Sermon Prep time. I start by writing out the Gospel I'm leaving from in my notebook. (This is a pic from much rather this year.) Taking the time to do that forces me to engage more deeply with the text: to recognize what it's actually saying, rather than skimming to reinforce my expectations of what I THINK it says. Writing it out gives me the chance to keep coming back to it over the week while the sermon will be incubating.

Later I'll reflect more deeply, with a group of colleagues and friends who are also preparing to preach on the same text. We'll read it and hear it carefully and prayerfully, from multiple translations. We'll listen for what's attractive, or what sounds like Good News; what's challenging or difficult to hear in the passage; and finally where God is inviting us to transformation. I've found that's not just a good way to reflect in sermon prep, but also to think about how we react to Jesus generally. I'll also use this time to make a note of the things I need to research and learn more about if I'm going to preach this Gospel.

There's more work to do on the next page of my notebook, but that's another picture to share another time.

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