PREACHING THE WEEK OF A NATIONAL TRAGEDY

From Sam Rainer comes this timely post:

Our hearts break for the people of Boston. It’s a tragedy we all feel. Like me, I am assuming you are captivated by the unfolding events of this story. Our church set aside time last Wednesday to pray for churches in Boston. No one questioned why, even though my congregation had no personal connection to the pastors or churches. In silent agreement we all prayed corporately.

Last week I reworked my sermon to address the Gosnell trial. This week I am addressing the Boston bombings. While not every story in the 24-hour news cycle deserves attention in the pulpit, I believe these tragedies warrant the collective attention of my church. Some local tragedies become national tragedies affecting the ethos of an entire nation. It’s rare to address two tragedies in two weeks, but it is important to do so. I believe every pastor in every pulpit should discuss these tragedies. Here’s why.

National tragedies can arouse fear in the people of your community. A gloomy anxiety can cloud a community, even one far removed from the tragedy geographically. My church is in Cookeville, TN, and though our town was not shaken in the same way as Boston, we still felt the horror. Some events simply transcend geography. Don’t let geographic distance be the reason for not preaching about the tragedy in your local pulpit. The tone of leadership helps determine the tone of culture, especially in times of crisis. It’s the same in your church. Your tone in the pulpit will help shape the tone of your congregation.

The people in your congregation need to hear their local pastor’s response to a national tragedy. TV interviews with experts are not enough for your people. The president’s speech (if given) is not the same as the spiritual response of a local pastor. In a time of crisis—national or local—people are hungry for leadership. Ignoring the gravity of something like the Boston bombings only adds to the weight people feel. Most likely, the people in your church this Sunday will expect you to speak to the tragedy. If you neglect the issue in the pulpit, then you risk confusing people. These types of tragedies create a need to dialogue about them. Avoiding the tragedy in the pulpit is tantamount to not giving food to a starving person before sharing the gospel. The distinction is merely one of emotional or physical; either way people are starving for a response.

In our digital age, people need the personal interaction of a local pastor. The instantaneous nature of news means most of your people are expecting a response this week. It’s a cultural expectation. To be culturally relevant pastors must be quick in their responses. Any person can get every detail available about these tragedies. Graphic scenes are accessible to the casual Internet reader. An overabundance of information assaults us through the cable box. We ask for it, and we get every bit and byte in raw form. The mind becomes numb to the never-ending “breaking” news. The best place to unthaw frozen emotions is through the life and work of the local church. This process should obviously happen in small group settings, but it also needs to occur in larger worship settings. What the pastor speaks to in the pulpit validates and reinforces what occurs in small groups. Don’t leave the burden of discussing tragedy to your small group leaders. Guide everyone in your church through a national tragedy by addressing it in your sermon.

Again, not every news story warrants time in your sermon. The evil of Gosnell and the evil of the Boston bombings, however, must be addressed. As a leader, you are a part of the healing process. It’s a critical function of spiritual leadership. The power of the pulpit must be used to demonstrate how what fallen people mean for evil God can use for good.

HOW MUCH TIME SHOULD A PASTOR SPEND PREPARING A SERMON?

This is from an excellent blog by Charles Stone

How much time should a pastor spend preparing a sermon?

Recently I watched a video where a rather famous pastor answered that question. His response, "I study and read all the time and it takes me about one to two hours to put a sermon together."

Yikes! When I heard that I felt guilty because there's no way I can prepare a sermon that quickly. I'm sure this pastor's heart was right, but I wish he had qualified himself more. I doubt very many of us are that speedy.

In Haddon Robinson's book, Biblical Sermons, he wrote that experienced preachers he surveyed spent an average of 16 hours preparing. That sounds more like it to me. That's probably my average and I've been preaching for 25 years.

So, how much time should you spend? It depends.

It depends on...

1. how long you've been in ministry. If you been in ministry several years, you have a backlog of study material. If you haven't you will probably need to set aside more study time. I did in my early ministry years.


2. how well you've kept your previous study notes, sermons, and materials upon which to refer back


3. how well you manage your time


4. what's happening around you. Sometimes unexpected family and ministry demands arise that require our time that we other wise would have spent on sermon prep. No need to wallow in guilt when that happens


5. your personality...some pastors have the gift of gab and can 'make up stuff on the fly' :), some of us don't; some personalities require the preacher to process what he wants to say more thoroughly

Here are a few thoughts to consider as you answer this question for yourself.

1. Schedule your study and prep time during your best, most alert hours.


2. Set reasonable expectations. An hour or two is too little time for most just as 35 hours is probably too much


3. Use computer tools readily available. I own a Mac and use both Accordance and Logos. I rarely use paper books. These tools have made my study time more efficient.


4. Trust God to use your faithful preparation. Seldom do ministry demands allow us to study as much as we'd like. We must do our best and trust the Holy Spirit to fill in the gaps.