The Sermonwright blog
Notes for ministers on study, craft, and the disciplines that keep the pulpit trustworthy.
A growing archive of essays on sermon preparation, lexical study, historical context, illustrations, cross-references, and the honest conversations ministers have about AI in the study.
/6 min
AI in the Pulpit: The Honest Conversation Ministers Aren't Having
AI in sermon prep is neither salvation nor scandal. The honest question is what it can actually do — and what it never should.
/4 min
The Research Accelerant, Not the Sermon Writer
AI compresses the wide pass. It does not — and should not — write the sermon. A short note on what to delegate and what to keep.
/5 min
Saturday-Night Sermon Prep Without the Panic
A protocol for the Saturday-night sermon — when the week ate your prep and you still need to preach a passage you respect.
/4 min
The Verify Flag as a Discipline, Not a Warning
Treat 'verify before preaching' as a habit of mind, not a yellow sticker. The discipline is what makes the tool trustworthy.
/5 min
Why I Still Teach Greek at Strong's Level
Strong's is not Greek, and pretending otherwise has produced more bad sermons than any other tool. But used honestly, it has a real place.
/4 min
Expository, Topical, Narrative: Pick One on Purpose
Most sermons drift between three angles because the minister never chose one. The choice is the work.
/5 min
Background Claims: The Most Dangerous Sermon Content
Historical-cultural background is where sermons most often quietly fabricate. Why the discipline matters more here than anywhere else.
/4 min
Illustrations: The Most Fabricated Sermon Content
If a Spurgeon quote feels too perfect, it probably is. A short note on the illustrations that sermons keep recycling — and how to stop.
/4 min
Cross-References as Illumination, Not Decoration
A cross-reference earns its place by making the passage clearer. If it just shows that you read the rest of the Bible, cut it.
/4 min
Trust but Verify: The Only Defensible AI Workflow
Two halves of one habit. Without trust the tool is useless; without verification the pulpit is unsafe.
/4 min
The Three Questions to Ask of Any Greek Word
Most Greek goes wrong in sermons because the minister stopped at the first question. Three is enough; one is not.
/3 min
The Honest Minimum for a Passable Saturday Draft
What you actually need on the page by Saturday night to preach a sermon you can stand behind on Sunday morning.
/5 min
Lexical Fallacies Ministers Keep Making
Five errors that recur in pulpit Greek and Hebrew. Each is correctable; the discipline is noticing when you are about to commit one.
/4 min
When a Passage Resists an Expository Angle
Some passages are not built for expository preaching. Recognizing the resistance is part of the discipline.
/4 min
The Trap of 'The Rabbis' and 'The Eye of a Needle'
Two pulpit folk claims that have outlived their evidence. Why both are taught and why both should be retired.
/3 min
Paraphrase Versus Quotation: The Line That Matters
When you say someone 'said' something, you owe the congregation a real quotation. The rest is paraphrase, and the difference is honesty.
/3 min
The Best Illustrations Are From the Text Itself
Most passages contain their own illustrations. Notice them before you reach for an outside example.
/4 min
Planning a Series From a Single Passage
Most series collapse because they were planned topically and bolted onto texts. Plan from the passage outward and the series holds.
/4 min
When the Strong's Number Is Not Enough
Three situations where Strong's gets you to the door but cannot get you through it. Recognize them and reach for a real lexicon.
/4 min
Honor-Shame Shorthand: When It Helps and When It Misleads
An interpretive frame that has earned its place but is sometimes preached as if it were the evidence. The line matters.
/4 min
Topical Preaching Without Proof-Texting
Topical sermons fail when texts get conscripted to support a point. They succeed when texts are treated as witnesses to be heard.
/3 min
The Pitfall of the Clever Cross-Reference
A cross-reference that surprises the congregation feels like exegesis. Often it is just association. Knowing the difference is craft.
/3 min
Tracing a Claim Back to Its Source
A short discipline for any claim that did not come from the text. Two steps, ten minutes, far fewer apologies later.
/4 min
When the Week Was Eaten: A Friday-Morning Protocol
What to do on Friday morning when ministry has eaten your prep and you still want a sermon you can stand behind.
/4 min
Semantic Range Versus the Root Fallacy
Words mean what they are used to mean, not what their parts add up to. The discipline is to ask the lexicon, not the etymology.
/4 min
Narrative Preaching and the Discipline of Restraint
Narrative preaching fails when ministers add to the story. The discipline is to let the text's silences stay silent.
/4 min
Application Without Moralism
The application section of a sermon goes wrong in two directions. Both are avoidable, and the fix is the same.
/3 min
Cutting the Saturday Rabbit Holes
Saturday-night sermons fail in predictable ways. Three rabbit holes are the most common, and all three are avoidable.
/3 min
The Five-Minute Strong's Discipline
A weekly habit for ministers who want their lexical claims to hold up. Five minutes per word, three or four words per sermon.
/4 min
How to Use BDAG When You Don't Own BDAG
The serious lexicons are expensive. There are honest paths to their authority for ministers who do not have shelves of reference works.
/4 min
Hebrew Word Studies Without Getting Lost
Hebrew word studies fail differently than Greek. The discipline is to honor the difference.
/4 min
Roman Imperial Context Without the Clichés
Imperial-context preaching is real and useful — and overfamiliar enough that the clichés do most of the work. A short discipline for using the frame honestly.
/4 min
Second-Temple Judaism for the Saturday Pulpit
What ministers need to know about second-temple Judaism, and what they should leave to the academy. The line is more practical than ideological.
/3 min
Archaeology Claims and the Discipline of Citing
Archaeological detail in sermons is often vivid and frequently wrong. A short discipline for getting it right.
/3 min
What Counts as a Checked Citation
A short rubric for when you can preach a citation honestly. Three tests, all small, all worth doing.
/4 min
When the Commentary Is Wrong and Everyone Quoted It
Some commentary readings traveled because they preached. The discipline is to notice when a confident chorus might be a single, repeated voice.
/3 min
Footnotes From the Pulpit: The Hidden Honesty
Sermons cannot be footnoted. They can still carry a kind of footnote in the verbal hedges a minister uses with discipline.
/3 min
The Three Passes I Make Before Preaching
A simple pre-pulpit ritual. Three distinct readings of the manuscript, each looking for something different.
/4 min
Cross-Checking Translations Without Becoming a Pedant
A short discipline for using multiple English translations honestly — without preaching the differences as though every variant were a sermon.
/3 min
The Second-Best Angle and Why It's Often the Right One
The angle that excites the minister is rarely the angle the congregation needs. The discipline is sometimes to choose the duller one.
/4 min
Preaching the Passage Against Itself
Some passages are doing two things at once, and the second thing complicates the first. Preaching both is sometimes the most honest move.
/4 min
Canonical Reading and Cross-References That Honor the Passage
Reading the canon as a whole is an old, durable practice. Done well, it serves the passage; done casually, it absorbs the passage into a generic message.
/3 min
Building Cross-Reference Discipline as a Habit
Good cross-reference work is a habit, not a sermon-week task. A small weekly practice produces durable depth over time.
/4 min
When the Personal Anecdote Is the Wrong Call
Personal anecdotes can serve a sermon. They can also center the minister, betray confidences, or substitute for the text. Knowing when not to use one is craft.
/3 min
Testing an Illustration Against the Passage
An illustration that survives a small test is doing real work. Three questions filter the candidates.
/4 min
Lectionary Versus Free Pulpit and When to Switch
Both have their virtues; both have their failure modes. Recognizing which one you need this season is the work.
/4 min
How to Plan Twelve Weeks Without Burning Out
A practical method for series planning that protects the minister's prep capacity across a long arc.
/4 min
The Mid-Series Pivot: When the Text Takes You Elsewhere
Sometimes a series is going one direction and the text wants another. Knowing when to follow is part of preaching.
/4 min
Why AI Fabricates Greek and How to Catch It
AI's most confident-sounding errors are often in Greek and Hebrew detail. The discipline is to know why and to check.
/3 min
The Saturday Handoff: What to Leave for Sunday Morning
Some sermon work is best done Saturday night. Some is best done Sunday morning. Knowing which is which protects the sermon.