Connecting to the Past and Present 6.25.2026

     I have been preaching long enough that when I begin a new sermon series—as a part of the initial research phase, I will browse through and skim my previous work on the texts for that series. My preaching from the Gospel of John this year consists of three distinct passes through the book. I think I have mentioned this before—just trying to get y’all up to speed. My first pass ended at Easter with the resurrection. The second pass begins next week, and it will focus on the “I am” passages and other texts that deal more directly with the divinity of Jesus. 

    This week I continue the transition back to “full-time” work on Johannine materials. And it begins with my old sermons along with all the persevered research behind entire series and individual sermons that I have preached over the last 30-40 years. Some of those years had a single theme and the arc of those messages and how texts were applied moved a different direction from my planned approach for the rest of this year. Still this review period is increasingly necessary and can be very fruitful. 

    It’s not just a matter of avoiding repetition. Sometimes the yearly trajectory required me to exegete larger passages of scripture. In revisiting those old sermons, I routinely find that the exegesis was adaptable to other concepts and applications. Often each section of a previous sermon could be reedited, reframed, and expanded into a differently applied message. 

    To reap the benefit, you gotta do the work. In this case the work is a matter of connecting your past work to the present. And that is only possible if you have been diligent in recording, filing, and organizing your work. Rules and tools. We can’t live without them. Here is some brief advice regarding choosing your tools and following your own rules. 

Document Properly

    Write down everything. DATE the pages in your notebook, journal, or Word Processing program! If you do a good job of documenting your work you will be able to look at your dated, outlined, thorough notes and get your bearing. If you don’t date, don’t write down Bibliographic information, don’t attribute quotations, and clearly label your own reflections and musings how in the world will you keep things straight?

    Why do so much work that is simply swept away when you are finished? Why invest your time in digging so deeply only to abandon the wells after they are dug? Work hard for the treasure you have and then leverage it by leaving a properly documented paper trail. (FYI...I’m going to call it a “paper trail” even though for many of us there is little to no paper involved).

File Intelligently

    The basis of your filing system should be simple. Do not make it any harder than it needs to be. Be intentional. Create a system and follow it. Yes, modern computers are fast, and you can let the computer do much of the work and simply use the search function to find things. You use the tool. Use it your way. Leverage the power of the systems you use to work more efficiently and effectively—but own your own work.

    I think it is best at the root level to file chronologically. You may occasionally move some things around or make duplicates of documents, or need to keep a few (minimal, please) items on your computer desktop, but at the highest level keep things simple. By filing chronologically at the top-most level, then appropriately by ministry area as needed you will save yourself time and, following the analogy of traditional analog filing systems, you will have like materials clustered together.  

Differentiate Work Product from Deliverables

    People will hear or read your sermon live or via a streaming medium. At some point in the future, you will be doing what I’m doing now, reviewing your past work to see how it can impact what lies ahead head. You will thank yourself for leaving a quality paper trail that you can easily follow to reconstruct your work, reconfigure your writing, and recycle your research. 

    That means you need to differentiate your work product from your deliverables. This not is not a common description we use to describe our work process or the varied outputs for writing sermons. Yet they are very applicable. Reading notes, scribblings, sketching, and personal asides provide a very personal and messy perspective on the creative process. As we move through multiple drafts we leave behind usable material for the future. No one wants to or should need to read that material unless and until your biographer is recounting your intellectual journey! Just for the sake of argument, let’s leave that aside and agree that each of us leaves a lot of material lying around as we work. Some winds up on the “cutting room floor. Some is immediately repurposed into other ongoing projects. Some of it just piles up on analog or digital desktop You and I write words, edit sentences, mull over paragraphs, and draft entire sermons that no one ever hears. But that material is still valuable to you. When you file, as you complete your final manuscript make sure that you can follow the trail. 

    We preach and teach the story of Jesus to increase His Church and to guide and strengthen disciples. This important task requires the best of our attention and energy. A lifetime of this work is challenging and exciting. Good work habits help us remain focused and productive while laying a foundation for sermons and lessons to come. A simple process for preserving all our work, from first notes to final manuscript is a growing resource for productivity and peace of mind.