The communion devotional sermon that I gave yesterday (which is more like a sermonette- 25-30 mins), is not the typical schedule a pastor would face (hopefully). Here's some beginning differences:
I have a separate full time job I was out of town for wedding #7/8 I had a long time to think about the text to choose- and complete freedom in choosing it I can run function on low amounts of sleep for a week So there are some pros and cons of the above list, obviously having a separate full time job is a con, as well as being out of town. I feel that to do a decent expository sermon, I need 20 hours- which I find is similar for most pastors who do a 45 minute sermon that really gets into the text. However, the other side of this is that I'm not preparing sermons every week, so I had a long time to think about which text to choose (about 2 months). If I was smart, I would have picked out my text and chewed on the bits for 2 months, but, alas, I am a big procrastinator, and did some "chewing" the week before, with most of crafting being done the week leading up to the sermon. I picked a verse that I went through with my Bible Study a few months ago, so the exegetical spadework was pretty much finished, I just needed to make it a sermon. But anyhoo, here's the verse:
This saying is trustworthy and deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am foremost I narrowed that down to just the "trustworthy saying": Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
And here's how my schedule went:
Monday
Thought about some illustrations and major points. I actually ended up with three: Who Jesus is, what He does, who we are. Started an outline.
Tuesday
Didn't have much time to work on anything of significance, except for the gnawing feeling in the back of my brain. Messed with the outline- put some flesh on the bones. I typically write a semi-full manuscript, so I started plugging some pieces that I already studied up on.
Wednesday
Adding a little bit more meat, but starting to get worried of my progress (or lack thereof).
Thursday
Massive writer's block. Watched some interviews on the Resevoir Dogs DVD. Started to watch some of the commentary, but it was horrible, so decided to watch the movie. I stopped it every now and then to write a bit.
Friday
Lots of progress made. I basically finish the sermon, and even have time to run through it a few times out loud, and try it a few times at church.
Saturday
I was out of town until 10:30 p.m., and instead of going home, went directly to the church to add some final touches, and get more familiar with the sermon itself. I changed more than I thought I was going to, and added the best illustration of the sermon that night as well. I ran through it a couple of times and even though it was late (2:30 a.m.) I was happy to have been at church to work on it.
Sunday
Got up a three hours before church and finished highlighting and marking my manuscript. I went through it (mostly to bolster my confidence) and was feeling good. At church, I felt at ease, and was generally happy with it. I felt, because of the time crunch, I was relying too much on the paper in front of me. On the whole, though, I believe God's Word was being explained in a way that many could understand and I hope that it affected and got through to people. |
