Proclaimer Blog
It’s the big idea, stupid
Back from the busyness of the EMA to real work – sermon preparation. This Sunday I'm preaching on Romans 11 (gulp!). I've been wrestling with it for a few weeks, not wanting to come to it for the first time this Monday morning before it is due. There's obviously lots going on in Romans 11 and, here's the thing, there are loads of places where I could easily be distracted. What is more, I can't possibly dot every i and cross every t. We've preached through Romans before, so this time around, we're going at a fairly robust pace to see some of the big things Paul is teaching.
So, how do I take a dense, argued (often controversial) passage like Romans 11 and make it into a Christian sermon? Well, part of the answer is, at least, that I do what we tell our students. You sit down and look at the passage and work out what it is really about. What's the big idea? What's the theme? Far from being a narrow minded intellectual exercise, this is a liberating part of my preparation. For if I can work out what the passage is about as originally written, I'm well on my way to preaching it faithfully.
It's fascinating. Many experienced preachers ditch this stage because they feel it's for students and beginners. I think that sometimes shows in rambling, confused sermons. But twice in Romans I've found it an invaluable discipline. Once, when I preached Romans 7 and now in Romans 11. Paul's big point is, of course, that God has not rejected his people (Rom 11.1) and keeping that in mind keeps the sermon on track.
Horrah for the big idea.