preaching Archives » The Preaching Platform

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!

The Challenge of Preaching at Christmas

(Preaching at Christmas time is never easy. May this article be useful to all preachers in their preparation.)

Our pastoral team was planning for the Christmas Season and at that moment, focusing on our main Christmas Event. The event which is held mid-December is normally a well-planned production that would attract anything from 1300-1500 (sometimes more) people from cross-sections of the city. As the discussion continued, one of the pastors casually asked, “Who will be our speaker?” As thoughts of a number of possible guest preachers went through my mind, the Senior Pastor looked at me smilingly. He wanted me to be the speaker.

My immediate reaction should have been, “Not me. Not at Christmas time.” But strangely, I felt a peace about taking on the challenge which was not too far away. Since that day, I have had the opportunity to preach at many of our Christmas Events, besides speaking around 6-10 times at our outreach ministries every December. Over the years, I have learned many lessons about preaching at Christmas time and would like to share some of my learning experiences in this article. They are as follows.