Mark Airey

1/31/07

P-431 Problems in Preaching

Dr. Glenn Nielsen

Peer Review-Michael Schmitt

General Comments:

The sermon stayed on point and was easy to follow with a linear thought holding throughout.  The sound system made it a little hard to hear the entire sermon, especially any nuances.  I thought Michael had a good strong voice quality and “pulpit presence”.  Good length (12 min.), it felt just right, in that there was never a feeling of dragging on.

Handling of Text:

It was an interesting way to go with the text, but consistent with my understanding.  I liked the way Michael went into the context of this celebration and its background to help us to understand why they were celebrating.

Goal:

If I were to pick out a goal I would say that it was: That the hearers would celebrate the gospel message.

Structure:

The structure seemed like it would fit into the traditional “4 Pages of a Sermon” structure, with the trouble in the text being expressed, then the trouble in the world, then what God did for them, then what Jesus does for us.  This is easy for me to follow and I would guess that others would find it easy to understand.  Good use of rhetorical questions for thoughtful consideration.

Depiction:

The hearers could have identified with the Israelites easily and then seen themselves in the sinner category with Michael’s law convictions of not having the time for God and worshipping our own idols.  He was able to help the hearer see the saint in themselves coming to service but then see how we don’t take the time in other ways.

Law/Gospel:

I think Michael did a good job in bringing the trouble in the text around to the hearer and spoke to our core emotion of guilt about not taking the time to read the Bible, go to church, etc. He then brought us to the cross and the gospel and how “God does have time”.

Delivery:

The delivery was strong in volume and stance.  I would say Michael was a little stiff and leaned on the pulpit a little too much which restricted hand gestures and expression.  He used pauses well and kept a good pace.  He could have mixed up the tempo a little more and used more inflection and range especially in expressing the gospel account.  He stayed focused even with a toddlers cry out at an inopportune time.  Good functional reading of manuscript and eye contact.

“Listenability”:

As I said before, the sermon was easy to understand and followed one idea well.  Michael could have embodied the message a little better with more emphasis and fluctuation in tempo and range.

Problems/Suggestions:

Loosen up and use more gesturing, emphasize different moods more dramatically, switch tempo up, don’t lean on pulpit to bring hands into expressions, don’t use manuscript.