A few weeks back Bev and I were visiting a Church in another district. When it came time for the sermon, I settled back with the question, "I wonder what this guy is like as a preacher?" As it happened, he wasn't too bad; certainly he was passionate, theologically sound (according to my theology, that is!!) and a seemingly nice guy as well.
But he sure had trouble landing his sermon!
As he neared what eventually proved to be the conclusion of his message, he began repeating himself....and repeating himself. I thought to myself, "He doesn't know how to get this thing on the ground!"
I've often likened the preacher's role in the delivery of a sermon to that of a pilot who is responsible to convey his passengers to their destination. (In fact, the experiences I had while I was learning to fly provided me with lots of sermon illustrations! The comparison between the sermon and the flight is one of them).
I think of the sermon in three parts - the introduction, the body of the message and the conclusion OR, in the imagery of the pilot and his aircraft, the take-off, the flight itself and the landing. Each part of the sermon (like the flight) is very important. The last thing we want to do as Pastors and leaders is to "lose" people when we bring the Word of the Lord because we have not adequately prepared.
That is certainly the case when pilots have the responsibility to deliver their passengers safely!! So, for the benefit of my fellow Pastors, let me explore this comparison with the hope that it stimulates your imagination as you prepare your next sermon. I hope it helps!
THE INTRODUCTION (THE TAKE-OFF)
I recall from one of my preaching classes many years ago a strong emphasis on the importance of the Introduction. "If you don't verbally reach out and grab your audience by the throat in the first 2 or 3 sentences, chances are you have lost them for the rest of the message". At that early stage in my ministry, I used to spend a lot of time preparing the body of the sermon. I wanted the message to get through. In the light of the above challenge, I began to pay closer attention as to how I introduced and concluded the message.
The pilot is not ready for taxiing and take-off just because he knows where the flight deck is and he has the ignition keys in his pocket!! He/she has to do an external visual check of the aircraft followed by various instrument checks, fuel readings, compass headings, flight plan etc. Does he know where he wants to go? Does he have a flight plan? Should he attempt the journey in one hop or would he be better to make it in two parts? These are good questions to ask about the sermon.
What are we trying to achieve or communicate as we preach this sermon? Where do we want to take our people as a result of this message? Has my preparation been adequate for the journey before us?
Having completed his pre-takeoff checks, the pilot now taxies his aircraft to the threshold markers at the end of the runway, doing so under the direction of Air Traffic Controller. He is not undertaking this flight on his own. He is receiving directions which he is required to obey for obvious reasons of safety.
Likewise, the preacher needs to check that he has everything in readiness. He/she is also under the direction of another kind of 'Air Traffic Controller' - the Holy Spirit - who provides safety, security and a perspective from up in the control tower. It's a smart pilot who awaits the direction of the Controller.
Now the aircraft is paused on the threshold markers, the brakes are applied, the power is increased, the brakes are released and the aircraft rapidly increases speed until, at the optimum speed the pilot says just one word, "Rotate", and the nose lifts as he eases back on the controls. This is a critical part of the take-off. What happens if the engines suddenly fail before the aircraft has gained enough height to recover? The transition from the security of the runway to the relative insecurity of the skies requires clear concentration.
Similarly with the sermon. Don't go too fast in the introduction or you may leave some people behind. Don't go too slow and find that you don't have enough speed to take-off and so you spend time taxiing but never getting off the ground. In that scenario, the congregation on the aircraft are being moved around the airfield but never getting off the ground. As a result, they leave the aircraft at the same place they were before the sermon began! That's a tragedy - especially if it happens Sunday after Sunday. Assuming the Introduction has been accomplished, we now come to the second stage.
[2] THE HEART OF THE SERMON (THE FLIGHT)
Hopefully, because of a successful take-off, we are now wanting to get our passengers from point A to point B. Theoretically, this should be the easiest part of the flight. The somewhat tense part, the take-off, has been accomplished. The people relax. It's now that we can think about meals!! Of course, feeding our passengers is a major part of our responsibility. What's the point of having a fantastic take-off and a brilliant landing if the nurture of the people is overlooked or ignored? What a disappointment if the people arrive at Point B just as hungry as when they left point A.
I don't intend in this article to enlarge upon the major teaching theme and how to develop it. What I want to do is to remind you that the major teaching component is very important.
[3] THE CONCLUSION (THE LANDING)
But now the sermon (flight) is almost over. It's time to prepare for the landing. For my part, this is the most difficult aspect of all three components; whether preaching or flying. The pilot calls up the local control tower and makes careful notes of all that will influence a successful landing. He checks his altitude - 1,000ft.He checks his airspeed - 95 knots. He lowers his flaps - 10 degrees.
External conditions at the time of approach and landing will have a bearing on some aspects of the landing. Wind - direction and speed? Cloud - how much and how high or low? The preacher also must evaluate the "conditions" as he prepares to land his sermon. Is there going to be some turbulence as he brings the aircraft down? Has the way he has flown the aircraft been appreciated by his passengers or will there be a storm of criticism? I like the story of the elderly lady who, after a particularly rough landing, said to the Captain on the way out, "Laddie. Tell me, did we land or were we shot down?"
Many Pastors have been subject to that kind of criticism as they greeted the people at the door following what some may have felt was a pretty rough landing. Anyway, back to the comparison...... The pilot now turns the aircraft on to final approach. If he has ensured that every aspect involved in landing (like lowering the wheels!) has been checked, he brings the aircraft onto the runway and then over to the terminal.
A lapse in concentration or a failure to prepare the aircraft in the right configuration for landing will probably mean he has to execute a procedure called "go round" which, as the name suggests, requires him to apply power, climb above the runway and go around for another attempt. (Remember the preacher I mentioned at the beginning of this article? Because he hadn't prepared for it, he didn't know how to land his sermon).
Some preachers give a lot of attention to the main body of their teaching and that's as it should be. But if we fail to give adequate attention to the Introduction and the Conclusion, we may just compromise the value of the central truth. What a shame if the main emphasis or purpose is largely forgotten because of a shaky take-off and/or a rough landing.
I have a preacher friend who begins his sermon preparation by preparing the conclusion of his sermon. When I asked him about this he said he wanted to be very clear in his own mind about the goal or destination. Then he would backtrack to the beginning.
I believe that there are two basic questions relating to the sermon that our people ought to be able ask and answer at the end of the sermon.
(1) What does the preacher want me to know?
(2) What does the preacher want me to do?
After all is said and done, Biblical teaching is seeking Biblical obedience. The Word heard is meant to result in the Word being done. If the members of our congregation are unable to answer both of those questions, then I think we have largely failed them in our teaching responsibility.
Conversely, if we have been able to transport our people from Point A to Point B in their understanding and experience of God, that's a wonderful result!
