Finding Your Voice

Mark the intern came storming into my office. His hair was disheveled, his eyes were wild, and his voice was shaky. “I don’t know what to do!” he said in horror-filled exasperation. “I’ve been studying for two solid weeks, and I don’t have anything to say. There’s not a sermon in this passage anywhere!”

Looking back, I cannot help but smile as I recall how much Mark in that moment reminded me of Cosmo Kramer from the Seinfeld television program. He was beside himself. Talking fast and wildly gesturing with his hands and arms. It was Thursday, and in three days Mark would give his first sermon; and he had “nothing.”

After a couple of minutes I was able to convince Mark that the sky was not falling. I assured him that the sermon was indeed present in the text. He seemed to find a bit of comfort when I asked him to go get his notes and his Bible, assuring him that we would go over them together until we could locate his errant sermon. As he walked out the office door I told him that I had all the faith in the world in him. He could do this, and I would help.

When Mark returned, we spent the next several hours going through his notes and the Scriptures together. He had a sermon. And it was a really good one!

As we marched through the text, it became clear to me that Mark had done outstanding exegetical work. His command of the Greek was very strong. He had consulted several solid commentaries. He had even run down the text variants for this particular passage. When I asked, he could tell me what the passage said in a clear crisp sentence. As we talked through the text, he easily made relevant applications of the timeless truths this text revealed.

What was the problem then? Why was he so panicked?

Mark was panicked because he was trying to figure out how I would preach this text. He knew what the text said and had a general idea of how it applied to our context, but he was not comfortable with his own voice.

Mark is now a thoughtful teacher who excels at giving lucid detailed arguments and I could see that in him even then. I am a passionate preacher who excels at telling stories. He was struggling because he did not have a moving illustration, funny story, or a powerful phrase to drive home his point. He was panicked because he was trying to be me rather than be himself.

Mark needed to find his own voice.

Who are you? What do you do best? How might your preaching improve if only you could find your voice?

One Response to “Finding Your Voice”

1. Kris says:

   July 29, 2011 at 10:38 am

   Guilty – upon review about half my sermons could come from another person’s mouth. Not sure if it’s lack of prep, story swapping, or simply that they have influenced my preaching style.

   I think I need about 10 more years of adult memory to draw from… that would help my preaching tremendously.