Why I showed a bunch of non-preachers how you prepare a sermon

Meditation.

Investigation.

Reflection.

These are the steps I took a group of young adults through last night.

In short, we went through the process that you’d go through in order to write a sermon.

Meditation: Think deeply and slowly about the text. Note anything that jumps out, surprises or raises questions.

Investigation: Research the details of the passage and delve into some of the things raised as you meditated on the passage. Use resources of various types and depths.

Reflection: Write out your thoughts. Make connections. Draw out application. Share your thoughts with others.

Obviously, I won’t be delivering a sermon on Sunday based upon the passage we dealt with last night.

No one in the room will be.

But, in going through the process, it exposes those present to the steps a preacher will undergo and, more importantly, arm them with an effective method to deeply interact with a bible passage.