Volume 11, Number 6
Now
Vajda is one of those authors whose hymns I sing thinking, “Ï wish I could preach like that.”… You may not possess his same gifts, or in the same bounty God gave to him, but you have the same Savior, and you preach the same theology. So improve your ability to fashion striking new images and reshape older ones in your preaching.
Sample Sermon
This is the sixth and last sample sermon Lindemann analyzes to illustrate focused law and focused gospel preaching. The preacher is Dr. Martin Franzmann, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. The sermon comes from the book “Ha! Ha! Among The Trumpets”.
Pew View
Many WELS preachers have lapsed into a vast overuse of first person plural pronouns and the subjunctive in their sermons… . Whom do you address in your sermons?… . Speak directly to the individual. That means lots of “you” and “your.” Abandon the prominent “let us” and issue the gospel imperative instead!
What is Focused Law/Gospel Preaching?
The temptation remains popular and tantalizing for preachers to haul out the big guns of the law to get results. The problem is, the results, if any, aren’t healthy fruit. … Your hearers will be spiritually starved to death if you do not allow the gospel to predominate in your preaching.