HOW TO WRITE (AND DELIVER) A SERMON
June 1, 2025
Linda Waltersdorf Cobourn, EdD
Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season.
—2 Timothy 4:2
Did you wonder how I came to be standing up at the pulpit on Sunday, trying to act as if I knew what I was doing? I never, in my wildest dreams, would have imagined that scenario!
Teaching, yes. I was born to teach.
Preaching? That’s a different story.
Or is it?
Let’s compare:
- Teaching – Understanding the information and communicating it clearly to others.
- Preaching – A public proclamation of truth; rooted in teaching… but with a megaphone.
Hmmm.
On Sunday, I read 1 Corinthians 12:12–14 and shared how ALL of us are members of ONE BODY—and God has given gifts to each of us to use for the body.
And here’s the kicker: Being given a gift and using that gift are not the same thing.
When Pastor Amy quietly suggested she thought I had the gift of preaching, I had a decision to make. Every spiritual gift begins with a simple but terrifying word: “yes.”
That’s where I began. And that’s how Sunday’s sermon came to be.
So, how do you write (and deliver) a sermon?
Here’s my tongue-in-cheek guide, with only a slight hint of panic:
- Listen to the gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit.
- Begin with, “Yes, Lord.”
- Pray. (Get used to that step—it’s going to repeat.)
- Choose a vague topic that feels important.
- Read a lot of sermons on the topic.
- Decide none of them fit our church. Or me.
- Get out Strong’s Concordance and look up “community.”
- Write out a pile of verses. Pray over them. Start winnowing.
- Use my knowledge of poetry and teaching—because that’s my skill set.
- Decide it’s all drivel. Start again.
- Take a break and wonder why I ever said yes.
- Pray some more.
- Listen. Hear the Spirit whisper: “I gave you many talents. I know you can do this.”
- Ask for help.
- Discover that—miraculously—my notes, verses, and poems are making sense.
- Rejoice! This might actually work!
- Make an outline.
- Explicate. (That’s a teacher word. Look it up.)
- Practice. More than once.
- Make a few tweaks.
- Read it to my daughter. (She knows what “explicate” means.)
- Tweak it again.
- Put it in a nifty folder.
- Ignore it for a whole day.
- Embrace the jitters. They feel a lot like being observed during a teaching evaluation.
- Pray. Again.
- Step up to the pulpit.
- Breathe in the Holy Spirit.
- Notice everyone is smiling. No one brought rotten tomatoes.
- Preach it.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the opportunity to bring the message on Sunday. Thank you for being with me—through the doubts, the drafts, the jitters—and for the gifts You have planted in each of us. Help others in our congregation to recognize, unwrap, and use their own gifts to bring glory to You.
Amen.
A Final Word
If God has given you a gift—and He has—don’t leave it wrapped.
Unwrap it. Use it. Trust Him to show up.
You don’t have to be perfect. Just faithful.
