Planting, Weeding, Watering 8.31.2023

     I do not get to preach this Sunday. Grayville Days is the big event for our little town. Several days of “State-Fair food”, a parade, live bands, and vendors. Sunday is the last day, ending with fireworks and beginning with a community Church service. It’s not my turn to preach so I’m off the hook for this Sunday. 

    This is fine because I’m finishing my background studies for an extensive series from Philippians. I’ve been reading, cross-referencing, and getting ready for lots of exegetical work. Much of what I’m doing right now can be illustrated by a gardening metaphor. Planting seeds, pulling weeds, watering what is growing. This preliminary work is essential to streamlining my studies. Ministry can get out of hand. Things happen beyond our control and many claims are made on our time. Some of those claims do not consider the hard deadline(s) we face. Once again, we arrive at processes, procedures, and best practices. Either we work through our days with a plan, or the very next thing grabs our attention. Let’s think for a bit about how good habits of cultivation contribute to the end product; dynamic life-changing sermons.

Planting

    It begins with the sowing of seeds. If you follow this blog, you have heard me repeatedly blather on about Sermon Calendaring. The first seeds sown for my imminent series from Philippians went into the “soil” last October. That is when I went through my old, oily (I don’t know why and hope it is not cacogenic) GNT3 checking the paragraphing for a large exegetical series. After I worked out how long I needed to preach the entire series I added it to the calendar and worked in shorter series around it. 

    The next step was to take a cursory glance at the resources I had on hand to determine if I would need to make plans to acquire commentaries, studies, and monographs to supplement what I already had. About two months ago I began to search in earnest for additional materials. The selection of resources ended this week because at this point I have too much to even use.

    Seed planting is step number one. I need a reasonable idea of the difficulty of the exegesis. That requires me to look over my past work and assess the accuracy of my architectural work on the text. This brings us to another major step. 

Weeding

    In looking at the last time I preached through Philippians I begin the process of determining whether I am going to use any of the “produce” from the past. I need to go into those old fields and clear some of the debris that has accumulated; in this case 13 years’ worth of new resources, information, data, and thinking about NT exegesis. 

    I look at the actual exegesis, sentence flows, notes, word studies, and language analysis. Though I intend to do the work anew this time around, the exegesis is for the most part “accurate.” Next comes looking at the actual sermons. Things have changed quite a bit since 2010. Then I used a detailed outline. Now I use a manuscript. Some of the material might be useful, but I have decided that in following the general theme for the year (beginnings) I will stick as closely as possible to the title/theme for the series Completing the Work God Began. There is a point at which reworking old sermon material does not fit with the different trajectory I’m taking through the book.

    A final weeding process involves all those resources I mentioned. I have narrowed down the commentaries I intend to regularly reference in preparation for this series. Of the forty or so commentaries I have available I intend to consult eight of them regularly throughout the series. I also have a cadre of “classic” commentaries that I intend to read for their historic and sometimes still insightful remarks. 

    Next, I need to weed out some of the exegetical articles I have on specific texts. For example, I have twenty-six articles just on chapter 2.1-11. And a couple of seminal monographs on the passage. I will have to use the commentary Bibliographies to pick out the ones to read in detail. If I were writing a commentary, I would read it all. However, each week begins with Sunday and ends with Sunday. The first day of the week and the eighth, eternal day of the week. One must be ready to preach. One must be selective. One must weed the garden. I will not say everything I can say about Philippians, nor even everything I might want to say about Philippians. I will say what God has commissioned me to say in this series, at this time, in this place. I will do the work to the best of my ability and sleep every night knowing that I have been a diligent, able workman. 

Watering

    Some ideas come into the world fully formed. Sometimes when you read a text an outline leaps to your mind along with prospective illustrations. Other times ideas are anemic and in need of much attention. Those ideas require tender-loving care and a lot of water. It can seem unrewarding to spend a lot of time working through cultural or social history while preparing to preach. That is until we remember that Paul was addressing real people and that we likewise will go into the pulpit to speak for God to His people. So, we understand the people of Philippi, the culture of a Roman colony, and the nature of the Hellenistic literature of consolation all to ensure that the roots we are planting are strong enough to support durable sermons. 

    Materials read now, or weeks ago will contribute to the future harvest when the roots of my studies go deep enough to nourish my exegesis, outlining, and exposition of individual texts. The work of watering never ends because we mortals have no control over outcomes. We do control our inputs. We can irrigate the cleared fields to ensure that our work on the text enables us to think rigorously and write clearly so that we may preach with passion, and our congregation, though they hear our voice, can actually detect the voice of God in our preaching. 

Harvest

    The harvest is not really a part of the process, it is the outcome. Good sermons that teach the text, challenge those who do not believe, and encourage those who do that is our goal. What we do before Sunday morning largely determines the quality of the sermon. The ultimate outcome comes from God. Paul reminds us that our role is always subordinate to God and cooperative in nature.

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:6 ESV)

    This is not to say that we should forgo preparation and throw ourselves upon the grace of God. We plant, weed, and water as well as possible so that God’s Spirit can speak to the Spirit-led or Spirit-sensitive heart. God’s Word is powerful to save. Faithful preaching allows the Holy Spirit to engage open hearts, The Spirit in the text working with the Spirit in the believer to deepen devotion to the risen Christ. 

    There is no shortcut to harvest time. If you’re growing corn, you do the work. If you’re curing souls, you do the work. In neither case do you magically create the harvest. In both, God brings the harvest to prepared fields saturated with prayer. So be in prayer, and diligent in labor and expect God to bring blessings to His field.

Back To School 8.24.2023

The kids are back in school; so am I. My last sermon series for the year is (almost) always a detailed exegetical series from a New Testament Epistle. I alternate yearly between a Pauline epistle and one of the Catholic epistles. I try and coordinate my Gospel preaching from earlier in the year with an appropriate epistle if it is at all possible. 

Because it is late in the preaching year, I have had all year to consider what resources I will be using in studying for my upcoming series from Philippians. My overall theme for the year was Beginnings. The title of this series, in keeping with the yearly theme is Completing the Work God Began, the key verse being Philippians 1.6

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6 ESV)

    For the last two weeks, I have been scrambling for time to invest in finalizing my Bibliography and beginning my background reading. I have also spent some time going over my sermons from the last time I preached Philippians in 2010. The rest of this week will allow me to complete the reading of the introductions for the major commentaries in my analog and digital libraries as well as several key monographs in PDF form. 

    At the tail end of the detailed introductory reading, I will take the time to do some word studies for recurring terms that are significant for the structure, content, and meaning of the epistle as a whole. I will work through my preliminary hermeneutic list, reread my notes and clippings, and answer the central introductory questions for myself. At that point I will be ready for the actual exegetical work of going through each pericope, discerning what Paul said then, and what it means for us in 2023. 

    I love every part of this process. I relish every step. I have spent the last several months laying in some new resources and am enjoying the opportunity to read new scholars and engage in “debate” with new conversation partners. I have some old, cherished commentaries that I have used in the past, which are superseded by newer works with a fresh perspective. I have and will not agree with everything these authors say, but I know I will learn and grow from the experience. 

    Every preacher and teacher of scripture needs to take the opportunity to “go back to school” at least once every year. I’ve done some Old Testament preaching this summer which really stretched my understanding. My study of Ruth was more rewarding than I expected it would be when I completed my Sermon Calendar last October. So, for me, Philippians will be another deep dive into a Biblical book that I’ve preached before and presumably, know well. 

    The key to successful study is bracketing off prior knowledge and long-held assumptions so that the material can be reassessed with fresh eyes. J.B. Lightfoot’s commentaries the Epistles set the standard for technical, English-language commentaries on scripture. His commentary on Philippians is cited by every major 20th and 21st-century commentator whose Bibliography I have examined. But his work is nearly 150 years old. A good student of scripture builds upon the insights of the past by incorporating new observations from the present. Often the new commentators will arrive at the same conclusions as the predecessors, but with an entirely different line of argument. 

    Preaching that has depth is built upon a foundation of broad reading. You will not agree with everything you read! Some of the arguments of “famous” scholars are as pedantic as they are wrong. Yet we need to go to school and avail ourselves of the best data we can find to help us understand the sacred text. 

    I often find that the deeper my background work the less dependent on others I am when it comes to the actual exegesis. By far the most deeply read part of any commentary for me is the introduction. Once you know a commentator’s assumptions, much of her direction and many of her conclusions are obvious. The key is to learn how she thinks before you consider her exegesis of specific pericopes.   

    One other feature I think is helpful in reading the Pauline epistles specifically, is locating and reading secular historical materials regarding the city and region to which the epistle was originally addressed. The better commentaries will gather and review much of this material but there is nothing like reading in detail, for yourself the historical background of a city like Philippi. Some of the material will not be immediately applicable but it provides a richer context for understanding these particular people who first read the inspired words of the Apostle. 

    Enough from me then! Away to our studies that we may preach the unsearchable riches of Christ with clarity, accuracy, and power!

The Ol' Summer Break 8.17.2023

    I was able to slow down a little last week. Two consecutive weeks of camp left me tired, feeling a little sick, and a bit behind. This week has been much more “normal” (what exactly is normal for a preacher)? For me, that means lots of study. I am in week 3 of a 4-week series which gives me just over 2 weeks to do the preliminary work for an exegetical series from Philippians. I spent some time organizing and reading resources last week and that will continue for the next couple of weeks. 

    Thousands of pages to read. Reference materials and introductions to commentaries. Historical background materials, linguistic issues, and exegetically significant literature for Philippians. I try and keep the “pile” organized and go through it systematically. When it comes time to move on to individual sermon exegesis, I will leave the preliminary work behind me. 

    Back in the olden days, literature for preaching assumed that the preacher would have an entire month for his summer holiday. Can you imagine? A month for leisure and rest combined with mornings of targeted reading. While I am organizing resources it is not uncommon for me to make the comment “Wow, I understand why someone might need a research assistant.” I enjoy organizing, sequencing, and reading. Yet it would be nice to have a little help. How much more awesome would it be to spend a month away with mornings reserved for study and afternoons devoted to time with my wife!? 

    That is a 19th-century pipe dream that is never coming back. The key is to find refreshment in the daily grind of the grand work to which God has called us. I find it odd when preachers are advised to separate their “devotional” activities from their work studies. The prospective danger is that when we get too close to our work, we take it for granted and it no longer impacts our spiritual life. 

    It seems to me that what is preferable is a man who is so infected by his work that the 12 hours he spends in his study, whether in reading scripture, praying, doing detailed exegesis, preparing worship services, or attending to pastoral matters is both spiritually refreshing and productive.  

    No summer break? No problem. We are allowed, every day to study scripture. I am allowed to immerse myself in the Holy Word and given the time not only to allow it to speak to my spirit but to inform my mind so that I can communicate clearly and accurately what God says to His people. There is no better job and no more satisfying task. Take a break? From this? You must be joking! Even when “away” we should always be engaged. If you do not find refreshment in the proclamation of the Word, you might not be suited for the task.

After Action Report 8.10.2023

     I spent the last two weeks doing ministry at Oil Belt Christian Service Camp. Last week was Deeper Life Week. The week before was a group of Jr. High campers. I was blessed each week with great small groups of kids. The Jr. High kids took to memory work like they were waiting the whole summer to get a crack at it and the kids last week displayed a high level of maturity and Biblical understanding. 

    Now I’m home. It’s been a few days and I am nearly finished with my official de-briefing for the two weeks. De-briefing is a term that was originally used in a military context to describe exactly what it implies. After a mission, the commander and his subordinates walk through the completed plan and determine whether they succeeded or not and whether that success was predicated on the plan itself or some other factor such as luck or the incompetence of the adversary. 

    Ministry is not the military though good planning still pertains. When I am at camp I am not on vacation. It took preparation to get ready for camp and with modern tools lessons and sermons can be calibrated right up to the time they are delivered. I was able to field calls at camp and get bits and pieces of other work done whilst I was there, but my major focus is no ministry there, with the kids, in context. Consequently, even a good week of camp finds me behind when I return home. For this debrief there are three primary concerns

Catch-up

    When returning from any trip I’m behind on some things. The first task is to catch up. I don’t want to derail the work I need to do in my study for this week, but I want to make sure that other issues don’t fester because I failed to find the time to properly catch up.

Get in-boxes to zero.

    The first issue is to get my task list and Email in order. The task list will not likely zero out, but Email can be easily read, pertinent information filed, and pressing issues completed. Camp is ministry. I try/tried to keep up, but my email was out of control. Those full inboxes will distract me until I get/got them emptied out. There may be items that need immediate attention and those need to be turned into tasks in my task list, for Monday morning. 

Focus on this week’s preaching, teaching, and writing tasks. 

    At Oil Belt, camp ends on Saturday morning. The first thing I needed to do was the next day’s preaching, teaching, and worship tasks. That took a good couple of hours. I was already tired, and I wanted to ensure that I did not miss anything, so I took my time. Due to circumstances out of my control, I did not get the last draft of my sermon done until that Saturday afternoon shift. I finished it first, glanced at Sunday School, and got prepared to lead songs. 

    Because I have a good system, I did the most pressing things first and then hastened home to get some rest. I knew that the first part of the week would be busy so I staged my Sunday afternoon and Monday morning tasks so that I could hit the ground running. 

Check-up

     Is there anything pressing from a pastoral perspective? Do I need to contact someone? Twenty years ago, I might have had to hit the phone to find out. With modern communications, I was never out of the loop. I was able to monitor communications while away, so the process of doing a quick check-up did not take very long.

    Additionally, since the next day after my return was Sunday, I was going to see and hear what was happening from Sunday worship.  It is easy to complain about modern communications technology, but it certainly simplifies staying connected with people at home when I’m away. 

Follow-up

    Working camp is a terrific opportunity to meet new people and reconnect with people I already know. One of the things I want to do is make sure that I can contact people from camp in the coming year. (This is the only part of the process that I have not finished as of posting this essay). 

    There are kids from camp who I want to track. (Particularly those who have decided to pursue full-time ministry or who have demonstrated a disposition for full-time ministry). I spent a day on Facebook and looking at phone numbers to organize that information in my contact management apps. I was unable to find everyone, and it may be a week or more before I can integrate the information and make contact. 

    Part of the process is securing permission from parents/guardians and specific items for future discussion. It is important that adults in authority positions not only communicate with teens who may have an interest in ministry but that their parents clearly understand who I am, how I met their child, and what kinds of communication I intend to maintain. 

    Finally, there are ministry colleagues I want to stay connected with. I have been blessed over the years by meeting countless people who preach or teach far away from me. Camp is a lot of work, but it is also refreshing. We have the opportunity to connect and reconnect with colleagues who will enrich our lives and ministries for years to come. 

    Anything we do is worth doing well. A good plan can always be made better by assessing its impact on the work. Camp is about changing lives. Some respond to the Gospel for the first time and there is nothing more satisfying than watching a camp Baptism. Others choose full-time Christian service. That’s also gratifying because guys like me--are getting a little long in the tooth.