Creative Homiletics - Term Paper Example

College Introduction Homiletics refers to the application of general principles of oratory to the particular department of public preaching. An individual who practices homiletics is known as a homilist. Homiletics therefore, refers to the process of composing and delivering a religious discourse or a sermon. This process generally involves all forms of preaching and can be classified further as the study of analyzing, classifying, preparing, composing and delivering sermons. Preaching which is the process that is mainly carried out by Homilists is the act f communicating truth to other individuals in the society. It is a calling that is considered to be the most important one since it outdoes all the other earthly responsibilities. It is a sacred undertaking as it involves proclaiming the word of God to other people. There are certain goals that preachers usually have concerning the members of their congregation. One of them is to see individuals being transformed into the image of God. This is mainly because the teachings from the bible have rules and regulations that were written down by those who were inspired by God. In short it means that it is God himself who wrote the Bible. This therefore, gives a clear impression that those who follow the rules in the Bible are like God. The other goal is to make sure that the listeners may end up obtaining wisdom that during the end times they may be presented perfect in the eyes of God. The teachings in the bible aim at molding individuals to make them live holy lives so that they can avoid hell in the second coming of Jesus. The preachers in this case, are used as vessels of the Lord to make sure that they proclaim the news to people so that individuals may prepare themselves for the second coming of Jesus, to go to heaven with Him. To lead people and to save them from hell is another goal that preachers have for their members. Teachings in the bible discourage practicing things that are not pleasing to the eyes of the Lord. This means that God intends his people to live holy lives and He uses preachers as messengers so that they can pass on this message to the entire world. The listeners are expected to follow the teachings they are offered for them to avoid hell and live eternally with Jesus after his second coming. In the current society, there are individuals who still do not understand the meaning of bible teachings. In such cases, preachers are expected to make them do away with the wrong mentality of bible teachings. To make this possible, preachers have to do away with the wrong motives for preaching so that they can be effective. Some of the wrong motives for preaching include: 1. Not for a profession. 2. Not because of possession of good speaking skills. 3. Not to make cash. 4. Not to be given the praise of man. 5. Not to have it because it is an honorable position. 6. Not to be like somebody else. 7. Not to cut somebody up. There are various ways of undertaking the homiletic process in that there are various ways in which a preacher has to preach. This means that it is not an option but preachers have to follow these procedures. Preachers do not convey their religious messages with their own wisdom but with the power of God. Preachers are guided by the Holy Spirit to convey messages direct from God and not what they think the message should be. Here they usually speak in the common language of man and not with enticing words. They do not use enticing words because they do not aim at making the listeners believe what they come up with but what they are directed to preach. Homilists usually deliver sermons a guided by the Holy Spirit. This means they convey information as delivered to them by the Spirit of the Lord and that is why they are referred to as the vessels of God. During their times of preaching, this homiletics practice can result to success and at times it may result to death. The reason behind this is that there are times where the congregation conquers with the message being delivered and there are times when some individuals do not conquer.1 When the members of the congregation conquer with the message, some of those among them who are not born again may end up giving their lives to Christ. This is one result showing success for the work of God through the preacher. Those who do not conquer with the message may end up causing chaos which might result to death. An example in the bible is when John the Baptist and Stephen died for preaching the good news. Homilists usually face challenges in their calling meaning their calling needs individuals who are courageous enough to face the congregation and speak the truth without fear. Sermons are usually divided into three parts: The introduction, body of the message and the conclusion. Looking at the introduction, it is always accurate as it points to the main sermon. The purpose of accuracy is to avoid misleading the listeners. When a preachers starts, the introduction usually makes the listeners to have that urge of listening to the rest of the message. This introduction part also leads the listeners to feel that the message about to be delivered has an answer to some personal needs. The introduction part is generally the most articulate part of the whole sermon. This part of the sermon is made complete by the following points which most of the preachers usually follow: Read out the scriptures to make sure that they fit the message A short public prayer asking God for guidance and to help the listeners get the message. Repeating the theme of the message loud and clear for about three times. Brief introduction of the subject to give clarity without wasting time in the pulpit.2 I Corinthians 14:10-12, “There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.” Preachers generally build up the church and not confuse them. This is what is expected of each one of them. The body of the sermon entails the skeleton part regarding the subject led by the Holy Spirit. Some of the skeleton outlines include: 1. Pointed message Most of the messages from God through preachers require many points so that the message can be driven home. Some of these messages include: ways to handle finances, how to have happy families, how to interpret the scriptures, the possibilities of faith among other broad messages that require many points. 2. One great truth Preachers always stress their messages making sure that they give a whole sermon but drive the main point home. In this case there are there things that are taken into consideration so that the main point can come out in the whole sermon. These issues are: commitment, duty and compassion. With these three attitudes by the preachers, they are able to make effective changes in lives of the listeners because of their reachable messages. 3. Alliteration This refers to the repetition of the first initial letter in a sentence. An example in the Holy Bible is in Titus 2:14- “Salvation, Sanctification, Service.” Another illustration is in the book of Ephesians 5:18-21- “Signing, Satisfaction, Submission.” 4. Acrostic These are words that are formed form the first letters of other words in a sentence. Examples are: Forsaking All I Trust Him God’s Resources At Christian Experiences God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense The second aspect in conveying effective message in a sermon is to add a bit of meat to the skeleton part. 1. Definition of terms In this case, preachers use definition of words for better understanding by the listeners. They consult the dictionaries to have all the meanings necessary for the complex words since it cannot be assumed that all the listeners understand every word used in the sermon. “So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.” (Nehemiah 8:8). 2. Illustrations These illustrations used in sermons for better understanding include a. Individual illustration b. Borrowed ones from sources like books. c. Using persons in the Bible that give clear impression for the points. d. Information pertaining to the theme from archeology, history and encyclopedias. e. Including stories that make a point. 3. Poems and Hymns Hymns or poems that fit to the theme are used or more illustration of the main point in the message. 4. Practical aspects Preachers do not leave the listeners to figure it out for themselves rather they give explanation to everything. The last part of the sermon is the conclusion part. This is where the preacher tells the congregation what was there in the main preaching. This is meant to remind the listeners what the message was all about reading out the key points once more and briefing them. At this point it is the summary that is made and not the whole sermon being preached again.3 Before getting a message from God to deliver to the listeners, there are some questions that preachers ask themselves to know whether they are in perfect position to deliver God’s message and will to the people. These questions are: i. Is the message originally from God through communicating with the Holy Spirit? ii. Have I prayed for the sermon? iii. Have I used common sense? iv. Have I learnt that individuals need to know what an about to deliver? v. What message can I convey to encourage people to do the right things? vi. What do I have to give in the form of milk and meat?4 These are some of the messages that run in the minds of preachers because they aim at making sure that they do not give wrong information to the listeners. It is a sacred calling which requires individuals who are ready to convey holy messages from God because it is all about the spiritual life. These situations give a clear impression that preachers commit themselves fully to their calling because the work of God requires dedication and commitment. Sermons delivered by preachers are of different types basing on various situations and occasions of nature. These types are: Based on a word. This is a sermon which is as a result of studying about something Based on topics. This involves choosing specific topics to teach about. The topics may include: How to receive revival How to live happy life How to show love to God Based on doctrine. They include: Theology Proper- God, Soteriology- salvation, Christology-Jesus Christ, Eschatology- end times and Bibiology- The Bible Based on characters. The characters in this case are those that are in the Bible for example, Lot, Peter and James. Based on the book of the Bible. This is where a preacher delivers information basing on the Holy books in the Bible, thought by thought following the chapters. Based on occasions. Occasions in this case may include: Weddings and funerals Easter celebrations. New Years day Christmas day Independence day Conclusion God intends to use his vessels who are the preachers to pass to messages to the people. Preachers re therefore, expected to commit themselves and work for the Lord faithfully. In the contemporary society there are many individuals who refer to themselves as preachers yet they have not been called.5 This is a calling which requires individuals who are Spirit filled and know they are called to do undertake homiletics. It is not a task which any other person can be part of if not through calling. Recommendation Individuals who engage in homiletics or aspire to be preachers in future have to take some things into consideration. First of all they have to know that the Bible is alive and that they should not make it dead. In this case, they are not supposed to deliver boring sermons but lively and inspiring ones. The main reason to deliver sermons is to make other individuals know more about the teachings of the bible and make them understand how to abide by the rules therein. To make them understand all the rules and regulations in the bible, the preachers should therefore be lively so that the listeners may develop interest in the message being delivered to them. The other thing is that preaches should make certain that they stay on the subject matter. This means that they should teach and focus on the theme of teaching. This is to make sure that they do not go off on rabbit trails because such issues will make the listeners to lose interest and will not grasp the main teachings of the sermon. The main aim is to make listeners understand all the teachings and deviating from the main themes of teachings will make the listeners not to benefit as expected. There are denominations whereby when giving sermons, the members of the congregation are allowed to give their contributions. This all depends on the denomination where the sermon is being delivered. In such denominations, preachers should task their time and give the members of the congregation enough time to make their comments. In this case, the preachers involved should know what times they have to give their sermon and when they should stop in order to give the members a chance. Generally, the preachers should be able to follow trends that will end up making it possible for listeners to understand the teachings at the end of the day. Preachers should also make certain that they follow the teachings of the bible. This is to show that they can lead the congregation in a Godly way because they are able to follow and practice what they preach. In this case, the members of the congregation will not hesitate to follow the teachings because it is clear to them that their leaders are doing the same. All in all preachers are supposed to show a good example to the members of the congregation so that these members can follow their steps and do what is expected of them. This will generally help them t abide by the rules of the bible so that they can live as God expects them to. It is also a good thing for preachers to show a good example because when they are delivering their sermons, members of the congregation tend to listen o those who practice what they teach. Homiletics is a critical issue as it involves conveying message from the spirit of God. Preachers therefore, should not preach from their own wisdom but with guidance from the Holy Spirit. They are also supposed to undertake this practice when they are filled with the Holy Spirit. This is because when they are spirit filled they are in a position to deliver the right message as they are guided rather than forming their own. It is thereby a must that the preachers give the Holy Spirit’s message and not information from their minds. Preachers are expected to be courageous. There are times when they are expected to deliver rebuking messages to the people. This can happen when the Holy Spirit guides them to deliver such messages due to issues like increase in sin. At this point it is hard for them to deliver such messages because it is the least expected by listeners. It therefore, requires individual who are courageous enough to tell the people what the Lord has said and convince them well enough that it is from the Lord. Bibliography Childers, Jana. Performance in Preaching: Bring the Sermon to Life. Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing, 2008. Henderson, David W. Culture Shift: Communicating God's Truth to Our Changing World. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998. McMickle, Marvin. Sharing the Claim: Moving from Text to Sermon. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2008. Proctor, Samuel D. How Shall They Hear: Effective Preaching for Vital Faith. Valley Forge: Judson Press, 1992. Troeger, Thomas H. Ten Strategies for Preaching in a Multimedia Culture. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996. . Read More