Some Helpful Guidelines for Preaching of Sunday Homilies

"Preparation for preaching is so important a task that a prolonged time of study, prayer, reflection and pastoral creativity should be devoted to it" (EG 145). A preacher who does not prepare himself and who does not pray is "dishonest and irresponsible" (EG 145), "a false prophet, a fraud, a shallow impostor" (EG 151).

Clearly, in the preparation of homily, study is invaluable, but prayer is essential. The homily will be delivered in a context of prayer, and it should be composed in a context of prayer.

Some theological aspects of the Word celebrated within the liturgy

1. The Word in the Bible used for the Liturgy is not mere articulation or verbalization of thought. The Hebrew word used is Dabar which denotes God communicating himself; the Word therefore becomes God's self-revelation.

2. To the Israelites the Word is God's very personal communication of himself. There they encounter the Lord. This encounter inevitably makes the word an experience of God.

3. The Word, according to the Jewish mentality is extremely dynamic. The power of the speaker is equal to the power of the word. It naturally elicits response and deeds. Deeds this become the inevitable result of the Word.

4. Trust the Word. Don't just preach the Word but actually trust it. Only tell a joke if it supports and serves the text. Ask to have greater confidence in the power of His Word.

Proclaim and preach the Word.
Preach about the signs of God in our life and in the world around.
The homilist should never be the focus of the homily.
Avoid personal references.
Be spesific.
Avoid mixed metaphors.
Avoid negative associations.
The opening line/s is/are important.
Unity, coherence and emphasis should guide our preparations and presentations.
Keep within the unspoken or spoken time limit.
Keep religious language alive in your homilies.
If possible tape your homilies live.

Homilies should be brief, clear, audible. Many agree that the homily should interpret the Word of God by applying it to life. Lay people prefer that preachers draw on their own experiences do this. Otherwise, they like to hear experiences of fellow Christians. Story telling is rated highly in this approach.

Don't feel like you have to fill time for the sake of it. Rambles take structure or direction.

Talk like a normal person. Definitely preach the great theological truths from the Word_but please explain them. If you're going to talk about the atoning penal propitiation of Christ then, rather than impressing your listeners with your wide ranging vocab, explain what these precious words mean. Do what Jesus did: use great stories to illustrate your sermons and always try and give real life exanples.

Application, Application. Our homiletics classes teach us how to reach the heart of the text but how then do we reach out to the hearts of our people?

Bring the Bible to life: when you are preparing your sermon outline, always start with the end in mind. What do you want your listeners to take away with them? You want your people to be doers and not just hearers only. A sermon fails, though it be well presented, biblical and inspiring, if it has no call to action.

Get feedback. Nothing will improve your preaching like good, honest feedback. As you shake hands in the foyer of your church, I know it's nice to hear "Great sermon today!" but it's also good to get some more constructive feedback.

Be patient with yourself and give yourself permission to grow.

Liturgical Preaching is not public exegesis, an opportunity to share one's personal story of faith, an explanation of Church doctrine, an opportunity to rally the community, moral exhortation, political lobbying, local ecclesial news broadcast social activism.

Liturgical Preaching is it can be imagined as ritual conversation, the topic of the conversation is nothing trivial, this conversation takes place between God and a particular assembly, it requires the mediation of a preacher, such preaching is itself a liturgical act, it is shaped by the scripture readings and other elements of the "liturgical bible", it requires an interpretation of those elements for the gathered community.

Liturgical Preaching is a ritual conversation between God and a liturgical assembly.