Preparing Sermons from the Page to the Pulpit: Exegesis to Exposition in Seven Steps, by Wayne Baxter. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2023. xii + 185 pp. $22.99.
Wayne Baxter encourages preachers to do all they can to furnish their flock with “opportunities to encounter God by faithfully preaching the text” (9) because “the best intentions do not an exegetically based, expositional sermon make” (3). He desires to “help the reader transition from the foundation of the exegetical analysis to the edifice of the message” (11). Baxter holds a PhD in Religious Studies (McMaster University) and is Professor of New Testament and Greek at Heritage College and Seminary (Ontario, Canada). He is the author of Israel’s Only Shepherd: Matthew’s Shepherd Motif and His Social Setting (T&T Clark, 2014) and Divine Shepherd Christology in the Gospel of Matthew (Fortress, 2022).
Nine chapters total with chapter 1 (“Introduction—The Problem”), and chapter 9 (“Conclusion—A Sermon Revisited,” Baxter’s sample sermon) serving as true introduction and conclusion. Baxter views the exegete asan editor—thereby the exegete is a reader (art and discipline of reading the text), an auditor (analyzing the minutiae of the text), a theologian (integrating the specific passage into the Scripture’s totality), and a coach (applying the text to the audience) (10–15). The instructive sections include chapters 2–8. Chapter 2, “Keeping it Together (Determining the Outer Limits),” details limiting passage boundaries. Boundary marker clues include (1) content, (2) inclusio, (3) narrative features, (4) catchwords, (5) the vocative case, and (6) rhetorical questions (22–28). Chapter 3, “Discerning the Big Picture (How Neighboring Words Shape Meaning),” reveals how to examine a text through its surrounding connections such as (1) historical, (2) theological, (3) logical, or (4) inter-paragraph (a parenthetical thought by the author) (35–37).
Chapter 4, “Outlining the Passage (How Structure Shapes Meaning),” demonstrates how text structure should coincide with sermon structure. Baxter examines such genres as prose and narrative, as well as features such as independent and dependent clauses, modifiers, and chiasmus. Chapter 5, “The Outline Before the Outline (From Passage Outline to Exegetical Summary Outline),” informs us that a proper exegetical summary helps solidify the passage movement in the mind of the preacher, “Skipping or ignoring this small but important step can lead to a confusing sermon outline” (87–88). Chapter 6, “Managing the Minutiae (How the Text Makes its Point Matters),” investigates syntactical, grammatical, and semantic nuances (various fallacies, along with keywords, semantic range, sense, and reference).
Chapters 7 and 8 are worth the price of the book. First, in “Making Theological Connections,” the driving principle is understanding the sermon text in its more expansive scriptural context (134). These scriptural connections that a preacher can and should make are based on his situation, and the specific time apportioned for his message (134). Nevertheless, every attempt should be made to make these connections, for “as you connect the sermon text with other, related passages, this helps you not to lose sight of Scripture’s grand metanarrative” (135). Baxter warns the preacher as he makes these links: “When theologically reflecting across the breadth of the canon, you need to be careful not to read meaning from other passages into your sermon text.… Other Bible passages should not be used to define the meaning of the text. Context remains the final determinant of meaning” (154).
Second, “Becoming Doers” provides clarity in the way of faithful biblical application for “the truth is not something merely to be known. Truth is something to practice” (158, n. 5). Several considerations need to be affirmed in the application process: (1) determine the purpose or point of the passage, (2) apply appropriately by understanding the original audience, (3) apply appropriately by understanding the audience to whom one is preaching, and (4) apply appropriately by keeping real people in mind while writing the sermon, moving from the general to the specific (160–65).
There are a couple of positives worth noting. First, Baxter’s emphasis on context is much appreciated. Determining proper text boundaries ensures identifying that singular complete thought and helps establish authorial intent (21–22). While there is latitude for creativity in sermon preparation and delivery, “The message must always travel along the same path as the sacred text. Having mapped the text in this way, you are well on the way to the homiletical outline” (84). Even application must be faithful to the context, “Preachers often apply biblical texts sideways” (159), applying what is generally true yet still unfaithful to the text context.
Second, his emphasis on the clear communication of the text. The hearer must be able to hear from God so that they can respond appropriately. While the finer points do matter, he issues two warnings:
First, the point of this attention to the finer points of the original language is not to “wow” the audience.… The purpose of thoughtfully engaging with the minutiae is to teach the flock, to deepen their faith, to help them love God with their mind. Second, this part of the sermon process can be fraught with grammatical jargon. The jargon needs to be left on the cutting room floor of the study (130).
The goal in effective biblical communication (i.e., preaching) is not simply dispensing information, “The sermon ought to move the listener to a deeper knowledge and understanding (both head and heart) of God through Jesus Christ” (157).
This book is not for everyone. Baxter assumes the reader: (1) will recognize the immense value of and be deeply committed to expository preaching, (2) will have sufficient training in the biblical languages and hermeneutics to craft a sermon, (3) will be someone who preaches from a pastoral perspective rather than a merely academic one, and (4) will readily acknowledge the massive imperative for the exegete to locate any given text within its social-historical background (15–17). If you are comfortable with those prerequisites this book is for you. It is a short, easy read, taking one from post-exegesis to pre-homiletic. This work is for those who want to go farther in and deeper down in their preaching.
