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CREATIVITY IN EXPOSITORY SERMON PREPARATION Creativity in the preparation of expository sermons is a special challenge due to the high regard for the place of the text. An examination of three phases of the preparation process indicates that creative expression is only appropriate in the final stage when the design of the sermon is being planned. Expository preaching is that which takes a specific text as the basis for the sermon and presents the theological message of that text as directly and precisely as possible to the contemporary audience in their own context.[1] Creativity involves the use of available materials in new and striking ways to achieve the purpose desired.[2] Since the expository preacher begins with a text of Scripture, he is bound to its limitations and possibilities. He may therefore think that a creative and novel approach to his preaching would compromise biblical authority. The nature of expository preaching not only places special limitations but also opens creative possibilities for the sermon. Since the expository sermon is bound to a single text, its message will be confined to the meaning of that text. The preacher is not free to speak of anything he wishes. At the same time, however, no idea is really dynamic unless it is specific. Limiting himself to the text’s meaning opens wonderful possibilities for creative communication to the preacher as he focuses his message at the sharp point of the text’s meaning. In sermon preparation as a creative endeavor, the preacher will operate in terms of science and art. By “science” I mean the hermeneutic and communication principles necessary for faithfully bringing the textual message to the contemporary audience. By “art” I mean the creative skills he can bring to bear which lift his sermon from the ordinary to the exceptional, from the prosaic to the poetic. Science comes first; then comes the freedom of art. Sermon preparation can be described in three phases. Though they overlap in the preparation process, the three are distinct in function and each is necessary to the process. The first phase is the exegetical, in which the particulars of the text are carefully examined for their bearing on its message. The second phase is theological, in which the timeless and universal truths revealed in the text are stated as accurately and precisely as possible. Phase three is the rhetorical, in which the preacher selects and arranges the materials for the most effective presentation to the contemporary audience. The three phases of sermon preparation identified here reflect three directions for hermeneutical task. In his exegetical work the preacher interprets its meaning fromthe biblical text. In the theological phase, he interprets the text’s meaning as precisely worded theological statements. Finally, in his rhetorical work, the preacher interprets that theological meaning to his audience. With these introductory issues briefly addressed, now consider the three phases of expository sermon preparation and the role of the preacher’s creativity in each. Creativity in the Exegetical Phase
Exegesis is the analysis of a text in all its particulars for the purpose of interpreting its intended meaning from that text. Though there are universal and timeless statements in the Bible, each text is particularized to its own historical setting. It is the particular message of a particular writer to a particular audience in a particular language at a particular time in a particular place and culture to address particular issues from a particular set of assumptions. This particularization of the text presents the first challenge for interpretation. Unless the preacher can discern the meaning of the text in its original contexts, he is at a severe disadvantage in his attempt to present the meaning to his contemporary audience. This search for the original meaning calls for the most careful and thorough examination of every aspect of the text and its setting. Several most helpful tasks can lead the preacher toward that original meaning. He can prepare a structural diagram of the text wording to identify the relationship of various ideas in the text. He can record his own immediate observations from a careful examination of the details of the text. He will note linguistic features, historical and cultural allusions, and theological concepts he observes in the text. Next, he can frame questions that will lead to a search of lexicons, encyclopedias, atlases, commentaries, and other sources for information on the text he does not have. This exegetical work should be done with close adherence to the best hermeneutical principles.[3] These principles define the “science” of biblical interpretation and keep the interpreter from going astray from the intended meaning of the text. Like any good scientist, the interpreter operates inductively at this point. He is discovering and recording. He has a given body of material to analyze and must limit himself to its dimensions. He will be careful not to jump to conclusions until all the data is in. He will avoid the temptation to force the evidence into support of his own assumptions. Most of the common errors in biblical interpretation come from the interpreter’s natural subjectivity. Human beings all function within the framework of their own experience and outlook. Seeing everything from that self-absorbed perspective causes them naturally to assign meaning rather than discerning it. This approach opens the door to more art than science, more invention than analysis. If the text is the objective source for expository preaching, the preacher must discipline himself to interpreting meaning from the text rather than reading meaning into the text.
The discovery work of exegesis leaves little room for creativity. Though an interpreter may be quick to notice critical details and recognize important connections in the text and research, that is not creativity.[4] Creativity is the use of available materials in new and striking ways to achieve a particular purpose. The nature of the exegetical task severely limits this kind of expression. Exegesis is much more science than art. Creativity in the Theological Phase
The theological phase of expository sermon preparation involves the naming of the text idea in clear and simple words. The interpreter is seeking at this point to move meaning from the text in its historical context to meaning as timeless and universal theological statements. The Bible is essentially theological. Whatever history, psychology, geography, and anthropology one might see there, its intended purpose is to communicate theology. Theology is the study of or expression of ideas about God and his relations with the created order. The Bible, as the revelation of God, unveils to man what He intended to make known through the various writers and spokesmen he employed as his agents. Once the preacher completes his exegetical work, he moves to the theological phase of sermon preparation. Theological concepts have already arisen and stand about in his thoughts. Now he must carefully and precisely settle them into appropriate words and phrases. Without the discipline of naming these concepts with words and writing them in complete statements, the preacher is not sure what the text ideas are. Language not only gives expression to thought, it shapes and clarifies it. The first task in this process is to identify the subject of the text in a single word. This subject is the central theological theme, from the many themes expressed in the text, that the preacher takes to be the main idea of the text writer for this portion. Other themes are subordinate and supportive of this one primary idea. In some texts this text idea is obvious. In the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8), the writer announces the subject, “that men ought always to pray and not lose heart.” From that statement the interpreter can see that the parable is about prayer. So his subject is “prayer.” The second task is to identify the limiting factor the writer uses to narrow the focus of his subject. No text reveals all there is to say about its subject. Identifying the theological meaning of the text calls for that limiting word to designate the way the writer restricts his treatment of his main idea. Luke’s introductory statement in the text just mentioned speaks of “always” and “not lose heart,” suggesting the limiting of the subject of prayer with the idea of persistence. So the intended theological idea of the text seems to be “persistent prayer.” Most texts do not so clearly name their own theological idea. The interpreter must carefully examine all the clues to the text’s meaning. Those clues are the words of the writer and how he used them. By writing down all the themes that emerge in a text, either explicitly or implicitly, the interpreter can then take the most likely ones through the text, phrase by phrase, to determine which one best names the writer’s intended subject. By following the same procedure with the limiting word, the text idea can be identified. This theological “naming” of the text idea calls for as careful and precise thinking and wording as the interpreter can muster. At his best, however, he deals with a process of approximation. He hopes, on the basis of the evidence at hand, to name the theological subject of the text as accurately as possible. He realizes his limitations, however, and leans heavily on the “science” of hermeneutics again. He wants to allow the text to speak for itself rather than reading into it a meaning he brings with him. Once the one-word subject and one-word limiting term are combined to name the text idea, the preacher will want to state that idea as a complete sentence.[5] It is best to craft two sentences, one historical and one timeless. The first is the textual idea with its historical trappings. The second is the sermon idea as a timeless theological statement. The idea of “persistent prayer” can be stated as textual idea as follows: “Using the parable of the persistent widow, Jesus encouraged his hearers to be persistent in prayer.” The sermon idea would be, “Believers are to be persistent in prayer.” The next theological task is to identify the features of the writer’s treatment of his subject. What has the writer said about the subject? Some of his thoughts will be explicit, others implied. The preacher can examine the text again to identify various aspects of the writer’s discussion of his subject. The way the writer has expressed his treatment of the subject will set the pattern for the preacher’s sermon structure. If the parable is about persistent prayer, what specifically is it saying about that subject? These ideas must be carefully worded as complete statements as well. Wording the sermon divisions with alliteration makes no contribution at this point. Alliteration provides ornament instead of substance and compromises the clarity and precision of the biblical idea in an effort to find another word beginning with P or W. While there is some room for creative expression in the statement of these theological ideas, the preacher must be careful not to obscure the concept for the sake of ornamentation.
If the preacher wishes to present a narrative sermon, he is still wise to identify the theological meaning of the text as precisely as possible.[6] He may or may not state the theological meaning propositionally in the sermon, but he should discipline himself to identify that meaning clearly. All preaching is interpretive. More specifically, a sermon is a theological interpretation. Merely reciting a biblical narrative with some dramatic embellishment may be interpretation, but only in an oratorical or poetic sense. Unless the preacher has the theological message clearly in view, he cannot tell the story with the revelatory intention it had in the first place. Creativity at this phase in the sermon preparation process is still limited by the dimensions of the text. There may be a number of ways to express the theological ideas of the text. But any wording that strays from the clear and precise meaning of the text material will corrupt the exposition. The preacher of expository sermons will bind himself to the text and determine to let it speak faithfully though his sermon.
Creativity in the Rhetorical Phase
Once he has carefully analyzed the text in all its particulars, and stated its theological ideas in clear and precise language, the preacher is now prepared to design his presentation for the contemporary audience. This is the rhetorical phase of his preparation. “Rhetoric” is the science and art of using words in writing or speech to influence or persuade. At this point the preacher selects and arranges the material he wants to use in the sermon. He is interpreting the text meaning to the contemporary audience. The text is the source and authority for the sermon ideas. But the preacher is not to preach the text. He is to preach the theological concepts from the text. A sermon is not a lecture composed of historical and linguistic information. It is a message to the present audience. It must be couched in the framework of contemporary thinking without losing its theological message. All material is selected and arranged to persuade the audience concerning the truth of the theological idea and the action appropriate for a faith response to it. Moving to the rhetorical phase of sermon preparation opens the whole world to the preacher as resource material. Analogies and examples from the common experience of the audience will bring the biblical truth home to them. Application that spells out what might be done about these ideas will give the hearer specific direction. Arguments that make the truth plausible to the hearer will clear away some of the obstacles in his thinking. Here is the place for creativity. The sermon is the preacher’s own. God has called him and gifted him as His spokesman. Though he has carefully drawn the message from the biblical text, it is now his own message. It will be presented in his own unique style. It will find color and drama in his own experience. It will be addressed to his own world and that of his audience. The language of man is the language of human experience. Only as the truth of the sermon connects with the experience of preacher and audience will it have real meaning for them. Creativity in sermon design is exercised in three areas of rhetorical choice: the selection of sermon material, the arrangement of sermon material, and the presentation of sermon material. The test of creativity is whether the sermon comes off as fresh and striking material presented in an interesting way, or sounding generic, like every other sermon the audience has ever heard. But the preacher does not strive for creativity for the sake of creativity. The rhetorical choices he makes in selection, arrangement and presentation of the text are guided by the purpose of the sermon, particularly the outcome he desires. Selection of Material.The creativity of the preacher in his sermon preparation is directly proportionate to the range of materials available to him. As he begins his work, he intentionally limits himself to the biblical text, thus severely restricting the material he can use. At this stage he is more concerned with the science of interpretation than the art. In the final stage, as he plans the sermon presentation, the range of materials open to him is limited only by his own knowledge and imagination. Most of sermon content is supporting material, with very little time taken by the statement of theological ideas and the reading of the text. After a careful exegesis, the interpreter already has more data than he can use in a sermon. He must recognize, though, that the exegesis is not done so much to gather sermon material as to understand the text. Packing a sermon with word studies, biblical history, Palestinian geography, and ancient culture may transform it into a history lecture and lose the audience. The sermon can be designed for a broad appeal. It can appeal to the intellect with sound biblical truth, to the imagination with vivid and colorful imagery, to the reason with sensible and compelling arguments, to the volition with practical and desirable changes, and even to the emotions with the drama of human life and the touch of God. It can appeal to the several generations in the audience. It can appeal to women and men. It can appeal to educated and uneducated. But if it has this broad and compelling appeal, sermon material will have to be selected in the most creative way. Supporting material can be devised by the use of natural analogies. The biblical writers continually cited the common features of their environment to clothe spiritual truth in earthly images. The godly man is like a tree. The tongue is a fire. Jesus is the Vine and believers are branches. The church is a flock, a bride, a building. In the same way, the preacher can explore the features of his own environment for analogies to use as sermon material. Arrangement of Material. While selection of sermon material is a continuing challenge, most preachers give little thought to the arrangement of the material. Effective sermon design involves not only what is to be said, but in what order it is to be said. Three reference points will guide the preacher in this process: the theological message of the text, the nature of the audience, and the dynamics of oral communication. In the first place, sermon design will reflect the logical order of the theological message of the text. The main idea of the sermon must be clear, with each division of that idea clearly stated as well. Carefully crafted statements of these theological ideas should be concise and to the point. The use of reiteration and transition statements will help the hearer track with the preacher and know where he is at all times. The nature of the audience will also affect the arrangement of sermon material. In a general sense, the sermon will be designed to arrest audience attention, engage their interest, and keep them attentive throughout the presentation. This design calls for an understanding of the way people think and what keeps them listening. Alan Monroe’s Motivated Sequence outline for a persuasive speech is planned with just such an understanding.[7] It follows the sequence: attention, need, satisfaction, visualization, and action. In the same way, the creative preacher can begin with his audience where they are, take them to where he is going in the sermon, and keep them engaged along the way. The third reference point for sermon arrangement is the dynamic of oral communication. Since most of the work of sermon preparation is written, the preacher may find himself with a sermon design that looks good on paper, but would not work well orally. As an oral presentation, the sermon functions in time. One thought follows another in succession. The hearer receives one phrase at a time and assembles the sermon ideas in his own mind. The sequence of these thoughts is critical to the effectiveness of the sermon. Presentation of Material. Rhetorical choices involve not only the selection and the arrangement of sermon material, but also the presentation. By presentation I mean the language and style with which the material is delivered. Five kinds of language are most effective for getting the message across creatively: figurative language, specific language, concrete language, sensate language, and descriptive language. If the preacher is to use language of this sort, he will have to plan it carefully. The natural tendency of most is to use language that is rather mundane and prosaic. Creativity in sermon design calls for the use of language that connects with the audience. The human mind processes ideas in terms of generals and particulars.[8] Generals are ideas stated in broad, comprehensive, indefinite terms. Particulars are ideas stated in specific, individual, practical terms. Theological propositions are generals which call for supporting particulars like examples, analogies, narrative, practical applications, and other such experiential material. Without these particulars the sermon will seem abstract and irrelevant. The style of the presentation also allows room for creativity. Style is the preacher’s characteristic way of expressing himself. Ones style reflects his background, his temperament, his sense of what preaching is supposed to be. Style can also reveal attitudes about himself, about the subject and about the audience. Being creative about style means employing ways of expression outside ones normal comfort zone that will enhance the presentation of the message. It means the preacher will refuse to be limited strictly to the usual way of expressing himself. Advocates of inductive and narrative preaching have criticized expository (or “deductive”) preaching as dull and academic. In some circles this charge has been valid. Expository preaching can, however, be creative and appealing. As long as the preacher deals carefully and “scientifically” with his exegetical and theological tasks, he should be as creative as he can with the rhetorical task of planning sermon design.
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Broadus, John A. and Weatherspoon, Jesse Burton. On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1944. Buttrick, David. Homiletic: Moves and Structures. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987. Chartier, Myron. Preaching as Communication: An Interpersonal Perspective. Nashville: Abingdon, 1981. Craddock, Fred B. As One Without Authority. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1979. Davis, H. Grady. Design for Preaching.Philadelphia: Fortress, 1958. Ehninger, Douglas, Gronbeck, Bruce E., McKerrow, Ray E., and Monroe, Alan H. Principles and Types of Speech Communication, Tenth Edition. Glenview, Illinois: Scott, Foresman, 1986. Fant, Clyde E. Preaching for Today.New York: Harper & Row, 1975. Koller, Charles. Expository Preaching Without Notes. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1962. Lewis, Ralph L. with Lewis, Greg. Learning to Preach Like Jesus. Westchester, Illinois: Crossway, 1989. Liefeld, Walter L. New Testament Exposition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984. Lowry, Eugene L. Doing Time in the Pulpit: the Ralationship Between Narrative and Preaching. Nashville: Abingdon, 1985. Mayhue, Richard L. “Rediscovering Expository Preaching” in Rediscovering Expository Preaching, ed. John MacArthur, Jr. Dallas: Word, 1992. Mawhinney, Bruce. Preaching with Freshness. Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1991 McClure, John S. “Expository Preaching,” in Concise Encyclopedia of Preaching, ed. William H. Willimon and Richard Lischer. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 1995. Olford, Stephen F. Anointed Expository Preaching. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1998. Rice, Charles L. Interpretation and Imagination: the Preacher and Contemporary Literature. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1970. Robinson, Haddon W. Biblical Preaching. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1980. Thompson, William D. Preaching Biblically. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1981. Unger, Merril F. Principles of Expository Preaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1955. Whitesell, Faris D. Power in Expository Preaching. Old Tappan, N. J.: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1963. [1] Definitions of expository preaching include various elements, depending on the writer. For comparison, see Charles Koller, Expository Preaching Without Notes (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1962), 21; Walter L. Liefeld, New Testament Exposition (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), 24; Richard L. Mayhue, “Rediscovering Expository Preaching” in Rediscovering Expository Preaching, ed. John MacArthur, Jr. (Dallas: Word, 1992), 12-13; John S. McClure, “Expository Preaching,” in Concise Encyclopedia of Preaching, ed. William H. Willimon and Richard Lischer (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 1995), 131; Stephen F. Olford, Annointed Expository Preaching (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1998), 69; Haddon W. Robinson, Biblical Preaching: the Development and Delivery of Expository Sermons (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1980), 20; Merril F. Unger, Principles of Expository Preaching (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1955), 33; Faris Whitesell, Power in Expository Preaching (Old Tappan, NJ: Revell, 1963), vii. [2] This understanding of creativity is particularly appropriate to rhetoric, but the definition is applicable to any craft. [3] For one of the most helpful lists of hermeneutic principles for preaching see William D. Thompson, Preaching Biblically (Nashville: Abingdon, 1981), 45-77. [4] This distinction between creativity and the power of observation in the study of a text may seem arbitrary. However, the point here is that the scientific analysis in the preacher’s exegetical work is for the purpose of gathering data, not reshaping it. It aims at understanding rather than personal expression. [5] Though most homileticians call for this clear sentence stating the sermon idea (or textual idea), most do not specify how this sentence is to be written. For the method described here, see Wayne McDill, The 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1994), 80-94. [6] A serious weakness of narrative preaching is seen in that many of its proponents want to avoid communicating theological ideas propositionally. See Charles L. Rice, Interpretation and Imagination: the Preacher and Contemporary Literature (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1970), 61-66; Eugene L. Lowry, Doing Time in the Pulpit: the Relationship Between Narrative and Preaching (Nashville: Abingdon, 1985), 11-28. [7] Alan H. Monroe, Principles and Types of Speech, 4th ed. (Chicago: Scott, Foresman, 1949), 307-57. Later editions with multiple authors continue to present this formula prominently [8] See H. Grady Davis, Design for Preaching (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1958), 242-252. |