48
48 SERMON PREP
How I prepare
by Mark Nam
AS HE APPROACHED JERUSALEM AND SAW THE CITY , HE WEPT OVER IT AND SAID …
LUKE 19:41-42A , NIV
Luke 19:41-42a describes a series
of actions that Jesus took before speaking prophetically over Jerusalem . Looking closely at this text you can see that Jesus : a ) approached ; b ) looked ; c ) wept ; and only then d ) spoke . These four actions of Jesus provide a template for how I prepare to preach .
APPROACH
When I approach a sermon , I turn to the relevant passage and make sure I have read a number of commentaries . When I was at theological college , I was a library monitor . One summer – whilst reorganising the shelves – I worked out who my preferred commentators were for each book of the Bible . This took absolutely ages , but it was time well spent . At one of my churches , we follow the lectionary , so knowing which commentaries to turn to is invaluable .
The other church I work at selects its sermons by topic . Locating an appropriate scripture is trickier , so I look to an often-overlooked character in the Bible for inspiration , who is simply referred to as ‘ the attendant ’. In Luke 4 , the attendant hands the scroll of Isaiah to Jesus immediately before Jesus delivers his first sermon . In my opinion , this attendant is a marvellous example of a preacher in the Bible . He knew the scriptures and where they were located . He had the ability to go into the archives at the right place and the right time to deliver them . This is what I try and do when I am picking a passage for a given topic . I pray for the ability to locate the right scripture at the right time to offer Jesus . Once I know what passage I will be preaching from , I move on to the next step .