You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat 6.19.2025

     Sunday was Father’s Day. I went home after worship, took a wee nap and then looked for a movie to watch. I had already titled this week’s essay, in keeping with the “Movie lesson” theme chosen for the month of June. And against all odds I discovered that it is the 50th anniversary of the movie Jaws. Of course I watched it. Same movie, same thrills and chills. Same issues. Same shark, victims, and fishermen. 

    There is a point in the shark hunt where, when chumming the water with bloody fish parts, that chief Brody comes face to face with the star of the show. The shark surfaces and threateningly bares his teeth. Backing into the cabin of the fishing boat Brody, in a wide-eyed stupor mutters to Captain Quint; “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Though this line fits perfectly into the plot of the movie, foreshadowing the ultimate fate of the boat as the shark eats his way through the craft to get to the sailors, it has resonance in many other areas of life. And yes, as you might guess, my purpose is to apply it to the process of preparing and delivering sermons. 

    There will be times when the job seems far bigger than your ability to execute. Texts will seem obscure, the words will not flow, thoughts will not align, and at final glance, your message cannot be fixed regardless of how diligently you edit it. Beyond preparation there will be external, congregational, and personal circumstances that impinge on the process, leaving you short of time or energy for this, your most important work. Your eyes will glaze, you’ll back into the cabin, look at Captain Quint and mutter “I’m gonna need a bigger boat.” 

    Well then, if you are ahead of your work, it’s Monday and you have plenty of time to get your Sunday sermon into shape. What to do? Where to start? How to proceed? Here are some suggestions.

1. Reread past work. Your previous work on this text, previous sermons you preached from it, and your notes from preparing your sermon calendar. It is possible you have overlooked something or let a particular planned emphasis slip your mind. 

2. Sequence this sermon with last weeks and next weeks. Read them together. Read them in light of one another. When you constructed your plan, you surely had an idea how this would all work. 

3. Go back through the lexical, grammatical, and syntactical details. Not for golden nuggets or magical insights but to “chum the water” and get your brain working through the text. 

4. What’s the goal? Jaws is not a movie about shark observation, or shark ecology. Jaws is a movie about killing a man-eater! It is a quest movie. There is adventure and camaraderie. There is flight, fright, and ultimate vindication. Movies have plots, sermons have “propositions” or main ideas. Is it possible that you have designed a structure which does not explore and expand your plot?

    Perhaps the bigger boat you need to write clearer, more compelling sermons may not be a new boat at all. Maybe you just need to master all the tools available to you in the boat you are already in. In the movie there appeared to be a clear disconnect between the tools needed and the tools available. The shark was killed and the quest brought to a successful close using only the tools already available. I am convinced that there are times that we think our tools are inadequate when they are not. Sometimes we are looking for a bigger boat when what we need is to do a better job of using the boat we have. 

    Strap into the fighting chair. Make sure that you’re focused on your line. Understand what your purpose is and follow a plan of execution. You may need to shift tactics or reimagine how to use a specific tool, and you may find that failure leads to ultimate success. You don’t need a bigger boat. You need to work on being a better captain.