So before I finished high school, I learned by constant practice the elements of constructing a speech. It sounds so elementary – the speech has a beginning, middle, and end – and, most important of all, it has only one topic sentence. Exactly the same rules apply as to writing an essay in English class. (By now I can already hear the murmurs from readers: Why didn’t MY pastor learn that?)
The introduction both gains the attention of the hearers, and announces the topic. The middle part broadens the topic, using standard techniques – examples, comparison and contrast, putting it in a context, etc. And the conclusion re-focuses the theme, leaving the hearers with one clear, easy to remember point. Simple, simple, simple – “tell them what you’re going to say, say it, then remind them what you said, and sit down.” It amazes me how so many preachers ignore that. While it sounds simple in theory to “stick to the topic,” it actually takes great discipline and practice.
oCath of sienar
intoro- distracting; jokes
omystery – long – is it good?
when I was sitting down; NO when YOU were coming to church == examples
HOMILY
The role of repetition is a key one – how and when to repeat a point. Rarely do people pay attention to something until they have heard it repeated two or three times. Advertisers are totally aware of this. So it is important to CLEARLY state the theme AT LEAST three times. Don’t make the people work more than necessary! But timing is everything. The most memorable parts of a sermon are the beginning and the end – that is why it is so important to clearly state the theme at the beginning and the end.
ojohn 6 – did I do it?
EXAMPLE??
“Begin at the beginning; go on to the end, then stop”
