During the Southeastern Synod Convocation, I went to a workshop given by the former bishop of the Synod, Julian Gordy. He offered an approach to Bible study/interpretation/sermon prep that seemed very helpful, so I want to preserve it here.
He began by telling us that if we hear something in a text that sounds weird, we should be assured that everyone else will too. So when we preach on the text, we might as well address it head on. Much of our workshop was spent exploring the text for the coming Sunday, Matthew 22: 1-14. It's the text where the king who invites people to a wedding feast, and reacts harshly to the indifference of the intended guests.
Bishop Gordy told us his approach to a Bible text:
--Read the text and ask what it meant what it was written.
--Try to answer this question: what does it mean?
--Read the text and ask, "What is the text calling us to do today?"
My preaching professor gave a similar approach, and I was happy to be reminded of it. I particularly like that last question, and perhaps I spend too much time with it. It's good to be reminded of the other steps.
No comments:
Post a Comment