Discovering a Sermon: Personal Pastoral Preaching

– by Robert C. Dykstra

Dykstra’s book on sermon writing was a book that I read while I was doing my doctoral work. In my seminary training I was taught that when writing a sermon one looks for the proper illustration that speaks to the biblical text and the point that is being made. Dykstra offers a different perspective. Rather than looking for the perfect illustration, his invitation is to pay attention to what is happening in life in that moment/week. Then ask the question of how that which is happening in that moment speaks to the biblical text and/or how the biblical text speaks to what is happening in that moment. That intersection becomes a key to “discovering” the sermon that is to be preached in that moment. I find this approach to preaching a central way in which I consider the text each week.

Book Topic: Preaching