Most pastors spend hours studying over a text before they preach it on Sunday morning. On many occasions the message will rock the pastors soul before he even brings it before the people.
There have been many times that I have been very excited to preach a particular sermon. I have felt the weight of the text and see the beauty of the gospel in it. This stirs up a passion in my heart and drives me to open up Christ before others. I want them to share the joy in Christ.
But if I’m not careful I’ll come across like this guy:
You don’t have to watch the whole thing to get the picture. Often times I think we preachers can come across this way. We are so amped up about the text that has sparked our hearts that we do not give time for our hearers to feel the weight of the text.
If you start out like this you’ll lose them.
Preaching is like Mario Kart. Every one that has played this game knows that you can’t floor it out of the gate. If you try to, you end up burning rubber, creating a lot of smoke, and finding yourself distanced from the people that you are trying to lead. But if you pace yourself and time it just right something beautiful happens.
So, pace yourself. Allow your hearers to really feel the weight of the text themselves. Be patient. Heed these words by Zack Eswine:
…the problem is that the people have not had the preparation time given the preacher. They do not yet see the truth that has ignited the preacher’s grand style, so they wonder what has the preacher so worked up. but if the preacher will somewhat restrain while instructing so that all may see the light of the truth clearly, then when illustrating, the mixture of affection and explanation builds…Prophetic emotion describes what springs from a biblical truth rather than from the preacher’s energy, nervousness, or preferences. Truth unfelt and truth overfelt betrays its meaning. (Eswine, Preaching to a Post-Everything World, 129 emphasis mine)
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Originally posted here.
Though if you know when to hit the gas during the start sequence of Mario Karts, you can get a great blast off and leave everyone in the dust. Though shocking the congregation at the beginning can get their attention, you end up giving them whiplash. But like the guy if the video, if you have no substance just keep yelling and people will think you know what you are talking about. Reminds me of some very bad sermons I've had to sit through, but probably not I would just get up and walk out. Thanks for the post, it really made me laugh. Blessings!!
ReplyDeletePS: My daughters and I are Mario Karts crazy.
Jonathan,
ReplyDeleteSome of the worst sermons that I had to endure I couldn't leave....because I was the one preaching them.