Preaching: Going from kind of the beginning of the week toward Sunday, what does a typical week of sermon preparation look like for you?
Watson: Sometimes I’ll start Sunday night, but mostly Monday morning. Reading of the text and reading it reflectively. Reading it in different translations, because I believe that the sermonizing begins with just the simple reading of the text at hand. Just sensing what God is saying. What is the meaning of this passage? Reading it from different translations.
I will take some blank pages of paper and whatever thoughts come to me just from reading it, I’ll write them down and try to understand what that text is saying. Then, of course, I will begin to look at the grammar and word studies. Any particular words, especially action words or verbs that jump out at me. Looking up the meaning of those words. Just writing it down with no particular order—just writing it down.
Then after doing the word studies and what have you, I’ll begin to look at what other people are saying about the text, commentaries. Of course anything that jumps out at me, that strikes me, I would write it down. I may have 12 or 13, maybe 15 pages of notes just randomly written.
Then I begin to question the text on Tuesday or so, in terms of the meaning of this text. So I would write down the central idea of the text. In one sentence, what is this text saying? I’ll write it down to the best of my ability in terms of my research.
After doing that, I begin to think about how to get at this text sermonically. I call that the central idea of the sermon based on the central idea of the text. What would that be? I’d write it down. That would serve as the train tracks for my sermonic approach to the text, because while the text has its meaning, there are several ways you can get at a text. If you’re preaching one sermon, I think you have to determine which train track you’re going to use for that particular sermon.
After establishing that, then I’m starting to think in terms of outlining it. How would I organize the thoughts based on what this one sentence, this one central truth or thought is, in terms of the central idea of the sermon? Once I get the thing outlined, then I begin to write it. Hopefully that’s around Wednesday or so. I would then write the sermon Wednesday and Thursday. Hopefully I will be finished by Friday, which would give me a day or so to familiarize myself with the sermon. Then I preach it on Sunday.
I failed to mention that along the way I would look for areas in the sermon that need illustrations. I believe in using illustrations when they are needed. I don’t think that illustrations should be always used Some people seem to think that you have to illustrate every movement of the sermon. No, but if it needs more explanation you probably need an illustration.
For me, illustrations to a sermon are like windows to a building. One of the most uninteresting buildings you can ever see is one that has no windows. Windows allow you to see out and to see in, to shine light into the space. So where illustrations are needed, I will look for appropriate illustrations. For me illustrations are for turning the ears into eyes so that the people can see what you’re saying.
Of course, after writing it out and familiarizing myself with it, I preach the sermon.
Preaching: Do you write a manuscript?
Watson: I do.
Preaching: Do you use that in the pulpit, or do you just use notes? What do you actually carry into the pulpit with you?
Watson: I type my sermons up on the computer, file them. I don’t know, I’m just kind of old-fashioned. I go back and write out a cheat sheet in my own handwriting—take a piece of typing paper, fold it in half, and I write it out. [On the] cheat sheets, sometimes it will be mostly the entire sermon. Some of it will be just words that will help me to know what that particular point is, just from looking at it. I know which way I’m going because I wrote the sermon. I use whatever I have to use to make it work.
Preaching: Maurice, who have been the major influences in your life in kind of shaping your preaching and your pastoral ministry?
Watson: Well, my pastor from Arkansas, when I was a teenager. The late M.K. Curry was my first pastor; he influenced me. My former brother-in-law, Reverend Laverne Swain, who pastors in Gary, Indiana, influenced me as he and my sister were married as teenagers. Reverend C. Dennis Edwards in Little Rock was a great influence on me.
Then, of course, some of the national preachers of the past that influenced me were the late Manuel Scott and the late E.V. Hill, both of whom I knew as friends and had tremendous impact on my life. Of course as I mentioned, E.K. Bailey certainly changed the trajectory of my preaching career as I moved from topical to expository preaching through his influence. He had a great, great impact on me. Some of my contemporary friends—Joel Gregory, Ralph West, H.B. Charles—they’ve all had an impact on me.
Preaching: What do you enjoy most about preaching?
Watson: What really brings joy to my heart, and it’s brought joy to my heart over the years—has been at each of the churches I’ve pastored—is when a parent comes to me and tells me their 7- or 8-year old or their teenage child, after hearing me preach on Sunday, will have a discussion with their parents and the parents will say, “My child understood your sermon.”
That’s when I believe I’ve been effective. When the children are able to get it just like the adults. That brings a lot of joy to me.