Natural
The purpose of this exercise is to develop skill at devising specific natural analogies for illustrating sermon ideas.
| · Make sure sermon ideas are clear and well worded
· Plant to balance support for your sermon ideas. · Explore the common arenas of human experience. |
· Go beyond your own limited personal experience.
· Distinguish between analogies and examples. · Present analogies in a vivid and imaginative way. |
| This assignment involves the devising of illustrations for supporting sermon ideas through a process of exploring natural analogies. Complete the exercise with the following steps: | |
| 1. Write the division statement you are to illustrate. You may use the sermon idea for exploring analogies for the introduction and conclusion. | |
| 2. Circle the word or two in your statement that can be used to identify the generic idea in nontheological terms. | |
| 3. Brainstorm the arenas of life listed below for analogies that are natural expressions of your theological idea. Write as many as you can. Do not evaluate them now or second-guess your ideas. | |
| · Family
· Business · Animals · Athletics · Common objects · World Affairs · Other |
· Nature
· Children · Education · History · Travel · Friendships · Other |
| 4. Check the best analogies from the list above on the basis of your subject, your audience, and your own ability to make particular ones work in the sermon. | |
| 5. Plan here how you will particularize the analogies you have chosen. You will want to present them in concrete, specific, imaginative language. | |
| 6. Write out one of your analogies on the back of the sheet as you might present it in your sermon. |