Helpful Tips for Preaching from Biblical Journeys

Preaching From Biblical Journeys

Introduction:

My mind goes back to my childhood as I begin this article. I remember the first time I rode the train through the beautiful hill country of Sri Lanka with my family – a journey considered by many to be one of the most scenic train journeys in the world. The images of perfectly manicured tea plantations, misty hills, cascading waterfalls, winding streams glistening in the sun, and the many enchanting tunnels we passed, are forever etched in my memory. 

I also remember our family of 5 being huddled around a small radio in 1969, listening to the ‘live commentary’ of man’s first attempt to land on the moon. Even though we were thousands of miles away, the excitement of this adventure was so special that we stayed up all night following the story with hope in our hearts. The sense of relief as well as joy as Astronaut Neil Armstrong stepped on to the surface of the moon and spoke his now legendary first words, still remain with me.

I have always been interested in following journeys. Throughout my lifetime, I have followed many such journeys with much enthusiasm. In fact, my favorite comic strip in my childhood was based around the adventures of Tintin as he journeyed to many parts of the world including, of all places, the moon. (I am not ashamed to say that I still read those books sometimes). Not sure however why Tintin never travelled to Sri Lanka!

Another set of journeys that I have found extremely enthralling are those highlighted in the pages of the Bible. These journeys provide excellent sermon material to me as a preacher, and over the years, I have used them in many of my sermons. The journeys of the patriarchs, Joseph’s journey to Egypt, Moses’ journey to Midian and back to Egypt, Elijah’s flight from Jezebel’s threats, and the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem are some examples.

Sometime ago, I was scheduled to speak at our church services and as I pondered over what I should speak on in the midst of many difficult situations my country Sri Lanka was facing at that time, I turned to a biblical journey once again. It was the story in Acts 27, based around Paul’s journey to Rome to face trial before Caesar – a nerve-wracking journey that eventually ended in shipwreck.

In this article, I would like to share some practical steps that have helped me when preaching from biblical journeys. I pray you will find them useful. (The personal experiences I have added from my sermon on Acts 27 are mainly for illustrative purposes.) 

1) Read the story more than once

Going through the story of the journey a few times over is in itself a journey of discovery. Many are the important truths and facts we can glean when doing this. Many fresh insights come alive as we read and re-read about the journey from the central passage of the story and other related (parallel) scriptures.  

2) Use Maps when preaching

A good map brings a strong visual reality to the listener regarding the journey being preached from. It helps  identify the beginning and the end of the journey, the places of victory or defeat, and other important happenings along the way. A map helps to carry the congregation through the different stages of the journey, leading up to its conclusion.

Our church, the People’s Church in Sri Lanka, is blessed with a LED screen which thankfully helps bring greater clarity to the visuals being used. However, even if such a screen is not available, a map or part of a map could still be used effectively.  

3) Highlight some important locations in the journey

Drawing attention to some important locations in the journey through historical, modern-day, or biblical background information can provide valuable lessons to the listener. Adding a few visuals will enhance that experience.

For example, on Peter’s journey to Lydda, Joppa, and eventually to Cornelius’ house in Caesarea, (found in Acts chapters 9/10), he experienced a life-transforming vision in Joppa (Acts 10:9-23). The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament by Craig S. Keener, tells us in its notes on Acts 9:36, that, “Joppa, now part of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, was a profitable port city” (page 349). Perhaps this information, with a visual of modern-day Jaffa, may help people identify more meaningfully with the story. 

I also love the way The New International Bible Commentary describes Peter’s feelings of hunger on the same occasion as he was relaxing during what I would like to call ‘a vacation at a seaside location’ – just before receiving the vision (Acts 10:9-10). It says, “Peter’s hunger was an element of revelation, and one may imagine that he was gazing at the elongated lateen sail of a boat entering the harbor as he waited for his food” (page 1286).

After sharing such information, who knows, some listeners may actually consider booking a tour of modern-day Joppa someday!      

When preaching from Paul’s sea voyage to Rome, I drew attention to St Paul’s Bay in Malta, which many commentators believe was the place where Paul and the others eventually landed after the shipwreck (Acts 27:39-28:1). Maybe it encouraged some to identify with and even read up about St. Paul’s Bay in today’s context.       

4) Highlight distances in the journey while preaching

Highlighting distances (either by mileage or the number of hours or days taken), between key locations in the journey, also helps people grasp the story with greater clarity.

For example, if our sermon is based around the journey of the Magi to worship Jesus (Matthew 2:1-12), we could maybe consider highlighting the approximate number of miles they covered on the last part of their journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. The NIV Study Bible in its footnote on Matthew 2:1, describes Bethlehem in Judea as “a village about 5 miles south of Jerusalem.” I for one could very easily identify with that distance since it’s fairly close to the distance I travel regularly from my home to the church I minister in!   

As much as we are careful to check on distances when we undertake a journey today, (many even do so on air flights), I believe it would be helpful to do the same for biblical journeys – at least for a few of the main locations in the story.

5) Sound effects/props

The use of sound effects or simple props to highlight an important part of the journey will help people to focus more intently on what is being shared. Simple props like a staff for a shepherd’s story, a rod to highlight Moses’ journey, or a cool bottle of water to highlight a desert experience, will help sustain the attention of the congregation.

When preaching from Acts 27 recently, at the point in the sermon where the storm overtook Paul’s ship (Acts 27:14-15), the media team at our church played a soundtrack that included rain and strong winds. It turned out to be a surprise moment I believe, and a few thought that a storm had gathered outside while the service was in progress!

(Note: If you would like to read the full sermon on Acts 27, referred to in this article, Click here.)

6) Getting an expert’s opinion

Getting an expert to describe a relevant part of the journey will be a great learning experience for the congregation. For instance, if the story involves a famine, an expert on food security can add his expertise on the subject. If it involves a military battle, a person who has done military service could explain the situation way better than a preacher could ever do. (No preacher is an expert on every subject. Certainly not me!)

In my preaching, on one occasion, a former army commander shared his expertise regarding a battle in the scriptures, while on another occasion, a well-respected lawyer shared his insights on a legal matter. Such expertise clearly had a greater impact on the story..

Coming back to Paul’s sea journey in Acts 27, I sought the advice of a Master Mariner and a former ship’s captain, who happened to be my elder brother. I explained to him about the passage I was preaching from and requested him to share his insights on some of the technical details of sailing through a storm.

To my absolute surprise, he mentioned that a ship he was once sailing in had got caught in a bad storm in the exact area as the ship Paul was traveling in. In fact, the ship had experienced damages due to the storm, and he was advised by the agents to attend to the repairs at the nearest available port, which of all places happened to be Malta, where Paul, and all on board landed safely! 

This real-life experience he shared in just 5 minutes of the sermon time, brought forth the reality of what Paul and his companions went through, far better than I could ever have done through my preaching. Some in the congregation later told me that it was one of the main highlights of the sermon! (A humbling moment for the preacher).

7) Highlight a character in the journey in your preaching

A character study of the main personality in the journey can be a meaningful way of bringing forth the bible truths entwined in the story and of highlighting the development of the person concerned. 

Example: In his life’s journey, Joseph went from being favorite son to favurite slave to favorite administrator to favorite prisoner to favorite Governor to favorite Diplomat to favorite brother. 

Another option that could be considered would be to contrast the characters of two opposing personalities to show the positives of honoring God and the negatives of not doing so – (Example: The Magi and Herod or Moses and Pharaoh).

8) A memorable ending

This could be done in many different ways as determined by the preacher, which would help to conclude the sermon effectively.

When preaching from Acts 27, I encouraged the congregation to bring hope to the people of Sri Lanka during those trying times by letting their light shine brightly through demonstrating unshakeable faith and through acts of kindness. The sermon ended with the hymn ‘Let the lower Lights be Burning’ which was sung beautifully by one of our choristers. It blessed many hearts. 

(Note: If you would like to read the full sermon on Acts 27, referred to in this article, Click here.)

9) Prayer and God’s anointing

All of the above features, while they would help enrich the sermon, should always be covered with much prayer and dependance on the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He alone can make the sermon come alive in people’s hearts and help them apply it effectively in their Christian walk. 

Conclusion:

As a preacher, I still consider myself a beginner. I certainly want to learn more about the craft of preaching by listening to others. What I have shared in this article are some practical lessons I have learned while preaching from journeys in the Bible. I hope you find them helpful.

For a helpful article on Preaching effective sermons during the Christmas Season, click here.

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