Horsing Around Essay for 8.20.2026

     Preaching connects people with God through the clear, accurate teaching of Scripture. While all preaching should be accurate and strive for clarity, the connecting part is where we often run aground. 

    There are a couple of reasons. First, some preachers sacrifice clarity for connection. They are all about the congregations preconceived notions of spirituality, culturally derived identity markers, or psychologically satisfying distractions. We’re not talking about that sort of preaching. It is so anchored in the audience and its perceived needs that it is virtually impossible for it to be Biblically clear and accurate. There are many things in Scripture that are opaque and many things in Scripture that challenge our self-understanding. This sort of preaching may grow churches, but it doesn’t result in maturing disciples. 

    A second issue is preaching that never thinks about the congregation at all.  It is so accurate that clarity becomes difficult if not impossible. It fails to translate the realities of the ancient text into manageable categories of the contemporary world. 

    Neither of these scenarios produces connection which often results in a Shakespearian tragedy or a Kafkaesque comedy. Some church “leaders” even wonder if the time for preaching is past. The problem is that the thing they question isn’t really preaching. It leaves out the purpose of the endeavor in the first place; connection. 

    Our question then, is how do we bridge this gap? How do we make a connection with our listeners when they have both eyes on phone, tablet, or computer? How do we get a hearing amid the cacophony of contemporary society? The quick answer? You’re going to have to get better. The long answer? I’m glad you asked.

    Let’s consider the question before us using the metaphor of horses. I like horses. I watch a lot of horse racing. There is nothing more beautiful than the moment when a Thoroughbred racehorse begins to reach forward, pins its ears, and extend its neck to attain full speed. That is but one kind (we’re not focused on breeds) of horse. And when it comes to preaching, it is the first of several poor models. Consider the following “stable” if you will. Some of these horses should be permanently put out to pasture if we wish to truly improve our preaching. 

Racehorses

    There are some preachers who see the study as a racecourse. They enter the starting stalls (perpetually worried about more important things in their ministry, as if ministry had more important tasks than preaching) chomping at the bit to work as fast as they possibly can to complete the course. They want to get that sermon done ASAP.  In this case, finishing should not mean fast, it should mean best possible. 

    Racehorse preachers write sermons so fast that they have no time for editing, redrafting, reframing, rethinking, or reconsidering anything. Racehorse preachers perpetually preach first drafts and work from a vocabulary limited by their haste. 

    It takes time to connect with culture. It takes time to understand what is going on in the world. It takes careful observation to grasp the real problems amid the articulated complaints of the modern world. It can’t be done quickly. Every sermon is different but each one draws upon our entire life’s experience to frame it and tint it with color. Racehorse preaching is so intent on finishing that the jockey (I apologize for mixing the metaphor) flails away frantically when, as they say, the horse has come off the bit. 

    We need to retire the Racehorse. We don’t finish our sermon first among our tasks of the week because it is of least (or secondary) importance but because it is the most important task of the week and deserves our best energy. We need stamina to make many passes through the text cutting, trimming, adding, editing, and refining the message so that the message given to us by God’s Holy Spirit reflects the tale told in the text impacting the story in the pew. 

High Horses

    Too many preachers have a list of materials they won’t read, places they won’t go, movies they won’t see, or restaurants where they won’t eat. Generally, this self-selected intellectual ghetto is the result of the next kind of horse—the High Horse. And as you might guess my advice is simple. Dismount. If possible, take it out back and forever release it into the wild. If absolutely necessary, put it down. The preacher who begins his work by declaiming all the things she won’t do, places he won’t, go books he won’t read, or music she won’t listen to--needs to take a good, hard look at a little thing called…the Gospels.

    Read everything. Even what makes you uncomfortable. Listen to a wide variety of music. When you hear a song that strikes you as odd or even culturally significant listen to it intently, google the artist, find out where they are coming from. Go into interesting, unique stores and boutiques that cater to tastes different than yours. Cinema, streaming platforms, social media, comedians, are other cultural bell-weathers. If you don’t know where the culture is, what the pressure points are, what specific issues are becoming sinfully debilitating how will you address the culture and say what it needs to hear?

Generally High Horses are either excuses or disguises. 

Hobby Horses

    The next threat is the Hobby Horse. These are the topics, themes, tropes, or concepts that we use so frequently that we beat them—even after the horse is dead. Hobby Horses are often stabled alongside racehorses and high horses. Hobby horses distract us from exegetical and hermeneutical heavy lifting and astute cultural observation. 

    There are many important truths in Scripture. People need to know them all, but some need to be better known than others. A couple of years ago I preached a book sermon from the Song of Solomon. I announced to the congregation that I’d not likely ever preach from that book again. Yes, it’s Scripture, but there are more essential truths to be covered in my limited remaining time.  Choose wisely where you will focus. Make sure that your life’s work is not a mere list of Hobby Horses that you can’t get off your mind. 

    The best antidote to saddling up Hobby Horses is to preach exegetical, expository preaching. If you want to take a more topical approach to your broader calendar, fine just make sure you are always operating “text-egetically” explaining and applying the clear meaning of scripture. Most Hobby Horse preaching begins with the congregation and what it “might need.” When you begin with the text it will determine the emphasis. 

Plow Horses

    What we really need is plow horses. They are not as sleek as racehorses, require more depth than high horses, have greater impact than hobby horses. Plow horses work. Plow horses are harnessed up to get the job done. They may move slowly but they are efficient and effective. 

    Generally, plow horses, after a few years know the job so well that they don’t need lots of direction. They saddle themselves up (It’s a metaphor for crying out loud!) and get to work. They recognize that some fields require different levels of work than others. They are not offended or frightened by diverse kinds of work because they know that is simply how the world is. Plow horses bend the neck, waste little energy, and get the job did. 

    What the Church needs right now are plow horses. Racehorses, High Horses, and Hobby Horses are all varieties of prima donnas. They are more focused on self than service. They have many definitions of failure and are risk averse. Plow horses have no pride. They just work. 

    The scenario I am sketching here is not only a full-time job—it’s your life. Preachers are always grazing for material. We are always looking for solid, contemporary, culturally relevant connections. That means we need our ears and eyes to be attuned to the culture.