St Peter Preaching at Pentecost by Christopher Slatoff
I had the wonderful privilege to preach for the very first time yesterday afternoon. As part of this process I figured I would share some thoughts on my first preaching experience.
The passage I chose to preach on was 1 Peter 1:3-9.
1. It was good to be immersed in the passage all week. To be reminded daily of the living hope we have because of the resurrection and that the sufferings and trials we face are only temporary is a wonderful thing.
2. The preparation takes time. Specifically quality time. Lots of time in the passage. Followed by time with the commentary. Then thinking honestly about the needs of the people you will be preaching to. I am reminded of how one of my professors, Jay Sklar, opens each class:
Jay: Shalom class!
Class: Shalom Jay!
Jay: Start with the Bible…
Class: Not with the commentary!
Jay: Context…
Class: Is king!
3. Preaching is a humbling experience. The Word of God is so much better than anything that I could ever come up with. The goal is to start and end there and to realize that the only one who can really equip me to preach is the Lord himself.
4. Your first time is just gonna be bad. My delivery was rough at best. But I was encouraged to know that it was not uncommon.
5. I need much, much more practice. I don’t need to memorize it, reciting is bad too, but knowing my content without having to constantly check my outline or manuscript will help.
6. Write for the ear, not for the eye! I had a decent written paper, but it translated into being hard for the ear to follow. I guess I never thought about how the word ‘however’ is rarely used in everyday speech.
7. Define terms. ‘Hope’ or ‘suffering’ or ‘salvation’ can mean drastically different things to different people. Make sure you are on the same page, but don’t be pedantic about it.
8. I need to stop gripping the ‘horns’. I was holding on to that pulpit like I would drown if it wasn’t there. Hand motions it turns out can communicate alot… oh, that and more facial expression (darn nervousness!)
9. Preaching is emotionally and physically exhausting. I wrestled with the passage all week and then had the task of communicating the Word of God at the end of that… I was exhausted and famished by the time I got home.
10. Spend time on your knees! Beforehand! This should actually be #1… Praying is key before you preach.
After all that, and being subjected to watching myself on DVD afterwards, I am actually looking forward to next time.
