One of the little joys of preaching

How many things can you say about a well known Biblical passage or character?  Most of us might have a few things to say, but how about twenty minutes worth?  One of the joys of the process of preaching is that it forces you to look closely at a given passage of Scripture in order to determine what you should say about it.  As a rule, I don't look back at past sermons to see what I've said from a passage before.  Over time, passage like Luke's account of the birth of Christ will certainly be used more than once.  By not looking at the past messages, I allow God's Word to speak to me afresh and show me new insights that I hadn't seen before.  People have asked me, "If you've already read that book, why are you reading it again???"  That's usually in response to seeing me reading the Lord of the Rings again (I'm well past 15 times and counting).  My answer is simple: I find new things to appreciate and enjoy each time I re-read a book that I love.
Scripture is no different.
  This week I'm preparing a two-part message on the story of Jonah.  It's a story that is popular in Sunday School, kids love hearing about a guy being swallowed by a whale evidently (Of course they do!).  So what do you say about a story that everyone "knows" already?  That's where close examination of the text comes in.  I have to read it carefully; look for things that are obvious, and things that are subtle; put myself in the author's shoes (What is he trying to tell his audience?) and then in the seat of the original audience (What did it mean to them?).  Lastly, I look at the text as it relates to my congregation today; what message does God have for them here and now?
When it's all said and done, it really isn't that difficult to fill up to 9 to 12 pages of notes that I use for my sermon.  At times, the difficulty is in finding a way to stop before it grows out of control.  For me, there's both academic and spiritual joy in the process of rediscovering Scriptures that I've known my whole life and finding a way to explain that message to others.