Extemporary preaching

George Whitefield

Here are some thoughts on preaching without notes. I started to preach in this way many years ago for a number of reasons. First, I tend to gesticulate a bit while preaching. Once I knocked my notes out of the pulpit and had to retrieve them mid-sermon, which was a bit embarrassing. Second, I sometimes used to find a new vein of thought opening up while preaching. I would go with this, but run ahead of my notes. When the moment of inspiration dried up, I would have to pause for what seemed to me like an eternity, to find my place in the sermon.

So, one day I tried preaching without notes. I did my usual preparation, prayed hard and decided to give it a go. As an insurance policy, I brought my sermon with me into the pulpit, just in case it all went horribly wrong. I felt liberated and didn't need to glance at my notes once. Next time, I prayed even harder and left the notes at home. I found that I was able to keep to my prepared sermon outline, but be more spontaneous in my preaching. This was about 18 years ago, when I was in my 20's.

Extemporary preaching does not mean speaking without diligent sermon preparation. This kind of speaking must not be at the expense of considered Biblical exegesis, clear and logical ordering of the material and thought given to matters of illustration and application. Preaching without notes demands a clear, straightforward sermon structure, because the preacher himself will not be able to remember an overly elaborate address. Three or four main points with their attendant sub-points will be the preacher's guide as he delivers his message. The preaching may develop in unexpected ways, but any improvisation will generally take place within the basic framework of the sermon.

An extemporary preacher should not seek to commit his whole sermon to memory. A prayerful and meditative reading of notes prior to preaching should be enough to impress the burden of the message on the mind and heart of the speaker. To be tied to a memorised recitation of a message is as restrictive as preaching from notes.

The big advantage of preaching without notes is increased interaction with the congregation. Eye contact can be maintained so that the preacher may react to the response of the people to his message. If someone looks a bit confused, the preacher can clarify his point. If some seem to be really helped by something, the preacher can elaborate on his exposition and seek apply the truth for the good of the people. If he is loosing the congregation, an illustration or maybe a provocative statement will regain their attention. Hopefully, the people will feel that the preacher is speaking to them rather than at them as this rapport develops during the message.

Extemporary preaching is not without its difficulties. It can leave you feeling exposed and vulnerable. There is nowhere to hide. You cannot bury your head in your notes and steam on ahead when things aren't going well. It is a risky business that demands faith in God. Because you will not have prepared the exact words you are going to say beforehand, care must be taken not to slip into the same old stock phrases and cliches. Those who do not use notes in preaching should not draw attention to the fact before the congregation like a child saying "look no hands" when letting go of the handlebars of his bike. Kids who do that often fall off! The Bible-centred content, not the style of preaching is what matters.

Not all preachers are able to speak in this way. We should work with the gifts that God has given us. Jonathan Edwards famously read his sermons with great effect. But I believe that he determined to be less dependent on his notes after hearing George Whitefield's extemporary preaching. Whether we use no notes, few notes or lots of notes, Christ-exalting, Spirit enpowered preaching must be our aim, even if we often (or always) fall short of that goal.

Sometimes it may be necessary for mainly extemporary preachers to use some notes. When I was preaching on Daniel a few years ago, I had to use some notes for chapter 11. I couldn't get through all those verses about the northern and southern kings and queens of Greece without something on paper. I often use some notes for our discussional Bible studies too, as Bible study is different to preaching. Theological or historical lectures demand pretty full notes, but again, lecturing should be different to preaching.

Nothing is more exhilarating than preaching the gospel with freedom and spontaneity. Preaching without notes does not guarantee this sense of liberty, but perhaps, in the goodness of God, it may help.

See here and here for Martyn Lloyd-Jones on preaching.

Fraternal

Today I attended the Minister's Fraternal which meets bi-monthly at the Old Baptist Chapel, Bradford upon Avon. It is always a good opportunity for fellowship with excellent ministry and stimulating discussion. I don't think I've missed one in the last three years. Part of the pleasure of fraternals is getting together with other pastors to talk about our work and enjoy some friendly banter over lunch.

Phil Heaps of Grace Church, Westerleigh spoke to us on Teaching from the Psalms and very helpful it was too. We considered that the Psalms are poems and thought about some aspects of Hebrew poetic writing:

1) Parallelism "Thought Rhymes"
2) Imagery "Thought Pictures"
3) Ambiguity "This or That or Both"

Various exaples were cited from the Psalter. Then we examined the function of the Psalms:

1) The Psalms Teach Truth (eg Ps 1)
2) The Psalms Express Experience (eg Ps. 103)
3) The Psalms Communicate Christ (eg Ps 22)

After lunch, we focussed on Psalm 120 and discussed its meaning and application in terms of these exegetical principles. It was good to get into the Scriptures and talk about how we can open up the text in a creative way that is true to the text.

We're studying the Psalms in our Bible Study/Prayer meeting in the moment, so I found this Fraternal paticularly helpful. According to R. S. Thomas,

Poetry is that
which arrives at the intellect
by way of the heart.

'Don't ask me...'

If that is the case, it is interesting that God has chosen to communicate himself to us in the emotive language of poetry. This applies not only to the Psalms, but also to the prophets and some hymn fragments in the New Testament. God does not simply want to inform us in the language of propositinal prose, he wants to move us with images and pictures that speak directly to the heart. Jonathan Edwards asked,

"who will deny that true religion consists in a great measure, in vigorous and lively actings of the inclination and will of the soul, or the fervent exercises of the heart?"

He drew upon the Psalms to demonstrate his case,

"So holy desire, exercised in longings, hungerings, and thirstings after God and holiness, is often mentioned in Scripture as an important part of true religion; Isa. 26:8, "The desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee." Psal. 27:4, "One thing have I desired of the Lord, and that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." Psal. 42:1, 2, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God; my soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?" Psal. 63:1, 2, "My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary." Psal. 84:1, 2, "How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God." Psal. 119:20, "My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times." So Psal. 73:25, and 143:6, 7, and 130:6. Cant. 3:1, 2, and 6:8. Such a holy desire and thirst of soul is mentioned, as one thing which renders or denotes a man truly blessed, in the beginning of Christ's sermon on the mount, Matt. 5:6: "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled." And this holy thirst is spoken of, as a great thing in the condition of a participation of the blessings of eternal life; Rev. 21:6, "I will give unto him that is athirst, of the fountain of the water of life freely."" From The Religious Affections here.

The Psalms are a constant reminder that,

True religion is more than a notion,
Something must be known and felt.

The Man Who Went into the West

The Man Who Went into the West by Byron Rogers, Aurum, 2006

My first book of RST's poems was purchased in Chepstow, the Welsh equivalent of the far east. Any further east and you will find yourself in the broad, murky depths of the River Severn, or worse, in England. My wife and I left the children with Grandma in Newport and headed for the delightful Tintern Abbey, pausing at Chepstow to browse the bookshops. There it was, R. S. Thomas, Selected Poems, Everyman Library. I was captivated with the unblinking pastoralia of the Iago Prytherch poems and fascinated by Thomas' religious verse. The Chapel is probably my favourite, as RST captures a the moment when a preacher caught fire and the godly sang their amens "fiercely, narrow but saved/in a way that men are not now". There was also the honesty and tenderness of his family poems. I then progressed to his Collected Poems 1945-1990, Phoenix and the posthumously published Residues, Bloodaxe Books. But, I kept on wondering, who was the man behind the poems?

Byron Rogers knew RST personally and he writes of his subject with insight, whimsical humour and sometimes, exasperation. Thomas was a man of great contradictions. He affected a cut glass English accent, to annoy the Welsh speaking students at Bangor college. But then he taught himself Welsh and moved further and further into the west of Wales, seeking escape from all things English. RS came to the Welsh language too late to write poetry in Cymraeg. His fame as an English language poet only served to deepen his Anglo-Welsh frustrations. He was a pacifist and founder member of the Dwyfor branch of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. But he sympathised with Welsh radicals, 'the Sons of Glyndwr' who burnt English holiday homes. When faced with the possibility that the arson might result in an English fatality, he asked, 'What is one death against the death of the whole Welsh nation?'

Thomas was an unlikely clergyman. He could be aloof and distant. But he visited the sick of his various parishes and some spoke warmly of his humanity and concern. However, RST often seemed more interested in bird watching and poetry than in pastoring God's flock. I wanted to know more about the poet's theological beliefs. Rogers tell us that Thomas felt it his duty to teach the faith of his Church (The Anglican "Church in Wales"). But his private beliefs were more sceptical. He understood the resurrection of Christ as "metaphor" rather than an historical event. He disliked the Nonconformist's intimacy with the Almighty. He experienced God as an absence rather than a personal and present reality in Christ.

For me now
there is only the God-space
into which I send out
my probes.

'The New Mariner'

But has not God come to be with us in Christ? Can we not draw near to him?

The Thomas household was somewhat eccentric. He and his English painter wife, Elsi ripped the central heating out of Sarn, their last home for aesthetic reasons. This left them toughing out chilly west Wales winters in near zero temperatures. They bought a vaccuum cleaner, only to chuck it out because they could not stand the noise. But the couple seemed to be well suited to their somewhat isolated, silent existence. Ironically, RS sent his only child Gwydion to an English boarding school, much to his son's distress. When his first wife died, RS, who disapproved of his son's early girlfriends, "lived in sin" with Betty Vernon before he made an honest woman of her when they married.

Rogers ably charts the development of Thomas' poetry from its early beginnings to later maturity. Poems are often cited and analysed in the text. He draws on diverse sources from interviews with family and friends to RS's own autobiographical writings to paint a vivid picture of "The Ogre of Wales". As an English speaking Welshman myself I sympathise with RS's identity crisis. But where he went deeper into the west, I ended up going east to preach the gospel to the English. My primary identity is that of a child of God, not a son of Wales. That said, I will reflect on R. S. Thomas' poems with greater understanding as a result of reading this engagingly written biography.

Tuesday PM

Girl plays
carefree in the cold.
Smiles
behind the ragged hedge.

Boy plays
cars race, crash.
The mind
empties of the day's learning.

Woman sits
in the warmed over
cold room.
Waits for a haircut.

Man alone
broods, thinks.
Walls crack with
the tome's weight.

Are there few that be saved?

Two errors, therefore are to be avoided: First that all men are saved; secondly that only a few are saved. Some Calvinists have represented the number of the reprobated as greater than that of the elect, or equal to it. They found this upon the words of Christ, "Many are called but few are chosen." [Mat.22:14] But this describes the situation at the time when the Lord spake, and not the final result of his redemptive work. Christ himself in the days of his flesh, called many but few responded to the call from his gracious lips. Our Lord's own preaching was not as successful as that of his apostles, and of many of his ministers. This was part of his humiliation and sorrow. But when Christ shall have "seen of the travail of his soul" and been "satisfied" with what he has seen; when the whole course of the gospel shall be complete, and shall be surveyed from beginning to end; it will be found that God's elect, or church, is "a great multitude which no man can number, out of all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues," and that their voice is as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, "Hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth," Rev. 7:9, 19:6.

W. G. T. Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, Volume II, p. 712

A week in my life Day 7

Well, its my day off today. Nice, frosty & sunny outside. Crisp. Quiet morning, wander to the local Co-op to get Saturday's Independent and relax, spending time with the kids & washing the car.

When I was a teenager in the 80's, young people could be divided into two mutually exclusive categories: Air headed trendies who liked Duran Duran, Aha and maybe Abba and earnest ban the bombers who followed The Smiths, The Jam and U2. Yep, I belonged to the second lot. Why some Christians think that its OK to like Abba, but other pop stuff is wrong, I'll never understand. Money, money, money - how materialistic is that? Dancing Queen - since when have the godly approved of dancing? Waterloo - a senseless glorification of war and imperialism! Anyway, the music I liked seemed to ring more of a chord with me than some of the escapist nonsense that was around back then. In The Jam's Going Underground Paul Weller expressed a disillusionment with corrupt, warmongering politicians that still has relevance in the UK at the moment,

You choose your leaders and place your trust
As their lies wash you down and their promises rust
You'll see kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns

And the public wants what the public gets
But I don't get what this society wants
I'm going underground, (going underground)

I still listen to Weller and U2 but I also enjoy some of the newer bands, Coldplay, Keane and Snow Patrol etc. Being patriotic, I listen to a bit of taff-rock. The late 90's witnessed the emergence of a crop of Welsh bands: The Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics and Feeder. That's enough ramblings on music.

Spent this afternoon watching Six Nations Rugby. Italy lost to France 3-39 in a one-sided lacklustre game. But England vs Scotland was a thrilling match that heralded the return of Jonny Wilkison. Final score E 42 - S 20. Wales will play Ireland tomorrow, which is a pain. I'll have to tape the match and watch it on Monday. See here for match reports / highlights etc.

We watched ITV's Dancing on Ice on the tele this evening. After family ice skating last week, I can apprecitate the skills involved even more. Kids to bed after family worship. Then time of prayer & meditation to prepare for tomorrow moring's service. Read Mark 6 - for evening devotions.

This brings my series of blog diary entries to an end.

The Dawkins delusion

Does Richard Dawkins actually exist? An interviewer sounding very much like UK politician William Hague interrogates Dr Terry Tommyrot.

A week in my life Day 6

My internet service is now working again. My son couldn't do his homework last night because the connection was down. When I was in school, computers were pretty rare. But now kids can't get by without them. My first computer was an Amstrad. I bought it while studying at the London Theological Seminary in the late 80's. Compared with a modern PC, it had a ridiculously small memory and was basically a glorified word processor. In the end, the floppy drive broke making the thing unusable.

I've been blogging since October 2005 and this is my 189th post. I enjoy writing for the blog and visiting other sites. Most of my favourites can be found in my links. Blogging is good for shortish artcles, newsy stuff and discussion. One of the biggest theology sites is Faith and Theology by Ben Myres. He writes with a Barthian slant and I often don't agree with some of his stuff. But he is always stimulating & generates lots of discussion. Byron Smith's Nothing New Under the Sun is helpful & moving as he charts his battle with cancer. Gary Brady, new to blogging is pretty prolific at Heavenly Worldliness. He's an ex-LTS student and an old friend. Check out his reports on the recent Affinity Conference. There are several other sites I like to visit. But that's enough plugs for now.

On Friday mornings I usually prepare for Sunday evening's ministry. I'm preaching through Hebrews and we'll be looking at 12:12-17. Consult Guthrie & Brown (BST & Geneva). I've found Hughes the most helpful commentary over all. Sound, up-to-date exegesis with a good sense of history. Chose hymns and text them to church sec. We use Praise! and the new Christian Hymns.

After lunch, Sarah & I visit an elderly church member. My wife often comes with me on pastoral visits. I try to visit our people pretty regularly, especially those who can't get out much or are unwell. I never cease to be encouraged and challenged by the resilience of mature, afflicted saints.

Pick up the kids and off to the shops / recycling centre. Have evening meal. In between main course & sweet, play table football and win a dad/son "tournament" 2 games to 1. Yesss! Friday is "family film night". We watch Home Alone 2. Very funny slapstick & oodles of sentiment.

We get the kids off to bed, watch the news then read a chapter from Romans & pray together before bed. Friday is the end of my working week as I try to take Saturday off. Sat will be the final day of my little blog diary.

A week in my life Day 5

Began Is the Reformation Over? Interesting intro setting the scene for recent evangelical & catholic rapprochement. Christianity Explored course DVD format in evening. CE is based on Mark's Gospel. Last night focused on sin and hell in Jesus' teaching. Rico Tice, the presenter doesn't pull his punches. Good time of discussion with searching questions. Internet server down, so I had to post this via mobile phone & tidy it up a bit online Fri morning. Even with predictive text, e-mailing by mobile is a bit time consuming! Technology eh?

Hanserd Knollys on the supremacy of Christ

For our 2005 summer hols, we rented a chalet in Freshwater East near Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales. The chalet had a small library which included Kifffin, Knollys and Keach by Michael A. G. Haykin (A Carey Title, 1996). I just about had time to read it in in between swimming in the sea, visiting castles, theme parks etc. Haykin tells the fascinating story of three pioneering Calvinistic Baptists and the development of the 1689 Baptist Confession. The other day I managed to get my hands on a copy for only £2.50 at a Minister's Fraternal book sale.

Here's Knolly's (ca. 1599-1691) on Colossians 3:1,

Let Christ be all, in all in the gifts of the Spirit and graces of sanctification; for...he is the Author, the Preserver, and finisher of all. Therefore let him have the preeminence above all, set an high esteem of every gift and grace of God, account a little grace better than all riches. honours, pleasures, and creature-comforts of the world. But you ought to prize Christ far above all his own gifts and graces in us, for he is the life of them all, the marrow and substance of them all. What is all knowledge, unless ye know God in Christ? 1 Corinthians 13:2: nothing. What is all faith, except Christ be the object of it? 1 Corinthians 13:2: nothing.

(quoted on p. 59 of Kiffin, Knollys and Keach)

See here for Michael Haykin's blog and here for Rober Oliver's history of the later English Calvinistic Baptists.