I recently tried something new in my preaching ministry.  Perhaps it will become my style moving forward, and even better: I’d love to see others do likewise.

What was the innovation to my preaching? I added lectio and visio divina into my message.

Not simply teaching the sixfold process of Lectio Divina, but experiencing a portion of it…together as a congregation.

Since I’m a “spiritual formation guy” I’m very familiar with the ancient prayer practices of both Lectio and Visio Divina. I teach on this topic frequently for LTI audiences and in other settings I’m invited into.

I generally review with my audience the history of Lectio, the practice of Lectio, and the prayerfulness of Lectio. Recently, since the publication of “Praying the Parables of Jesus” which I co-authored with Suz Skinner, I’ve had many more opportunities to give voice to the significance of this practice in my personal prayer closet, and for groups who gather around the Word.

The sixfold process I teach is very simply:

PAUSE – silencio is the Latin term used for sitting reverently and silently before God
READ – lectio is the actual reading of the text as a sacred experience with the passage
PONDER – meditatio is reflecting on your noticing and highlighting a word of phrase
PRAY – oratio is engaging prayerfully with the Lord about what you’re sensing from him
REFLECT – contemplatio is taking note of the depth of insights received in the reading
LIVE – incarnatio is considering how best to live this text you’ve been praying and reflecting

So, after expounding on the text for the first part of the sermon, I invited the congregation to review the handout made available to them that morning, which included the Scripture passage, the six lectio steps, an original artwork, and visio reflection queries. We walked through the Lectio process and then we sat with the text, reading it slowly and meditatively a few times, while I invited them to consider a key word or phrase that popped off the page and landed in their heart. I did so a second time and asked if there was any sense of invitation from the Lord as it relates to the text at hand.  I did the same for the image offered for Visiio.

It was an enriching way to enhance the preaching of the Word…getting out of the mode of “I tell you the big idea” to “Let’s see what the Lord has for each of us today.” We preacher types are more inclined toward being the one who finds and delivers the big idea, when in fact the Holy Spirit can enlighten all who have ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts that are inclined in his direction.