Obi-Wan and Preaching

If you preach a theologically sound sermon, but it doesn’t relate with the reality of life then it won’t connect. My friend Nadia feels that she has to use illustrations from her life, otherwise it won’t be genuine. Nadia may be one of the best living preachers, but I’m not her. Maybe its my introversion, but I’m not always comfortable talking about myself.

Five years ago, I met with Bob Moon—one of the most genuine pastors I’ve ever known. Bob was kind enough to sit down with me and have a long talk about sermon preparation. One of the things he said was, “When you tell a story from the pulpit, never make yourself the hero of your own story.”

Stories are important; they connect us and ideas. The illustrations in sermons do not always have to be from our lives—they can come from anywhere we hear the truth: movies, music, plays, TV shows. I’m going to use this blog to share some of the stories and illustrations that have made their way into my sermons. The following one is from Pentecost 2022:

The girls went to the beach Thursday, and since I had the TV remote all to myself, I watched the Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+. To give you the premise of the show: Princess Leia is a 10 year old girl and she is kidnapped. Obi-Wan has to come out of retirement to go rescue her. In the second episode there’s a scene where Princess Leia, as a young girl, asks Obi-Wan, “What does the force feel like?” Obi-Wan asks her, “Have you ever been afraid of the dark?” She nods her head. He then says, “How does it feel when you turn on the light?” Leia says, “I feel safe.” “Yes, it feels like that.”

If you ever feel bad like you’re not doing enough, or you’re not being a good enough Christian—that’s not the voice of Jesus. If you’re tired, weary, exhausted, the voice the Jesus says, “Come to me and I will give you rest.”

The Spirit points you back to Jesus, reminds you of the grace of God, and reminds you that the work has already been done on your behalf and you are safe.

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Take 1: Genesis 2 and 3

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Meet Your Guide on this Theological Adventure

Greetings, my dear reader friends! My name is Aaron, and I’m the pastor at First Church of Clyattville—that means I have the great privilege of serving alongside a wonderful community of believers, sharing in the joys and struggles of this journey we call faith. When I’m not preaching, or teaching high school English, you can find me at home with my lovely wife Rachel, our two daughters, Ella and Lydia, and our beloved rescue dog, Peaches (not pictured above). They are the lights of my life, and I am grateful for their love and support each and every day. As for my background, I come to this blog series with a deep passion for theology and a desire to explore the riches of our Christian faith. I believe that theology is not just an intellectual exercise, but a vital part of our relationship with God and with one another. Through this blog series, I hope to share my love of theology with you and to learn from your insights and perspectives as well. So, whether you are a fellow pastor, a...

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