Effective
First-Person Biblical Preaching: The Steps from Text to Narrative Sermon. Edwards, J. Kent. Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005. 195 pp.
This
is a very helpful book, giving step by step guides for first-person preaching. Personifying a character from the Scripture does
not necessarily need an acting skill but more on exegetical approach in studying the context and background of the Text.
This is worth reading
for and can gain new skill needed for the children Bible story tellers.
Excerpt: A primary goal of a preacher is to
communicate and apply the primary idea intended by the original author of a
unit of Scripture. Good preaching is not based on an original idea. It strives
to say to a contemporary audience what the original author of the biblical text
said to the original audience. It is to say what God said.
There is a sense in which a biblical
sermon is like a cell phone call. In a biblical text, God is placing a call. He
has a message he wants to communicate to his church. In order for the cell
phone call to make it to its intended recipients, however, it must be
successfully passed through a series of repeater stations. Preachers are like
cell phone repeater stations. Our purpose is to pass on God’s message to its
intended recipients without altering the message in any way. We are only
successful when God’s voice is passed on to God’s people without any distortion
of any kind …
The best way to preach the Bible’s
narrative literature is by using a narrative homiletical form. First-person
sermons are a legitimate narrative homiletical form. When you learn how to
preach this type of sermon, you learn how to preach the stories of Scripture
with great accuracy. You will also discover that just about everybody enjoys
listening to them and that in the midst of their good time, your congregation
is learning a tremendous amount of Bible. (20-21)
