The Power Of A Good Question: Evaluating The Sermon Before You Preach
The
past comes into the present. People sit frantically in their stalled car. The
ground shakes as the inevitable draws nearer. In the rear view mirror is the
notice, "objects in mirror are closer than they appear." Suddenly
the face of the T-Rex materializes in the reflective surface. Panic ensues.1
I
sometimes feel that panic on Sundays.2 Soon after services
are over I'm inexplicably drawn to the mirror. It lures me and repels me; seduces
me to look, yet I fear what I might see. It isn't fear of T-Rex; it's the realization
of the enormity of the responsibility.3 Was I faithful
to my calling? Did I get the job done? Was what I said in any way helpful?
Preachers
everywhere know the feeling. They enter the pulpit and before them is an audience
of listeners — listeners who have come wanting to know if anything the preacher
says will make a difference in their lives in the coming weeks and months. They
have come seeking a word from the Lord (though often they don't know that's
what they are seeking).
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Preaching
is an awesome responsibility. As preachers we stand on sacred ground. We wade
into a hallowed stream.
I'd
like to once again bring the past into the present. Not the T-Rex and his counterparts,
but the shepherds of Israel. Specifically I'm interested in those shepherds
addressed in Ezekiel 34.4 Ezekiel does not present a flattering
picture of Israel's leaders. However, his words prove beneficial when we learn
from their failures.
It
must be noted that "shepherds" in this passage are Israel's leaders,
primarily their kings.5 They have failed in their responsibility
to care for Israel. In verses 1-10 they are soundly condemned for those failures.6
The remainder of the chapter is God's remedy for their failure. In essence He
says, "I will do it Myself."7
Though
we are not "leaders" in the same sense, we find the image of shepherd
to be used widely in the New Testament for those whose role is to tend to the
flock of God.8 And it is those shepherds who labor hard
in preaching and teaching that bear the greatest burden of responsibility (1
Tim. 5:17-18; James 3:1). Therefore, those categories of concern expressed by
Ezekiel may prove insightful for those of us who preach.
By
learning from the failures of Israel's shepherds we may well find helpful questions
which can aid in the construction of sermons which "get the job done."
If we ask the right questions in the context of our sermon preparation, we may
preach sermons that accomplish what Israel's shepherds did not.
I'm
suggesting that asking appropriate questions during the preparation of the sermon
will keep our sermons in line with the desires of the Chief Shepherd. Examining
a sermon in the light of the following questions may prevent us fearing what
we may see in the rear view mirror as we reflect on our Sunday morning experience.