Aimee Semple McPherson
d d d d d d d d d d Aimee Semple McPherson is an interesting individual. I can only wish for
enough time to read more about her disappearance! No my friends, she is no
Amelia Earhart, but she did disappear for five weeks. Her ministry experienced
numerous highs and lows, but she did have a gift for the dramatic. I believe her
sermon demonstrates several of the McDill skill sets. She demonstrates Skill
Seven, Balancing Persuasive Elements in her ability to illustrate the biblical text.
McDill writes, “a sermon illustration is any word picture that gives the biblical
truth a familiar enough image that the listener can see it in his mind.”[1] Skill
Nine, Scenes and Stories, is present in McPherson’s retelling of the Barabbas
narrative. McDill writes, “not only are word pictures and stories essential to good
speech communication, but they are also inherent to the revelation of God in
Scripture.”[2] Not only does she bring the story to life, but she also teaches her
congregation that God sent his son to pay for their sins. “Tis neither jest nor
mocking, Barabbas. ‘Tis true, thou art a free man. For one named Jesus is to be
stretched upon your cross on Calvary’s hill…”[3] However, she also fails in this
area to some degree. Her use of flowery language does not fit this skill (McDill,
157), although this could be merely an effect of reading her early 20th Century
words through an early 21st Century lens. McPherson follows the McDill method
for this step by including the “five phases of a story”.[4] And finally, Skill Ten,
Human Experience, is also present in the text of her sermon. She thoroughly
integrates the experiences of Barabbas, while also showing that all are in need of
substitutionary atonement.
Word Count: 327
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
d d d d d d d d d d Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s sermon for the third Sunday of Advent, December
17, 1933, paints a vivid picture of Mary, the mother of Jesus. When referencing
Mary’s song as recorded in Luke 1:46-55, he writes, “this is not a gentle, tender,
dreamy Mary as we often see her portrayed in paintings… a hard, strong,
relentless hymn about the toppling of the thrones and the humiliation of the lords
of this world, about the power of God and the powerlessness of humankind.”[5]
Skill Nine, Scenes and Stories, is present in this portion of the sermon. McDill
writes, “look for dynamics of the situation and note them as well… watching for
characters, relationships, motives, changes, divine involvement, incongruities, and
surprises.”[6] I especially like the way Bonhoeffer brings the text down to a
human level, “she [Mary] speaks, by the power of the spirit, about God’s coming
into the world, about the Advent of Jesus Christ… she, of course, knows better
than anyone else what it means to wait for Christ’s coming. She waits for him
differently than does any other human being.”[7] Not only is Bonhoeffer again
using Skill Nine by sketching the story, but he is also employing Skill Ten (Human
Experience). He connects man’s waiting for redemption to Mary's waiting to give
birth, a theme common to all mankind through the ages. Everyone knows what it
feels like to wait for something, and this has been translated through the retelling
of this part of Christ’s birth narrative.
Word Count: 320
[1] Wayne McDill, 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching, Nashville: B & H
Academic, 2018, 126-127.
[2] Wayne McDill, 12 Essential Skills for Great Preaching, 152.
[3] "Barabbas, by Aimee Semple-McPherson," Jawbone Digital, February 23, 2017,
Accessed May 05, 2021, https://jawbonedigital.com/barabbas-aimee-semple-
mcpherson/.
[4] McDill, 154.
[5] "Sermon on Luke 1:46–55, London, Third Sunday in Advent, December 17,
1933," In London, 1933-1935: Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 13, edited by
Clements Keith, by BONHOEFFER DIETRICH, Goedeking Hans, Heimbucher Martin,
Schleicher Hans-Walter, Best Isabel, and Stott Douglas W., 342-47, MINNEAPOLIS:
1517 Media, 2007, Accessed May 5, 2021, doi:10.2307/j.ctt22h6t1c.17, 342.
[6] McDill, 163.
[7] "Sermon on Luke 1:46–55, London, Third Sunday in Advent, December 17,
1933," In London, 1933-1935: Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 13, 343.
