Anatomy of a Sermon On 1 Peter 2:18–25 by Michael R. Lange Dale A. Meyer
Author’s note: a video of this sermon is available in Concordia Seminary’s Scholar archive at https://scholar.csl.edu/callday/71/. This sermon was delivered in the Chapel of St. Timothy and St. Titus by Rev. Michael Lange, president of the California-Nevada-Hawaii district of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. The occasion was the assignment of pastoral and diaconal students to their vicarages and internships for the coming year.
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n my opinion, this sermon is worthy of an “Anatomy” for three reasons. First, it is an excellent example of writing in the oral style. Many sermons with good content do not communicate effectively because they are written in a style inappropriate for listening. Second, President Lange’s treatment of the text, 1 Peter 2:18–25, is exegetically correct but not “ivory tower”; it communicates truth in an easy way to hear. Third, the way I heard the sermon occasions some thoughts about the superiority of in-person worship to online. Dear brothers, sisters, people of God, fathers, faculty, mothers, children. Those who are watching online and from a distance. Are you ready? Are you ready to embrace the authority adventure? Are you too a man, a woman, under authority? Is this something that feels good? Is it something you run from? Students in my homiletics classes always hear, “You must have a title for your sermon. You have to have a title, unless you can show me a book in the library that doesn’t have a title.” My reason is practical. Putting together a sermon is a complicated task, and it’s only one of many jobs a pastor has to do during the week. A title makes sermon preparation easier. More about titles as you keep reading. For now, you see in this short opening paragraph that President Lange has given us title and theme, “Are you ready to embrace the authority adventure?” But I didn’t hear that when he preached. Because of Covid restrictions, I watched the sermon online, and so “the authority adventure” didn’t get into my head. It was like watching the local news while Diane is preparing supper. “What’s the weather forecast?” she asks, and I say, “I don’t know.” “But you’re watching it!” True enough, but I wasn’t paying attention. So, when brother
Homiletical Helps
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