Troeger’s approach. In this approach you preach a sermon that is composed of images described verbally. You can see the method in his work Imaging a Sermon
Series of Images
Preaching from First Naivete to Second Naivete
The next pattern in Ronald Allen’s book entitled Preaching Patterns is the Moving from First Naivete’ through Critical Reflection to Second Naivete’. The idea comes from the hermeneutical theorist Paul Ricoeur. Here the sermon takes three steps.