How to Prepare and Give a Talk (a Sermon)

When I was called to serve in a stake high council, I had many opportunities to speak during worship services in several nearby congregations.  I'd had plenty of opportunities before, but for this calling, I spoke at a rate of almost once per month.  Once, when I was addressing the Poughkeepsie Ward, where I was assigned to regularly provide support, I shared thoughts on how to give a good talk.  One of my daughters asked me about this today, and I shared my guidelines with her.  I have three:

1. We are only ever successful in teaching truth about God if God does the teaching.  This happens as we speak truth and God testifies of it through the Holy Ghost.  This is why the Gift of the Holy Ghost that we receive after baptism is so important!  We are blessed with the "tongue of angels", as Nephi called it in 2 Nephi 31:14 and 32: 2.  As we read in Doctrine and Covenants 50:17-22, "Verily I say unto you, he that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?  And if it be by some other way it is not of God.  And again, he that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?  If it be some other way it is not of God.  Therefore, why is it that ye cannot understand and know, that he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth?  Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together."  We can't control how people prepare for and receive our words, but we can give them an opportunity by making sure we speak truth that God will endorse to them.

2. We are likely to succeed in having the Holy Ghost testify of what we're teaching if we rely on the words of prophets for the foundation of our preaching.  This includes ancient scripture, more modern scripture, and the words of living prophets and general authorities.  Once we have an assigned topic, we can research both scripture and general conference talks (or other similar talks by general authorities in other venues) and record quotations from them for reference.  It's better to start by listing many, even though we won't be using all of them by the time we're done.  For modern references, I usually find the most use in material generated in the last few decades, when messages have been shaped more for our time specifically, but there are also highly-applicable statements from 100 or so years ago.  (Side note, in case a member of a bishopric ever sees this: If you are thinking about assigning a GA's talk as the subject for one of your congregants' talks, please don't, because it's really constricting and awkward; instead, assign a topic and suggest that general authority's talk as a prime reference.)

3. As Nephi put it in 1 Nephi 19:23, we should "liken all [prophetic teachings] unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning."  In other words, it's useful to show, through our own personal experiences or that of other people we know, how the truth taught by prophets truly blesses us in practical ways.

As an appendage to guideline #1, I always seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost in knowing what to say not only in the weeks before my talk but continually until the moment I have finished speaking.  I typically take extra notes with the understanding that I'll omit some of them later.  I keep adjusting my to-be-printed notes until I leave to the meetinghouse; and then I adjust my printed notes while seated near the pulpit, waiting for my turn; and then while speaking I do my best to continue listening to God to know what I should and shouldn't say.  I cut out a fair amount of my notes on the spot.  Sometimes I've prepared too much for the time that remains for me in the meeting, or sometimes I've made notes related to favorite ideas of mine but may be less relevant or possibly not fully-established doctrine, and sometimes I just trust God that a good truth just isn't important for the congregation to focus on at the time.  I have omitted more than a page of notes for various reasons as I seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost up to the time I invoke the name of Christ one last time and say, "Amen."

A few other tips: Fasting can also help us draw close to God, and as a member of a high council I realized that I preferred to fast before giving any talk.  I don't always remember to do so these days, but I believe it only helps.  A good night's sleep beforehand is also beneficial for everything we do.  I recommend never starting by mentioning one's assignment to speak, as it simply isn't necessary, and especially to never tell the congregation about one's failure to make timely preparation.  It could be appropriate to mention thoughts one has while preparing.

Incidentally, for me, I generally end up with about a page of notes for every five minutes I'm going to speak.  I also almost never read the talk word for word, with the exception of once when I spoke in Spanish to a Spanish-speaking branch because my ability in that language is very limited.  I may well use the exact wording from my notes at times, because my prepared notes have tailored nuance, but generally I want my talks to sound natural because it's more engaging.

As one more note I believe the same steps to success are applicable for lessons at Church also; the difference is that teachers get class members to participate in each part.

Last thoughts for now:
To summarize, the way to succeed in strengthening people's faith in Christ while giving public discourses is to 1) ensure that we have God teaching the people by testifying of truths we speak through the power of the Holy Ghost, 2) relying on the words of prophets, and 3) providing practical life application and lessons.  I have found great joy in being useful to God and His other children by relying on Him as I preach, and I believe every member of the Church of Jesus Christ with the gift of the tongue of angels can do the same and share in the same joy.

"That every man might speak in the name of God"

I didn't grow up listening to a pastor or "holy man" preach every week.  I grew up in a church where everyone was expected to contribute, and everyone was expected to keep the commandments.  In hindsight, it's strange to me when I see others' religious experiences in which they are "normal" and some other figure is "holy".  I don't mean to take a shot at other people's faith, but I know what it means to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Every member of the Church has been baptized.  Through that covenant we all have promised to take upon ourselves the name of Christ, keep his commandments, mourn with those that mourn (Mosiah 18:9), and speak with the "tongue of angels" (2 Nephi 31:13-14, 32:2-3).  We are all disciples of Christ who have covenanted to cast off sin and leave worldly ways behind.  We all serve in the Church, and someone who is a mission president one month is a teacher for young children the next.  We all have the same responsibility to have faith and to repent, and if we do so we are all candidates for positions of service that people outside of our religion might see as positions of prominence.  Despite our weakness we are all saints; we are all Latter-day Saints.

I think sometimes we as members of God's Church don't realize what He wants for us.  We are sometimes too content to let others lead.  The truth is that we have all been called to serve and to lead and to be shining examples of discipleship.  No one is inherently better than anyone else; there isn't a division of groups that are meant to be noble and groups that are meant to be prodded along.  Instead, God desires "that every man might speak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of the world; That faith also might increase in the earth; That mine everlasting acovenant might be established; That the fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers." (Doctrine and Covenants 1:20-23)

What's more, the breadth of Christ's Atonement itself implies that the glory of God is intended for all of us.  "And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam.  And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day.  And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God." (2 Nephi 9:21-23--a personal favorite)  We all are supposed to benefit from the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and having been given so much we are then all required to do much.  God desires for us all to receive His joy and glory, or as I mentioned in an earlier post, there's "Only One Destination in the Plan".

Last thoughts for now:
We all deserve to have hope, and we all deserve to know the joy of service.  Heavenly Father wants us all to be righteous and holy.  The Church exists to bring the children of God, every one of us a sinner, close to Him.  I hope for us all to better understand Jesus Christ's Atonement and become better servants of the Almighty God.

Not Just an Emotional Response

I've heard it said before (from someone who claimed to be a former member of the Church and a former bishop) that what we call the Holy Ghost is nothing more than an emotional response.

NOT SO!!

Yes, the Holy Ghost does produce a fruit that inspires emotion (see Galatians 5:22), but to feel these emotions and to truly know the Spirit of God are two different things. What great joy the Spirit brings, but even when emotions don't run strong, what a wonderful thing it is to recognize the presence of the Holy Ghost!

Of course, the only way to know the Holy Ghost is to listen to God's word and obey it. As we hear the "whisperings of the Spirit" and disregard them, they become quieter to us, but as we truly listen to them and follow them it becomes easier for us to do the same in the future.

I know that I need the Holy Ghost to guide me. I rely on the Spirit to guide me and give me the "tongue of angels" (2 Nephi 31:14, 32:2-3, 33:1) as I speak to others. I know that I have spoken words that were inspired at the very moment. One of the most interesting things to me is when I'm inspired to not say something, either because the listener wasn't ready or perhaps because what I was going to say was wrong.

I think many people don't realize that, having been baptized and confirmed, they can speak with the tongue of angels. It's a wonderful gift that we truly need in order to serve God.

Last thoughts for now:
The Holy Ghost is real. It is my responsibility to obey the charge given to me when I was confirmed and "receive the Holy Ghost." The Spirit of God testifies of truth, teaches us, comforts us, and guides us. And, as a bonus, it will often bring the best of emotional responses.