Howard Kellett is one of my most treasured friends and is currently starting a new church in Cheltenham having previously started one in Manchester. Howard is well known for his vocal enthusiasm, and for being a supporter of Leeds Football Club (which must have been a test of his enthusiasm over the years!).
When & where was this sermon preached? Was it a special occasion or regular Sunday?
I first put this sermon together for a morning guest service at Hope Church Manchester (now Christ Central Manchester). I have since preached it on a number of other occasions including one-off guest services, and at Gateway.
Why did you choose this subject/text?
The sermon had it’s birth in a brilliant discussion at our Alpha Course. Damien who was helping me (his story is in the new Alpha Lifechangers book) said Jesus “was not religious in fact the religious people of his day hated him because he changed the religious currency of his day” – there was some debate about this amongst the guests so I did an impromptu Bible discussion around John 8. I felt it came together so well in discussion, particularly as the guests didn’t know the story so felt it’s brilliant tension. Therefore I looked for an opportunity to work as a sermon soon after that evening. I have modified it as I have preached it around so it has challenge for believer and unbelievers.
On average, how long does it take you to prepare a sermon?
On average it takes about 12 hours to pull a sermon together, that does not include the original thinking / reading to pull a series framework together. I read first, then start to write. I don’t use points as I like to let the sermon organically find its own shape. I write it out in full because I use that process to get the sermon deep into me, it also helps you to build key phrases and develop any cadence. I try to order the sermon to include some tension or emotional involvement. I preach with the full manuscript with multiple highlights, but I don’t think I preach from the manuscript, it’s just there to remind me of my thoughts. I can’t reduce my full manuscript to notes either because I lack the skill or more likely because that reduces it to points and I prefer flow to points!
On average, for how long do you preach?
On average I preach for about 45 minutes, (except at Christian Unions who want three chapters of Daniel in 20 minutes - to which I answer I’ve just got past my intro after 15 minutes - so I usually do 35 minutes for them!)
What do you find most challenging about preaching?
Apart from aiming to be concise and not being overly long (which is often a content and delivery issue more than minutes speaking), I find the biggest challenge is to find something fresh that God speaks into my spirit, a new angle or some new insight for me, that I feel stirred to preach! I find it easier to preach from narrative than prepositional truth as I like to put myself and my hearers in the story. Stories have conflict, tension, climax and resolution like the gospel! I find beginning easier than ending. So I like thinking of introductions to get people to think “this is relevant to me and I would like to hear you some more on this.” However endings and calling for a response are hardest for me.
What do you most enjoy about preaching?
What I find most exciting about preaching is when you know that right there God’s word is moving peoples emotions and wills, stirring and challenging them so that they take bold faith steps. I guess preaching changes lives like ‘A’ level population demographics never can! (I am a part time school geography teacher.)
You can hear Howard preach this sermon here, and here are his notes:
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