And in the final analysis it isn’t a matter of whether you use rhetoric, but how. Inasmuch as your preaching is still public speaking...you’re going to get rhetorical.
Christmas is a tremendous opportunity to make known the good news of great joy, but this opportunity is squandered when the Word isn’t heard on account of the predictability of the proclamation.
By more intentionally and consistently incorporating the concrete elements of story and metaphor into your preaching, you refresh your language, serve your people, and shed fresh light on the Gospel.
[Nearly] all of us struggle with making the move, as Thomas Long puts it, “from desk to pulpit.” The reason is because our approach to sermon preparation is inadequate.