Sermon Preparation by Reflection
I realize that people have their own methods for sermon preparation. Some will give you “7 Important Steps” (which are good steps by the way.) Others will share with you to remember the audience in your sermon preparation.
Considering that most pastors spend much time preparing their sermons, it may be challenging to see how they source their sermons. I realize that you could preach somebody else’s sermon. Others have talked about this as the wrong way to do it, because it is plagiarism, which is essentially “white collar lies.” This is true. Pastoral plagiarism is a real problem.
Yet, as long as the pastor quotes the sermon (or at least footnotes it in the printed sermon), it’s one possible way of trimming down the hard work of sermon preparation. Many pastors do this. They purchase other sermons and use them. They use Docent Group as a source. I could use their services. However, I have found that the best way to prepare sermons in the long run is to “feed myself.”
What do I mean?
If I am going to feed others in my flock, then I need to get fed myself. Not by just listening to another pastor, or reading their sermons, or copying the sermon material. I have to engage with God’s Word in meditation. This is a form of reflection. In this case, I am not doing a deep dive study to prepare for sermons. I am only taking the time to read God’s Word and see what it says for myself. It is a practice I had to learn on my own.
Frankly, I never learned how to reflect on Scripture in seminary. Of course, some of you will say: “You should have learned this in youth group – quiet time.” That would have been the ideal situation. However, while I wrote notes down when I read at a younger age, I never collected them in a way that would help me later. Until Bible software came along, it was a messy process for me.
So now, I just read the Bible on a regular basis. I read until the Holy Spirit draws me to something and then I write. What I write may be different depending upon the text. Yet I write what comes to my mind. Sometimes a paragraph and at other times, it is a full page. I may draw up a list or write deeper thoughts. I use Faithlife’s Logos Bible Software to store my notes, to make it easier for me to search. You can get this Preaching Suite from Logos that can help you with sermon preparation or use this link to order anything from Logos.
It doesn’t matter how often or how long I read. I am feeding myself God’s Word which can be used at a later time. Maybe God opens a door for me to share what I learned. Perhaps I use it in a sermon. The best way I have found to prepare for the sermons I preach is to reflect on the text on a regular basis.
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