The holidays are such a fantastic time in church. We get to celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior! Studies have shown over the years that people are more likely to attend church during Christmas and Easter than at any other time of the year. In the church, the holiday season is a fantastic opportunity to reach people we couldn’t reach otherwise. Now’s our chance! As a Pastor, that can make holiday sermon prep a daunting task. What do you preach? How do you present things in a way that will make a difference? When and how do you start to prepare? These 5 ways pastors can get ahead in holiday sermon prep will help you as you consider the upcoming holiday season in your church.
1. Start Early
You can never start too early on your holiday sermon prep. The story of Jesus’ birth doesn’t change from year to year. So, you can begin at any time! The holiday season is always full of social events, school performances, and a desire to sit by a fire with hot chocolate. Don’t wait until that season to prep your holiday sermon. Start long before so you can enjoy the peace of the season.
When you start early, you will have time to get creative with a fresh approach to a story that’s been told for thousands of years. Instead of doing the same thing each year, spend the time creating a fresh, creative approach to the story so your congregation will engage in it.
Another aspect of early preparation is giving yourself time to get input and feedback. Ask people in your congregation about the text you’re preaching. You have one viewpoint of that story but can uncover more by including others in the preparation process. This is only possible if you start early.
2. Don’t Be Afraid to Repeat Something
While you want to take a fresh, creative approach to the Christmas sermon year after year, don’t be afraid to repeat something as well. This is a subject that is only covered once a year. Chances are, not everyone in your congregation heard your message from 2 years ago, and those who did may not fully remember it. It is acceptable to repeat the content when possible. This will help save you time and give you more time to pray and prepare the message for this year.
Additionally, when you repeat something from previous years, there is always the opportunity to update or change out some of your thoughts, scriptures, or stories. Take the time to pray, sit with the message, and consider what could be changed to make it most effective for your church this year.
3. Spend Time in Prayer
Preaching without prayer is just a good talk. Prayer is the power behind everything that we say from the pulpit. In his book, The Power of Prayer, E.M. Bounds said, “A prepared heart is much better than a prepared sermon. A prepared heart will make a prepared sermon.” Prayer is the preparation of your heart. It is your chance to bring your holiday sermon prep under the total submission of Jesus.
The holiday season is full of distractions, social gatherings, shopping, and fun events. Don’t let your preparation time get away from you; instead, get ahead of it now. You are only as effective as your prayer life. Spend most of your preparation time in prayer, and God will help you as you prepare for your holiday sermon prep.
4. Create a Plan
Preparation is excellent when there is a solid plan. Build extra prep time into your calendar and regular rhythms. If you have a tight schedule week to week, find some things to reschedule so you can schedule time to prepare for your holiday sermon. Put it on the calendar and take the time to do it. Without fail, we get to September 1st, and then, before you know it, December 25th will come and go. You must create a plan to get ahead in your holiday sermon prep to avoid falling behind.
Once you have a plan for preparation, make a plan for your holiday sermon! Get creative. Consider Christmas traditions, stories, and other creative elements that you can include. Make a list and then reference it during your sermon prep time. If you make a list and plan for creativity early, your prep time will be much smoother. Curate a list of ideas, analogies, and fun surprises for your holiday sermon. You can never start this process too early.
5. See What Other Churches Have Done
One of the most significant ways to get ahead in your holiday sermon prep is to look at other churches. What messages were preached? How did they cover the subjects? Did you like their creative elements? We don’t always have to have the newest, most exciting ideas. Sometimes, we need inspiration from other churches that have done things well. You don’t have to do the latest, newest, and most significant things to have fantastic holiday sermons. Don’t be afraid to learn from other churches and follow in their footsteps. Collectively, we can all learn from each other!
Bonus: Look for resources
You can start looking for resources months before Christmas. You can use resources like this list of sermons and outlines as a starting point. You don’t have to write everything from scratch, but you can find resources already available and ready for you! It can be much simpler to adjust or rework an already-made idea instead of creating a brand-new thought every year. There are many resources, from illustration ideas, sermon outlines, videos to enhance your sermon, and graphics to enhance the sermon. Whatever resources you find early may help you find the inspiration for your holiday sermon prep.
Here are a few other great resources for your holiday sermon prep:
- Sermon Illustrations (SermonSearch)
- Star of Wonder Collection (Shift Worship)
- Radiant Advent Collection (Shift Worship)
- This Is Jesus Mini Movie (Shift Worship)
- Christmas Videos (WorshipHouse Media)
- More Christmas videos! (Shift Worship)
The holidays will be here before you know it. Now is the time to start your holiday sermon prep so you don’t fall behind. Consider these 5 ways pastors can get ahead in holiday sermon prep this year to avoid falling behind. When Christmas comes, you’ll be glad you spent the time to get ahead. You will never regret planning and preparing for one of your year’s biggest church attendance days!
