Preaching for Me!

Yesterday morning I started a graduate class that I’m auditing.  Let me first say, I am not used to sitting through four-hour classes on a Saturday morning, that’s for sure!  It does give me empathy and understanding for Jonathon and all the time he spends in class and outside studying.  I admit, sometimes I think that Jon sitting in class all day is easy, but it truly isn’t.  So, it’s good that I get to experience a little bit of his life through this class.  The class is called Preaching for Partners and is great for men or women who’s spouse is in seminary and they also want to learn how to prepare a sermon, a devotional, or give a testimony to a group of people.  Also, it will help me learn how to properly critique a sermon so when Jon asks for feedback I can say more than, "That was great, honey."  I can both encourage him and hopefully have something insightful or reflective to share as well.  Yesterday, we talked a lot about how the Trinity spoke to and through people and how we can do the same in Christ.  Then the rest of the time we talked about the many steps in preparing a sermon (14 to be exact as the professor has laid out).  Then within these 14 steps are tasks to refine each step.  I am a person who does really well with outlines, so I was happy to see this great outline ready for me to dive into.  All I need now is a passage, which I am still praying and looking for.  For this class, it's easiest to pick a passage that has been speaking to me lately, but it happens to Psalm 118.  I know that the Old Testament is hard to preach from, but I'm learning that poetry with a lot of Hebrew that I would have to dive into may not be the best pick for my sermon.  Since I need my outline completed in two weeks, I'll be looking and praying quite a bit.  To be honest, I really am not too nervous to preach in front of the class, I think being a teacher helps this aspect.  I am a little concerned about making sure I properly handle the Word and prepare as I should and then presenting it in the right way.  I will let you know how the process is going throughout the next month!