Andrews University Department of Religion Keith E. K. Mattingly GH206 Phone 471-3187 Home 471-3088

RELP322 -- Homiletics II: Advanced Biblical Preaching (3credits)
This course addresses the crucial nature of expository preaching, stressing proper principles of interpreting and applying the text to practical life. Includes supervised field preaching.

RESOURCES

Textbooks

Haddon W. Robinson. Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages..Baker Book House (Grand Rapids, MI: 1980).

Haddon W. Robinson. Biblical Sermons: How Twelve Preachers Apply the Principles of Biblical Preaching.

Recommended Books

Douglas Stuart. Old Testament Exegesis: A Primer for Students and Pastors. Westminster Press. 2nd ed. (Philadelphia: 1984).

Michael P. Green. Illustrations for Biblical Preaching.

Name ___________________________________ Date(s) Preached_____________________

Title _________________________ Text ________________________ Points Received ___

200

Person Evaluating:

Name ___________________________________ Date Presented_____________________

Title ___________________________________ Person Evaluating ____________________

Text ______________________ Points Received __

50

What is the speaker's theme?

Did the speaker follow this theme clearly through the outline of the presentation? ____________

What is the outline of this speech?

Class #1

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer - THE GOSPEL PREACHER'S PRAYER by Tim James

"...Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, 0 Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LordGod, and that thou hast turned their hearts back again" (I Kings 18:36-37). This passage of scripture is underlined in my Bible, and I usually read it before I preach. It is not a mantra or a motto, but rather, for me, A REMINDER OF WHAT I'VE BEEN ASSIGNED TO DO AND A PRAYER UNTO GOD, THAT HE MIGHT GET ALL THE GLORY... that He would reveal Himself in His true character, and that if anything is accomplished, folks would KNOW that HE did it.

Study universal holiness of life. Your whole usefulness depends on this, for your sermons last but an hour or two; your life preaches all the week. If Satan can only make a covetous minister a lover of praise, of pleasure, of good eating, he has ruined your ministry. Give yourself to prayer, and get your texts, your thoughts, your words from God. Luther spent his best three hours in prayer. -- Robert Murray McCheyne

Class Motto

Demonstration of "Content-less Preaching

• Dr Seuss, Cat in a Hat
• Cook Book, The Indian Vegetarian: Flavors for the American Kitchen
• Manual, Introducing Microsoft Windows 95

Introduction to the Class (How the class will run)

• Homepage
• Course Outline
• Calendar
• Discuss Pulpit Club and "On Stage"
• Discuss Sermon Evaluation Form

Writing: Unit-Lesson A8, Edit Your Writing

• Learning to Edit your writing
• Class Exercise in editing
• Tips on editing (From writing section of the writing book)
• Writing assignment

EDIT YOUR WRITING

When the applause had finally died down, Evans stepped from the rostrum, flushed with excitement and victory, confident that the events of the afternoon would be a millstone in the company's history.

At the age of six, my parents moved to Schenectady with their five children.

Having taken their seats, the principal made his expected announcement.

"...so it is important to learn how to keep the reader on the point without becoming monotonous."

On the shelf were the moth-eaten ladies' hats. Inside the thimble were the purple elephants' helicopters. Outside the tent were the old-fashioned carpenter's tools.

Flying planes can be dangerous.

The teacher was puzzled by the brilliant student's composition.

The first rule of proofreading is READ SLOWLY.
The second rule of proofreading is READ THOUGHTFULLY.

Recognize ambiguity. A writer who is editing his work has to cope with something much more subtle than typographical errors and "bad grammar." He finds a sentence that has nothing "wrong" with it, but that still needs rewording because it seems to have two possible meanings.

Control your meaning. Writers want always to be in command of their meaning. They do not want to be laughed at when they intend to be serious, nor do they want to be taken seriously when they intend a joke. You can go a long ways towards gaining command of your meaning if you edit your work carefully, correcting the errors that can destroy your purpose.

Try your skill with ambiguity. Invent or report a 2-sentence conversation that involves a double meaning and has a humorous effect. In other words, write a joke that depends on ambiguity. If possible, use a religious topic or setting.

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer - Martin Luther

Behold, Lord, an empty vessel that needs to be filled. My Lord, fill it. I am weak in the faith; strengthen me. I am cold in love; warm me and make me fervent, that my love may go out to my neighbor. I do not have a strong and firm faith; at times I doubt and am unable to trust you altogether. O Lord, help me. Strengthen my faith and trust in you. In you I have sealed the treasure of all I have. I am poor; you are rich and came to be merciful to the poor. I am a sinner; you are upright. With me, there is an abundance of sin; in you is the fulness of righteousness. Therefore I will remain with you, of whom I can receive, but to whom I may not give.

The principal cause of my leanness and unfruitfulness is owing to an unaccountable backwardness to pray. I can write or read or converse or hear with a ready heart; but prayer is more spiritual and inward than any of these, and the more spiritual any duty is the more my carnal heart is apt to start from it. Prayer and patience and faith are never disappointed. I have long since learned that if ever I was to be a minister faith and prayer must make me one. When I can find my heart in frame and liberty for prayer, everything else is comparatively easy. -- Richard Newton

Class Motto

1. The Motto

2. When you preach, abandon your congregation before your congregation abandons you.

Review

• Pulpit Club - Schedule Speakers/Manuscripts
• "On Stage" - Manuscripts due today
• Church Speaking schedule - remember, sermons must be expository

Textual, Foreground, Background Issues

MacArthur

226-9 - Examining the Context

291-2 - Connect the passage with the rest of Scripture

Stuart

72-5 - Text and translation

75-8 - Literary and Historical Context

Writing: Unit--Lesson A5

Controlling your sentence predication and use of expressive verbs.

Sermon -

Class Agenda

"On Stage" #1

Preacher's Prayer -

During this affliction I was brought to examine my life in relation to eternity closer than I had done when in the enjoyment of health. In this examination relative to the discharge of my duties toward my fellow creatures as a man, a Christian minister, and an officer of the Church, I stood approved by my own conscience; but in relation to my Redeemer and Saviour the result was different. My returns of gratitude and loving obedience bear no proportion to my obligations for redeeming, preserving, and supporting me through the vicissitudes of life from infancy to old age. The coldness of my love to Him who first loved me and has done so much for me overwhelmed and confused me; and to complete my unworthy character, I had not only neglected to improve the grace given to the extent of my duty and privilege, but for want of improvement had, while abounding in perplexing care and labor, declined from first zeal and love. I was confounded, humbled myself, implored mercy, and renewed my covenant to strive and devote myself unreservedly to the Lord. -- Bishop McKendree

There is a manifest want of spiritual influence on the ministry of the present day. I feel it in my own case and I see it in that of others. I am afraid there is too much of a low, managing, contriving, maneuvering temper of mind among us. We are laying ourselves out more than is expedient to meet one man's taste and another man's prejudices. The ministry is a grand and holy affair, and it should find in us a simple habit of spirit and a holy but humble indifference to all consequences. The leading defect in Christian ministers is want of a devotional habit. -- Richard Cecil

Five Minute Speeches

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Writing:

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer - Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

From silly devotions and from sour-faced saints, good Lord, deliver us.

Peter Marshall

Lord, teach us to pray. Some of us are not skilled in the art of prayer. As we draw near to You in thought, our spirits long for Your Spirit, and reach out for You, longing to feel You near. We know not how to express the deepest emotions that lie hidden in our hearts.

In these moments, we have no polished phrases with which to impress one another, no finely molded, delicately turned clauses to present to You. Nor would we be confined to conventional petitions and repeat our prayers like the unwinding of a much-exposed film. We know, our Father, that we are praying most when we are saying least. We know that we are closest to You when we have left behind the things that have held us captive so long.

We would not be ignorant in prayer and, like children, make want lists for You. Rather, we pray that You will give to us only what we really need. We would not make our prayers the importuning of You, an Omnipotent God, to do what we want You to do. Rather, give us the vision, the courage, that shall enlarge our horizons and stretch our faith to the adventure of seeking You loving will for our lives. Amen.

Class Motto

Review

• Pulpit Club - Schedule Speakers/Manuscripts
• "On Stage"
• Church Speaking schedule - remember, sermons must be expository

Form and Structure of the Text

Stuart

78-80 - Genre, Structural Patterns

Writing: Unit-Lesson B20

Achieve unity through point of view

Sermon -

ACHIEVE UNITY THROUGH POINT OF VIEW

1. I thought that we would remain on Canal Street as we had done that morning, but Robert assured me that he knew a vantage point that was far superior, and accordingly we went up St. Charles Street for eight or more squares. All along the street men and women lined the sidewalks. Many of them had brought camp-stools or cushions and were sitting along the curb; other spread out newspapers and sat on them. In front of the stores the shopkeepers' families had gathered and were perched on boxes or tables in order that they could see above the heads of those on the sidewalk.

At last we reached Lee Circle....Here the ground has been built up into a sort of round mountain, and at the top of this grass-grown mound there rises a huge fluted column of stone which in turn supports a bronze statue of Robert E. Lee. At the base of the column is a pyramid of stone, like gigantic steps rising one above the other, each step more than a yard high. By scrambling up this giants' staircase, we reached the summit; and there, seated on the edge of the topmost step, we sat leaning back against the stone column which disappeared into the darkness above our heads.

2. There came a whisper which turned into a cry. The parade was coming. I looked with all my eyes up the avenue but at first could see nothing but the flickering rows of lights as they converged far away, but then, after a moment, I was conscious of a red glare in the sky--almost on the horizon it seemed, an aura which seemed to rise from the ground, or to emanate from the air itself. It was something apart from life as I knew it. It was magic itself.

As I looked, smaller lights became visible in the red glare, little twinkling lights of yellow and blue and green, bright pinpoints of flame. Then, as the endless stream of lights moved nearer I was conscious of great wreaths of black smoke which swirled upward into the darkness, smoke which held and reflected the flaring lights and which surrounded this glimmering far-off pageant with a rim of fire. I heard music... first just a broken bar, then another, finally a melody, faint and sweet.

We were high above the parade, and it was coming directly toward us, down the avenue. Little by little objects became visible, dark shapes against the flare--men on horseback clearing the route. Then below each glowing point of flame I could discern a red figure--men holding the torches. And always the bobbing of these lights and their swirling smoke rising toward the dim stars. In the center of each of these circles of light, masses of pale color became visible--the floats, pale in the light, yet brilliant too. And they seemed to glide noiselessly and effortlessly forward; relentless, like a gigantic dragon bearing down upon the crowd.

In the selection above, Saxon gives his readers a view of the parade at Mardi Gras from a stationary position--through the eyes of the boy sitting high above the street level. From this fixed point the author focuses the reader's attention on the area for an extended time as the parade approaches. Saxon uses something of a camera technique here: going from a distant shot to a close-up, increasing the detail of the topography as the parade approaches. Moreover, he organizes the description in the order of appearance of the sights: first, the general impression of things "far away," then, the specific impressions as the parade draws nearer. A definite order in the presenting of details is necessary in achieving a unified effect.

Convey a mental point of view: the observer's attitude In conversation, you know by the tone of a person's whether he is pleased, angry, happy, or excited, even if the words he uses do not necessarily indicate his feeling. In writing, it is more difficult to convey tone because readers do not hear the tone of a voice. You learn the mental point of view of the writer only through his handling of his material. For example, if you are trying to convey the excitement of an event, you would not likely use words like "tiring," wearing," "deadening"; nor would you be likely to use a series of long, involved, hard-to-read sentences. You would be more likely to vary your sentence lengths, constructing short, direct sentences at appropriate junctures to emphasize the excitement. The writer's mental point of view will determine his word choices, his sentence structure choices, and his selection of details.

Write one paragraph about a supermarket on Friday afternoon from the point of view of a young and tired Sabbath School teacher with three children. Have your narrator participate actively in the scene. Make sure you convey definite physical and mental points of view.

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer - Psalm 23

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

In verdant pastures he gives me repose.

Beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul.

He guides me in right paths for his name's sake.

Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil;

for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage.

You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes;

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life;

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come.

We bless you, Jesus Christ, our Shepherd,

for the life you have given us this day;

--we rejoice in your love.

Look with favor on the flock that bears your name;

--let no one the Father has give you perish.

Guide your church in the way of your Truth,

by your Holy Spirit make her faithful.

Feed us at the table of your Word and your Bread

that we may follow you forever.

Class Motto

Form and Structure of the Text (Continued)

Writing:

Sermon -

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer

Praise the Lord, all you nations,

glorify God, all you peoples!

For steadfast is God's kindness toward us

and the fidelity of the Lord endures forever. . . Psalm 117

Praise the Lord, faraway space, glorify God,

every home and family!

For God has brought us to the beginning of this day,

and God will see us to its end.

Praise the Lord, world of today,

come with your blessings;

come with your struggles.

Praise the Lord!

O God, you are our blessed light,

--awaken us this new day.

By the resurrection of your Son, you have enlightened the world,

--and given us new hope.

By your Spirit you gave wisdom to the disciples of your Son,

--send your Spirit upon us and make us faithful.

Light of the nations, shine on those who dwell in darkness,

--open their eyes to know you, the only true God.

Class Motto

Form and Structure of the Text

Writing: Unit-Lesson A16

Sermon -

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer -

O Lord, guard my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking falsehood.

Help me to ignore those who speak ill of me, and to forgive those who offend against me.

May I be humble and forgiving to all.

Open my heart to your law that I may eagerly do your will and pursue all your truths.

Frustrate the designs of those who seek to do me ill; speedily defeat their aims and thwart their purposes--

For the sake of Your glory and Your power, for the sake of Your holiness and law.

That Your loved ones may be delivered, O Lord, answer me and save with Your redeeming power.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart find favor before You, my Rock and my Redeemer.

O You, source of peace, who ordain harmony in the universe, grant peace to me, to those I labor with, and to all humanity.

Archbishop Leighton was so much alone with God that he seemed to be in a perpetual meditation. "Prayer and praise were his business and his pleasure," says his biographer. Bishop Ken was so much with God that his soul was said to be God-enamored. He was with God before the clock struck three every morning.

Class Motto

Review

• Pulpit Club - Schedule Speakers/Manuscripts
• "On Stage" - Review
• Church Speaking schedule - remember, sermons must be expository

Application

Stuart

Review - (1) Text and Translation, (2) Historical Context, (3) Form and Structure, (4) Grammatical and Lexical Data, (5) Biblical and Theological Context.

83-84 - Application

Writing: Unit-Lesson B16

Express Attitude through Word Choice

Sermon

EXPRESS ATTITUDE THROUGH WORD CHOICE 

1. Then, faint and prolonged, across the levels of the ranch, he heard the engine whistling for Bonneville. Again and again, at rapid intervals in its flying course, it whistled for road crossings, for sharp curves, for trestles; ominous notes, hoarse, bellowing, ringing with the accents of meace and defiance; and abruptly Presley saw again, in his imagination, the galloping monster, the terror of steel and steam, with its single eye, Cyclopean, red, shooting from horizon to horizon; but saw it now as the symbol of a vast power, huge, terrible, flinging the echo of its thunder over all the reaches of the valley, leaving blood and destruction in its path; the leviathan, with tentacles of steel clutching into the soil, the soulless Force, the iron-hearted Power, the monster, the Colossus, the Octopus.

2. The day was fine. Since the first rain of the season, there had been no other. Now the sky was without a cloud, pale blue, delicate, luminous, scintillating with morning. The great brown earth turned a huge flank to it, exhaling the moisture of the early dew. The atmosphere, washed clean of dust and mist, was translucent as crystal. Far off to the east, the hills on the other side of Broderson Creek stood out against the pallid saffron of the horizon as flat and as sharply outlined as if pasted on the sky. The campanile of the ancient Mission of San Juan seemed as fine as frost work. All about between the horizons, the carpet of the land unrolled itself to infinity. But now it was no longer parched with heat, cracked and warped by the merciless sun, powdered with dust. The rain had done its work; not a clod that was not swollen with fertility, not a fissure that did not exhale the sense of fecundity.

Some words, such as paper, course, large,  seem to convey little emotional meaning.  They are neutral words. Of course,  once you start using them in connection with other words or ideas, they may take on a positive or a negative connotation. Because words can be live wires of emotion,  you have a great responsibility to understand your audience and use great care with words that have strong emotional connotations.

USE WORDS THAT EXPRESS A FAVORABLE OR UNFAVORABLE ATTITUDE.   If you want to transfer your own  unfavorable feelings to your audience, you have to choose words that convey negative connotations. In the train selection, Norris expresses an attitude of hatred, fear, and resentment toward the train.  The key word ominous establishes the attitude,  and normally neutral words like hoarse take on an unfavorable connotation.

Conversely, you can also use words to express a positive attitude. Notice that in the second selection,  many of the words are more neutral, but  they are put together in such a way that they convey a sense of pleasant calm.

Also, notice that in both selections, the writers have used color words to help establish a particular feeling.

Write a paragraph  on one of the topics below in which you convey either a favorable or an unfavorable sense to your audience. Carefully choose words which best convey your feelings.

1. You've just come back from a weekend as the guest speaker at a junior camp. (favorable).

2.  You're in charge of the Ingathering campaign for your church, and you know that traditionally, the members haven't been very supportive. You've got to inspire them with this short speech. (favorable)

3.  Review a film or book you recently seen/read. (unfavorable)

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer -

O God, we have come to your Sanctuary to seek Your presence. Speak to us, we pray,

with the still, small voice of Your Spirit.

If our lives have become shallow, deepen them;

If our principles have become shabby, repair them.

If our ideals have become tarnished, restore them;

If our hopes have become faded, revive them.

If our loyalties have grown dim, brighten them;

If our values have become confused, clarify them.

If our purposes have grown blurred, sharpen them;

If our horizons have become narrowed, widen them.

Make us worthy instruments of Your will,

And help us to live the words we pray.

Class Motto

Review

• Pulpit Club - Schedule Speakers/Manuscripts
• "On Stage" - Remember next week
• Church Speaking schedule - remember, sermons must be expository

Determine the Exegetical Idea

Robinson

66 - Stage 3 - determine exactly what the biblical writer is talking about

67-70 - Subject, Complement, Other Literary Forms

79-96 - Stage 4 - Submit the exegetical idea to 3 developmental questions

97-99 - Stage 5 - State the exegetical idea in the most exact, memorable sentence

107-112 - Stage 6 - Determine the purpose for this sermon

MacArthur

212-15 - Observation

Writing:

Turn in Writing Assignments A15 and B16

Sermon

Class #16

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer - Michael Hollings and Etta Gullick

Lord, I thank your for teaching me how to live in the present moment. In this way I enjoy each simple task as I do it without thinking that I must hurry on to the next thing. I do what I am doing with all my ability and all my concentration. My mind is no longer divide, and life is more peaceful. Thank you for teaching me how to do this, and please help me to show others the way to learn to trust you more completely and to do everything which has to be done at your time and your speed.

Let us often look at Brainerd in the woods of America pouring out his very soul before God for the perishing heathen without whose salvation nothing could make him happy. Prayer -- secret fervent believing prayer - lies at the root of all personal godliness. A competent knowledge of the language where a missionary lives, a mild and winning temper, a heart given up to God in closet religion -- these, these are the attainments which, more than all knowledge, or all other gifts, will fit us to become the instruments of God in the great work of human redemption. -- Carrey's Brotherhood, Serampore

Class Motto

Quiz

Review

• Pulpit Club - Schedule Speakers/Manuscripts
• "On Stage" - Manuscripts due tomorrow
• Church Speaking schedule - remember, sermons must be expository

Sermon Shape

Robinson

115 - People need to be reminded as much as they need to be informed

116-127 - Stage 7 - And idea to be explained, proposition to be proved, a principle to be applied, a subject to be completed, a story to be told, other forms - note inductive vs. deductive development

Writing: Unit-Lesson B22

Convey Meaning Through Tone

Sermon

CONVEY MEANING THROUGH TONE 

Talking in low excited voices we would walk rapidly back toward town under the rustle of September leaves, in cool streets just grayed now with that still, that unearthly and magical first light of day which seems suddenly to rediscover the great earth out of darkness, so that the earth emerges with an awful, a glorious sculptural stillness.

At the sculptural still square where at one corner, just emerging into light, my father's shabby little marble shop stood with a ghostly strangeness and familiarity, my brother and I would "catch" the first street-car of the day bound for the "depot" where the circus was--or sometimes we would meet some one we knew, who would give us a lift in his automobile.

Then, having reached the dingy, grimy, and rickety depot section, we would get out, and walk rapidly across the tracks of the station yard, where we could see great flares and steamings from the engines, and hear the crash and bump of shifting freight cars, the swift sporadic thunders of a shifting engine, the tolling of bells, the sounds of great trains on the rails.

And to all these familiar sounds, filled with their exultant prophecies of flight, the voyage, morning, and the shining cities--to all the sharp and thrilling odors of the trains--the smell of cinders, acrid smoke, of musty, rusty freight cars, the clean pine-board of crated produce, and the smells of fresh stored food--oranges, coffee, tangerines and bacon, ham and flour and beef--there would be added now, with an unforgettable magic and familiarity, all the strange sounds and smells of the coming circus.

In conversation the tone of your voice often indicates the real meaning of the words by emphasizing  your attitude. In writing, conveying tone is often more difficult because you do not have voice or expression.  Do not mistake tone for mood.  While they may  occasionally be the same, depending on what you're writing, mood   generally refers to the writer;  while tone refers to the writing.

Tone is made up of many elements including your choice of words, the details you include, the impressions you try to make and the emotion you want to convey. This is why it is extremely important that you carefully read your own writing, as well as the writing of others to make sure you are clear about  the tone; a hurried reading can  produce misunderstanding.

CHOOSE WORDS THAT CONVEY TONE 

The words you choose are very important in establishing tone. If you choose words that are unpleasant in meaning and connotation, the whole tone of your writing will take on the color of these words.  Conversely, notice how Wolfe conveys a tone of pleasure simply by using words that a boy might in describing a circus. Throughout his writing, Wolfe maintains a tone that illustrates his attitude toward his subject.

For each topic listed, write one paragraph that expresses the tone indicated. Remember to choose words which appeal to sensory impressions to help you establish a particular tone.

1. A solemn school event (such as a Christmas pageant) that is broken by a humorous incident.  (humorous)

2, A student missionary who's just returned from a year abroad, speaking about their experiences. (excited, joyous)
3. A eulogy for your favorite Religion professor. (respectful, affectionate, humorous)
4. A letter home to your parents describing your first sermon (excited, enthusiastic) or your Homiletics grade (worried, depressed)

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer -

May the prayers of our lips be pleasing to You, O God.

May our prayers be pleasing to pleasing to You because they are spoken with sincerit5y and with truth.

May our prayers be pleasing to pleasing to You because they are uttered in humility, as we acknowledge our frailty and our need for Your sustaining strength.

May our prayers be pleasing to pleasing to You because they are offered in gratitude for Your manifold blessings, too numerous to be counted, too constant to be deserved.

May our prayers be pleasing to pleasing to You because we firmly resolve to take these noble words with us and to permit them to guide our actions in the days ahead.

May our prayers be pleasing to pleasing to You because the lips which speak them also speak words of hope to the discouraged, cheer to the distressed, solace to the bereaved, and kindness to all.

May our prayers be pleasing to pleasing to You because they reflect not only our own needs but also the needs of others, and the needs of all your people.

May our prayers be pleasing to pleasing to You because they remind us of what You expect of us and because they challenge us to become all that we are capable of being.

Class Motto

Quiz

Review

• Pulpit Club - Schedule Speakers/Manuscripts
• "On Stage" - Manuscripts due today
• Church Speaking schedule - remember, sermons must be expository

Sermon Outline and Flow

Robinson

128-132 Stage 8 - Outline your sermon

215-16 Sample Text Outline

MacArthur

160-176 Outlining a Text

233-39 Outlining Continued

Writing: Unit-B23

Arrive at the Controlling Idea

Sermon

Class Agenda

"On Stage" #3

Preacher's Prayer - ASV Psalm 51

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions; And my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done that which is evil in thy sight; That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts; And in the hidden part thou wilt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness, That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9 Hide thy face from my sins, And blot out all mine iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; And sinners shall be converted unto thee. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation; (And) my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 15 O Lord, open thou my lips; And my mouth shall show forth thy praise. 16 For thou delightest not in sacrifice; Else would I give it: Thou hast no pleasure in burnt-offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: Build thou the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then will thou delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, In burnt-offering and in whole burnt-offering: Then will they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

Speeches

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2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Writing:

Turn in Writing Assignments B22 and B23

Class #19

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer - Jo Carr and Imogene Sorley

Ah, Lord--a blessed time to be alone.

I forget, in the bustle and hustle of busy days, that I need it--that it is as necessary to my emotional equilibrium as food is to my body. I hunger for it.

And when I deny myself this aloneness--which I do in the name of getting-on-with-the-task--I become jumpy and irritable, unable to perform the task.

Ah, Lord--a blessed time to be alone.

First, it's just a time to unwind, and then, somehow, it becomes prelude to prayer. It becomes a time to center down, to re-orient my day.

I thank you, God, for the blessed renewal of my times alone.

And help me remember that everyone around me needs times of aloneness. Let me remember to not intrude--to hush a minute--to prove the possibility of times alone--for all my friends, for my whole family, for my husband(wife), for my children, for me.

I urge upon you communion with Christ a growing communion. There are curtains to be drawn aside in Christ that we never saw, and new foldings of love in him. I despair that I shall ever win to the far end of that love, there are so many plies in it. Therefore dig deep, and sweat and labor and take pains for him, and set by as much time in the day for him as you can. We will be won in the labor. -- Samuel Rutherford

Class Motto

Quiz

Review

• Pulpit Club - Schedule Speakers/Manuscripts
• "On Stage" - Review Speeches
• Church Speaking schedule - remember, sermons must be expository

Sermon Introduction/Conclusion

Robinson

159-173 - Start with a bang and quit all over

Stage 10 - prepare introduction and conclusion

MacArthur

242-7 - Introductions

252-4 - Conclusions

Writing: Unit-Lesson B10

Compress and Expand Ideas

Sermon

COMPRESS AND EXPAND IDEAS 

Even in these days of Diesel power, the coastwise shipping off southern Florida shows a wholesome respect for the Gulf Stream. Almost any day, if you are out in a small boat below Miami, you may see the big freighters and tankers moving south in a course that seems surprisingly close to the Keys. Landward is the almost unbroken wall of submerged reefs where the big niggerhead corals send their solid bulks up to within a fathom or two of the surface. To seaward is the Gulf Stream, and while the big boats could fight their way south against it, they would consume much time and fuel in doing so. Therefore they pick their way with care between the reefs and the Stream.

The energy of the Stream off southern Florida probably results from the fact that here it is actually flowing downhill. Strong easterly winds pile up so much surface water in the narrow Ycatan Channel and in the Gulf of Mexico that the sea level there is higher than in the open Atlantic. At Cedar Keys, on the Gulf coast of Florida, the level of the sea is 19 centimeters (about 7 1/2 inches) higher than at St. Augustine....

Northward, the Stream follows the contours of the continental slope to the offing of Cape Hatteras, whence it turns more to seaward, deserting the sunken edge of the land. But it has left its impress on the continent. The four beautifully sculptured capes of the southern Atlantic coast--Canaveral, Fear, Lookuout, Hatteras--apparently have been molded by powerful eddies set up by the passage of the Stream. Each is a cusp projecting seaward; between each pair of capes the beach runs in a long curving arc--the expression of the rhythmically swirling waters of the Gulf Stream eddies.

The practice of building paragraphs by repeating  the paragraph idea is essential to making sure your readers understand you, and the compressed statement of the total paragraph idea--the topic sentence--is one of the best ways to make your meaning absolutely clear.  When you read the selection above, note that it is the first sentence that contains all the details of the other four. Each of the remaining four adds new facts, but no single sentence includes all the facts. You must use all four together to state again the main idea in the first sentence. We refer to these four sentences as the expanded statement because it states the paragraph idea at length.

EXPAND THE MAIN IDEA--EXPANDED FORM 

Consider a belief or conviction you hold concerning a subject important to you. Think of two or three reasons why you hold this conviction and put each into a compressed statement. Then say it "twice" by developing a paragraph for each that will leave no doubt in your reader's mind concerning what you believe and why.  Take into account that not everyone holds for "truth" what you might consider to be a given.  Below is a list of possible topics

.

1. Appropriate Sabbath activities
2. The role of women in the church
3.  The importance of Christian education
4. Qualities a potential spouse must have

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer - Origen

O Jesus, my feet are dirty. Come even as a slave to me, pour water into your bowl, come and wash my feet. In asking such a thing I know I am overbold but I dread what was threatened when you said to me, "If I do not wash your feet I have no fellowship with you." Wash my feet then, because I long for your companionship. And yet, what am I asking? It was well for Peter to ask you to wash his feet; for him that was all that was needed for him to be clean in every part. With me it is different; though you wash me now I shall still stand in need of that other washing, the cleansing you promised when you said, "There is a baptism I must needs be baptized with.

For nothing reaches the heart but what is from the heart or pierces the conscience but what comes from a living conscience. -- William Penn

In the morning was more engaged in preparing the head than the heart. This has been frequently my error, and I have always felt the evil of it especially in prayer. Reform it then, O Lord! Enlarge my heart and I shall preach. -- Robert Murray McCheyne

A sermon that has more head infused into it than heart will not borne home with efficacy to the hearers. -- Richard Cecil

Class Motto

Quiz

Review

• Pulpit Club - Schedule Speakers/Manuscripts
• "On Stage" - Review Speeches
• Church Speaking schedule - remember, sermons must be expository

Sermon Transition and Meaning

Robinson

137-56 - Stage 9 - Making dry bones live.

Writing: Unit-Lesson B2

Vary Sentence Beginnings and Lengths

Sermon

VARY SENTENCE BEGINNINGS AND LENGTHS 

But winter was full half the year. The snow began at Thanksgiving and fell snow upon snow till Fast Day, thawing between the storms, and packing harder and harder against the break-up in the spring, when it covered the ground in solid levels three feet high, and lay heaped in drifts, that defied the sun far into May. When it did not snow, the weather was keenly clear, and commonly very still. Then the landscape at noon had a stereoscopic glister under the high sun that burned in a heaven without a cloud, and at setting stained the sky and the white waste with freezing pink and violet. On such days the farmers and lumbermen came in to the village stores, and made a stiff and feeble stir about their doorways, and the school children gave the street a little life and color, as they went to and from the Academy in their red and blue woolens. Four times a day the mill, the shrill wheeze of whose saws had become part of the habitual silence, blew its whistle for the hands to begin and leave off work, in blasts that seemed to shatter themselves against the thin air. But otherwise an arctic quiet prevailed.

VARY SENTENCE LENGTHS FOR INTEREST AND EMPHASIS 

Variety is what makes your writing interesting. Material which isn't varied is often unpleasant to  read. If all your sentences are unusually long, paragraphs may seem difficult to understand. If, on the other hand, all sentences are too short, reading becomes choppy and can appear childish. You must develop your subject matter so that you can use variations in sentence length and sentence beginnings. Your ideas  must  have definite relationship to one another,  and you must  construct sentences that emphasize the subject matter  properly.  A definite beginning, middle, and end will give shape to your ideas.

VARY SENTENCE BEGINNINGS FOR INTEREST AND EMPHASIS 

ASSIGNMENT  

The tick of a clock may be agonizing in its slowness or frustrating in its speed. Write two paragraphs in which you contrast two very different experiences illustrating your idea of the way time passes, one which is speed of time and one of slowness of time.  [ Possible experiences: waiting for an incredibly dull sermon to be over on Sabbath; trying to get all your chores, shopping, etc. done before the sun goes down on Friday evening.]

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer - Ramona K. Cecil, ©1991 Dicksons (Thanks to Glenn Gibson)

Oh God, I kneel before you with a humble heart

I pray, may I be Your instrument and work for You each day.

Help me find those lost in sin and bring them back to you,

Let winning others to your kingdom be the daily work I do.

Guide every word that I should say and may I always preach,

The truth you've given in Your work as You would have me teach.

Lord, behold Your humble servant, help me be what You'd have me be.

For I've heard your great commission and I've answered, "Lord, send me."

Study not to be a fine preacher. Jerichos are blown down with rams' horns. Look simply unto Jesus for preaching food; and what is wanted will be given, and what is given will be blessed, whether it be a barley grain or a wheaten loaf, a crust or a crumb. Your mouth will be a flowing stream or a fountain sealed, according as your heart is. Avoid all controversy in preaching, talking, or writing; preach nothing down but the devil, and nothing up but Jesus Christ. -- Berridge

Class Motto

Quiz

Review

• Pulpit Club - Schedule Speakers/Manuscripts
• "On Stage" - Remember next week
• Church Speaking schedule - remember, sermons must be expository

Fleshing out the outline: Support and Illustrations

MacArthur

247-51 Illustrations

292-5 Illustrations

Writing:

Turn in Writing Assignments B10 and B2

Class #22

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer -

Kind and loving Father, we are poor and shortsighted, needing guidance, and particularly when we draw near to You in prayer.

We can only confess our sins, and bring our wants before You as we are taught by Your Spirit.

We bless You for this Your latest gift--the gift of today, and for its accompanying favors, health and strength to enjoy it, in the best of all places, at Your feet and in Your presence.

May we be fully established in Your love and power, and be ever strengthened and encouraged by the assurance of Your goodness and grace.

Show us that Your presence in our midst is not to fill us with fear, but to inspire us to live better, to pray more fervently, and to work with greater zeal.

May the message of Your grace shine through our imperfect speech and fall upon attentive ears and receptive hearts.

May the varied gifts with which we are endowed be used with a consecration, and with a directness in all we attempt for You.

But above all may there be in us a strong attachment to Jesus Christ, and may there be a blessed contagion about our love to Him that will spread as we come in contact with others, through Jesus Christ our Lord, AMEN.

I judge that my prayer is more than the devil himself; if it were otherwise, Luther would have fared differently long before this. Yet men will not see and acknowledge the great wonders or miracles God works in my behalf. If I should neglect prayer but a single day, I should lose a great deal of the fire of faith. - Martin Luther

Class Motto

Quiz

Review

• Pulpit Club - Schedule Speakers/Manuscripts
• "On Stage" - Manuscripts due tomorrow
• Church Speaking schedule - remember, sermons must be expository

Refining the Words

Robinson

175-179 Dress of Thought - MANUSCRIPT

179-183 A Clear Style - Clear Outline, Short Sentences, Simple Structure

183-185 A Direct and Personal Style

185-190 A Vivid Style

MacArthur

239-241 Choosing a Title

Writing: Unit-Lesson A9

Support Judgments with Specific Information

SUPPORT JUDGMENTS WITH SPECIFIC INFORMATION

And the boat is rather a handsome sight, too. She is long and sharp and trim and pretty; she has two tall, fancy-topped chimneys, with a gilded device of some sort swung between them; a fanciful pilothouse, all glass and "gingerbread," perched on top of the "texas" deck behind them; the paddle boxes are gorgeous with a picture or with gilded rays above the boat's name; the boiler deck, the hurricane deck, and the texas deck are fenced and ornamented with clean white railings; there is a flag flying gallantly from the jack staff....

from Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

His skipper had come up noiselessly, in pyjamas and with his sleeping-jacket flung wide open. Red of face, only half awake, the left eye partly closed, the right staring stupid and glassy, he hung his big head over the chart and scratched his ribs sleepily. There was something obscene in the sight of his naked flesh. His bared breast glistened soft and greasy as though he had sweated out his fat in his sleep. He pronounced a professional remark in a voice harsh and dead, resembling the rasping sound of a wood-file on the edge of a plank; the fold of his double chin hung like a bag triced up close under the hinge of his jaw. Jim started, and his answer was full of deference; but the odious and fleshy figure, as though seen for the first time in a revealing moment, fixed itself in his memory for ever as the incarnation of everything vile and base that lurks in the world we love....

UNFOLD YOUR JUDGMENTS

The direct method of supporting judgments is close to the deductive process of thinking in that the conclusion comes first and is followed by supporting details. By contrast, the unfolding method is similar to the inductive process of thinking, for the details come first and lead to a conclusion.  The Conrad selection illustrates this method--Conrad's judgment comes at the end, preceded by a series of vivid details which are carefully arranged which lead the reader naturally to the conclusion.

Assume that someone whom you've never seen before shows up at your church on Sabbath. By observing their appearance and mannerisms, you will form an opinion about them. You notice at the outset that they are dressed somewhat different from others in the church, and you feel somewhat leery of them. Yet, the person has a pleasant face and seems very friendly; a snap judgment doesn't seem warranted.

In  one paragraph, write a description of the person's appearance and behavior during  church. Make it sufficiently detailed to support your judgment. Place your general statement at the beginning or end--wherever it will be most effective.

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer -

O You, who are infinite and perfect, our all-seeing, all-knowing and all-loving Father, we come to You. Grant us a wider and truer conception of Yourself, and of Your gracious purpose regarding our sojourn here.

Help us to realize, more than we do, that this beautiful world in which we live is Yours, and everything in it, and that we are not our own.

We thank You for such an inheritance, and for the numerous things that point to one richer, better and more enduring. May we regard this world as our present home, and our life as a sacred trust from You.

Help us to scatter those seeds that will bear fruit and yield a glorious harvest. May we ever realize that as we sow so shall we reap; as we live here, so we shall live in the future.

Give us the strength and the courage to live the immortal life every day--the life of faith and prayer--the life of sunshine and hope--the life that grows brighter and clearer until the perfect day.

In the meantime may we make our present inheritance more glorious and attractive to others by pointing them to the Savior of the world as their Friend and Redeemer.

May we take every advantage of getting good and of doing good as the days come and go, and in all our efforts may we be prompted and assisted by the Holy Spirit. This we ask in the name of Christ. AMEN.

One bright benison which private prayer brings down upon the ministry is an indescribable and inimitable something -- an unction from the Holy One . . . . If the anointing which we bear come not from the Lord of hosts, we are deceivers, since only in prayer can we obtain it. Let us continue instant constant fervent in supplication. Let your fleece lie on the thrashing floor of supplication till it is wet with the dew of heaven. - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Class Motto

Quiz

Review

• Pulpit Club - Schedule Speakers/Manuscripts
• "On Stage" - Manuscripts due today
• Church Speaking schedule - remember, sermons must be expository
• Illustrations

Refining Word Order For Emphasis and Meaning

Writing: Unit-Lessons B7

ARRANGE EXAMPLES IN AN EFFECTIVE ORDER 

ASSIGNMENT

Write a paragraph in which you use examples to support your position in a matter relating to your school or church. Be sure to select examples that are reasonable and effective. Arrange them in an order which suits the subject matter.
A few suggestions are provided.

1. The spiritual atmosphere on campus
2. The recent building addition at PMC
3. The amount of work required for Homiletics class
4. Your choice

Class #24

Class Agenda

"On Stage" #4

Preacher's Prayer - ASV Psalm 51:1

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions; And my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, And done that which is evil in thy sight; That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest, And be clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts; And in the hidden part thou wilt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness, That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9 Hide thy face from my sins, And blot out all mine iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; And sinners shall be converted unto thee. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation; (And) my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. 15 O Lord, open thou my lips; And my mouth shall show forth thy praise. 16 For thou delightest not in sacrifice; Else would I give it: Thou hast no pleasure in burnt-offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. 18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: Build thou the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then will thou delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, In burnt-offering and in whole burnt-offering: Then will they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

Speeches

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Writing:

Turn in Writing Assignments A9 and B7

Class #25

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer -

Lord, I want to love you, yet I'm not sure.

I want to trust you, yet I'm afraid of being taken in.

I know I need you, yet I'm ashamed of the need.

I want to pray, yet I'm afraid of being a hypocrite.

I need my independence, yet I fear to be alone.

I want to belong, yet I must be myself.

Take me, Lord, yet leave me along.

Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.

O Lord, if you are there, you do understand, don't you?

Give me what I need but leave me free to choose.

Help me work it out my own way, but don't let me go.

Let me understand myself, but don't let me despair.

Come unto me, O Lord--I want you there.

Lighten my darkness--but don't dazzle me.

Help me to see what I need to do and give me strength to do it.

O Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.

If some Christians that have been complaining of their ministers had said and acted less before men and had applied themselves with all their might to cry to God for their ministers -- had, as it were, risen and stormed heaven with their humble, fervent and incessant prayers for them -- they would have been much more in the way of success. -- Jonathan Edwards

Class Motto

Writing: Unit-Lessons A17

Sometimes writing is a machinelike assembling of words, an automatic response. You could write a letter, for example, without doing any original thinking at all. If a machine  had recorded the burying of six pigeons it might have written something like this:  "Today I buried six pigeons. They had beautifully colored feathers." The machine has given an account, but it has not responded to it. It has not taken the outside event within itself and mixed it with complex and absolutely personal memories, ideas, bits of information, ideas. There has been no personal response.  If you're going to write anything that is "real" than  you must not write like a machine.  Good writing can come only from creative thinking.

REFLECT BEFORE YOU WRITE 

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer -

Out of the depths have we cried unto You, O Lord, as we have thought of the magnitude of our sin. If You should mark iniquity, who could stand?

But there is forgiveness with You that You may be feared. Suffer us then to lay at Your feet the vows we have not kept, the obligations we have failed to meet, and the many transgressions of which we have been guilty.

Our hasty words and bitter feelings, our languid wills and cold affections, our wasted moments and selfish ambitions all rise before us, and we find no answer in our heart to the tremendous charge.

Our only hope is in the cross, for the greatness of Your mercy is the measure of our guilt. May that large and tender word of cheer and comfort uttered on earth by the sinner's Friend, be renewed from heaven to us here and now--your sins are forgiven; go in peace.

Thus may we enter upon a new chapter in our life, conscious that the past has been forgiven and blotted out. To this end hallow all our inclinations, and purify all our aspirations, and give us a grander conception of the Christian life, and establish our work, seeing we ask all in the Name of our Savior and divine Lord.

Class Motto

Quiz

Review

• Pulpit Club - Schedule Speakers/Manuscripts
• "On Stage" - Review Speeches
• Church Speaking schedule - remember, sermons must be expository
• Steps to preparing for a sermon - exegesis

Establishing Personal Style

Preaching so People will Listen

Robinson

191-196 Some tidbits

196-198 Grooming and Dress

198-201 Movement and Gestures

201-202 Eye Contact

202-208 Vocal Delivery

Writing: Unit-Lessons A20

Use Figurative Language

USE FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE 

We were still deep in the Kalahari moving slowly through a difficult tract of country into which the rains as yet had been unable to break. Since it was already late in the year, the plight of the desert was frightening. Almost all the grass was gone and only the broken-off stubble of another season left here and there, so thin, bleached and translucent that its shadow was little more than a darker form of the sunlight. The trees, most of them leafless, stood exposed against the penetrating light like bone in an X-ray plate. The little leaf there was looked burnt out and ready to crumble to ash on touch. Under such poor cover the deep sand was more conspicuous than ever, saffron at dawn and dusk, and sulfur in between. There was no shade anywhere solid enough to cool its burning surface. What there was seemed scribbled on it by the pointed thorns like script on some Dead Sea scroll.

There was no game. Yet the animals had been that way and clearly found it wanting. They had dug all over the surface with hoof and claw for the roots and tubers on which their lives depend until the rains come, leaving large holes and trenches behind. Vast areas looked as if a bitter battle had been fought over them, and there was always a moment at the climax of the day when the sunstroke racking the earth produced the hallucination that one was moving across the pockmarked surface of some yellow wasteland of the moon. Even the birds were rare and inconspicuous, except for a vulture always dangling over the deathbed scene like a spider suspended from the blue on a silky thread of air. The few birds we saw no longer sang and darted about their business with a desperate look.

USE FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE WISELY

The best way to learn to use figurative language well in your own writing is to observe its use in the works of good writers. No one should use figurative language unless they are willing to think hard, to imagine precisely, and to seek patiently the right image. Figurative language is not an ornament that decorates language and makes it more elegant. You use figurative language  when you have something that you urgently want to express, something that seems to demand more of you and your use of language. All good writing reflects the sincere effort of an active, searching mind. If you are not thinking deeply, if you are showing off, if you are more interested in impressing someone than in saying something clearly--you figurative language will give you away.

Using one of the trite statements below, write a short paragraph developing the statement into an idea, using figurative language where necessary. Before you write, carry on a conversation with yourself about your topic and make sure you see a picture in your mind.

1. There are many obstacles on the rocky road of life
2. To climb the great ladder of success we must start at the bottom rung
3. Hope is a lamp that guides us on our dark and perilous journey
4. She is always busy as a bee
 

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer -

O Lamb of God, suffer us to gather at the foot of the cross, there to acknowledge our guilt, there to confess our shortcomings and transgressions, and there to receive from Your own gracious hand the blessing of absolution.

Never can we be sufficiently grateful to You for this sacred spot which offers to the truly penitent the gift of solace and rest, the favor of pardon and peace. When we think of our weakness and foolishness in quest of worldly pleasure and gain; when we recall our proneness to evil, and our indifference to the greatest blessing of life, we know not where to look or what to say.

Have mercy upon us, o God, and grant us Your forgiveness. We praise You for Your grace which is mightier than the law, and wider than our need, and higher than our reach, and infinitely more precious than all the gems of the earth. By it You do accomplish wonders.

The weak are made strong, the unclean are purified, the defiant are reconciled, while those that are afar off are brought nigh.

Send out Your light and Your truth this day, most merciful Savior, and may the saving power of the cross be seen in many hearts, and lives, and homes, and the praise and glory shall be Yours.

Class Motto

Quiz

Review

• Pulpit Club - Schedule Speakers/Manuscripts
• "On Stage" - Remember next week
• Church Speaking schedule - remember, sermons must be expository
• Steps to preparing for a sermon - exegesis

Establishing Vivid Style

Preaching so People will Listen

Robinson

191-196 Some tidbits

196-198 Grooming and Dress

198-201 Movement and Gestures

201-202 Eye Contact

202-208 Vocal Delivery

Writing:

Turn in Writing Assignments A17 and A20

Class #28

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer -

Give us, most merciful Father, the secret of waiting on You. Show us how to approach You, and teach us how to speak, and what to ask when we come into Your holy presence.

Graciously lift us as preachers into the heavenly places where we shall see sights, and hear voices that bring to us renewed strength and courage for our work, and increased joy and confidence in You.

We have been living and toiling in the lowlands of the world; our feet are covered with the dust of the road; our lips are parched with the heat of the day; or vision has become blurred by unholy sights; and our robes are soiled by contact with evil.

Come, blessed master, with the towel, the basin, and the water and wash our hands and feet and our whole nature, and we shall be clean.

Come and light again our lamp so that we may not only see our own way but help to shed a gleam along the dark road of others.

Come and rekindle once more the fire upon the altar of our hearts, and then we shall burn with loyalty and enthusiasm in our service for You and for our fellow men, and to You we shall ascribe all the praise and the glory through the atoning work of Your Son our Saviour.

Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on earth. God does nothing but in answer to prayer. -- John Wesley

Class Motto

Quiz

Review

ARRANGE IMAGES IN A SEQUENCE  

ASSIGNMENT

Use one of the following sentences as your organizing sentence to develop a short paragraph. Draw on your memories to build a series of vivid images which make a clear, direct appeal to the reader.

a. July, the month of heavy, blinding heat, had arrived.
b. The world is oblong in October
c. Winter reveals the inner machinery of life.
d. "April is the cruelest month," wrote T.S. Eliot.

Class Agenda

Preacher's Prayer -

Eternal and Holy Father, in the glorious radiance of Your dear Son we now bow before You, and, and in His omnipotent Name we now pray to You.

For the precious thought that calls us to worship, for the love that has provided a place in which to present it, for the calm of this quiet time, and for the rich provisions which You have in store for all thirsting souls and wearied pilgrims, we lift to You our grateful praise.

Awaken within us a new passion for service, a new yearning for the souls of men, a new perception of truth, and a new ambition to live a higher and holier life.

Generate within us those graces of character that will make us unremitting in our fidelity to You, and uncompromising with the forces of evil. Give us, we pray of You, an ever widening and deepening interest in the glorious message which You have called us to accept and proclaim, and an ever increasing joy in all that it contains.

Forbid that we should ever neglect its teachings or ignore its warnings or despise its appeals.

Please hear in heaven, Your dwelling place, this our prayer and graciously absolve us from our sins which we now confess before You at the cross in the Name of Him who died upon it--Jesus Christ our Lord.

Speak for eternity. Above all things, cultivate your own spirit. A word spoken by you when your conscience is clear and your heart full of God's Spirit is worth ten thousand words spoken in unbelief and sin. Remember that God, and not man, must have the glory. If the veil of the world's machinery were lifted off, how much we would find is done in answer to the prayers of God's children. -- Robert Murray McCheyn

Class Motto

Quiz

Review

• Pulpit Club - Schedule Speakers/Manuscripts
• "On Stage" - Manuscripts due today
• Church Speaking schedule - remember, sermons must be expository
• Steps to preparing for a sermon - exegesis

Using Movement and Sound

Preaching so People will Listen

Robinson

191-196 Some tidbits

196-198 Grooming and Dress

198-201 Movement and Gestures

201-202 Eye Contact

202-208 Vocal Delivery

Writing:

Turn in Writing Assignment A11 tomorrow

Class #30

Class Agenda

"On Stage" #4

Preacher's Prayer -

Grant unto me, O God, my Father, this day, for the sake of Your Son, the power of God and the wisdom of God; that by the Holy Spirit I may receive the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, not judging to-day after seeing of the eyes, or the hearing of the ears, but with Your Spirit's help have the discerning power to discern between him that serves God and him that serves Him not; the power to discern between that which is good, and that which is evil; to hate the evil, and hold fast to the good; to help my fellowman to walk in Wisdom's ways of pleasantness, which are peace, and that I may this day be so justified that when the night has come you shall be glorified and Wisdom shall be justified in my life by her work.

This perpetual hurry of business and company ruins me in soul if not in body. More solitude and earlier hours! I suspect I have been allotting habitually too little time to religious exercises, as private devotion and religious meditation, Scripture-reading, etc. Hence I am lean and cold and hard. I had better allot two hours or an hour and a half daily. I have been keeping too late hours, and hence have had but a hurried half hour in a morning to myself. Surely the experience of all good men confirms the proposition that without a due measure of private devotions the soul will grow lean. But all may be done through prayer -- almighty prayer, I am ready to say -- and why not? For that it is almighty is only through the gracious ordination of the God of love and truth. O then, pray, pray, pray! -- William Wilberforce

Class Motto

Review

• Remind of final exam period.
• Remind of who to present at final exam period.

Speeches

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Writing:

Turn in Writing Assignment A11 today