The Homiletic Kite for Preachers

/

by brothers Chris Frost and Andy Frost

Preaching usually fails because one or more of four key elements is ignored. The result is that ‘… the cinema really is often more interesting, more exciting, more human and gripping than the church’[i].

These four elements are captured and then described below in the Homiletic Kite diagram, taken from Leadiagrams: 52 Visuals to Help You Thrive in Your Faith and Lead Effectively.

You

Before preaching, you might hear someone pray something like this: ‘Lord, I ask you that the congregation wouldn’t see Chris today, but just you.’ Although I appreciate the sentiment of that prayer, it’s nonsense. The hope, of course, is that as a result of the message, people will savour Jesus like a fine wine, but without the bottle to pour that wine, there’s just a mess on the table. Professor of Preaching Haddon Robinson puts it like this, ‘In the final analysis, listeners do not hear a sermon. They hear you.’[ii]

The Message

This is the content of the message you are delivering, shaped around the gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 9:16). Its main content must be about Jesus, otherwise, your message will be like a gift bag without a gift in it! The message must also move you; you’re not delivering a lecture but a piece of spiritual dynamite that first must have detonated in your heart.

God

Preaching stands or falls on its accompaniment with God’s power; without it, it’s just like any other speech. It was said of Scottish minister Robert Murray McCheyne that when he appeared in the pulpit, even before he had uttered a single word, people would begin to weep silently. It’s easy to forget how intricately involved God wants to be in your preaching process.

Receiver(s)

This could be a vast stadium crammed with people without faith or a handful of people at your local church. The receiver(s) of your message are in a macro and micro cultural moment, so bear this in mind as the message is prepared. Haddon Robinson put it well when he said, ‘Imagine if Paul’s letters to the Corinthians had been sent to the Philippians by mistake …. Preachers … must be as familiar with the needs of their churches as they are with the content of their Bibles.’[iii]

The above four subjects are all intricately involved with one another, as outlined in the Homiletic Kite. Through the arrows, the diagram depicts the importance of the reciprocal relationship that You have with God, your Message and the Receivers of it, before, during and after your preaching. It displays the Receiver’s mutual relationship with You, the preacher (1 Corinthians 2:4–6), your message and God himself.  It also demonstrates God’s commitment to be with You as you speak for him (Luke 12:11–12), as he inhabits his Message (Isaiah 55:11) and works on the hearts of the Receivers of his message (John 16:8).  Indeed, the Homiletic Kite only flies by God’s Spirit, or in the words of Bonhoeffer; ‘I will never be able to convert through the power of my sermon unless the Spirit comes and makes my word into the Spirit’s word.’[iv]

The hoped-for consequences of the Message being passed onto others (2 Timothy 2:2) and lived out (John 13:17) are displayed in the kite’s ribbons.

Questions for Reflection

  • What preaching has impacted you the most and why?

  • How could a greater awareness of God and the receivers of your message influence what you say?

  • What could you do to increase your awareness of God’s presence when you share his message?

Blog Authors: brothers Chris Frost and Andy Frost.

[i] [i] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works Volume 9: The Young Bonhoeffer 1918–1927 (Fortress Press, 2002), 363.
[ii] Haddon Robinson, Biblical Preaching: The Development and Delivery of Expository Messages (Baker Academic, 2014), 119.
[iii] Robinson, Biblical Preaching, 27.
[iv] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works Volume 9: The Young Bonhoeffer 1918–1927 (Fortress Press, 2002), 363

Chris Frost (@christhefrosty) is the lead elder at Gateway Church, Leeds. He serves leaders more widely as the UK team leader for ChristCentral churches. He has an MA in Mission and Leadership, an MSc in Senior Leadership and is a chartered manager.

Andy Frost (@andythefrosty) is the director of Share Jesus International, the chair of the London Mission Collective and joint CEO of Gather Movement. He has an MA in applied theology, has authored a number of books and presented the Jesus Series.

Leadiagrams: 52 Visuals to Help You Thrive in Your Faith and Lead Effectively was published March 2023 and is available direct from Share Jesus www.sharejesusinternational.com/leadiagrams/ or via other outlets..