Thabiti,

I just listened to the Jeremiah Wright sermon that you suggested we listen to. I wrote out these comments and only then looked at what you and Mike wrote; and I haven't made any changes since doing that (which is my way of excusing the repetition).  Here’s what I might say to him if he were sitting in review w/us: 

Wow, you are a very gifted and clear communicator. Let me offer some critiques of the sermon, and then some encouragements.

Critiques:

• It felt like you took the text out of context b/c you didn’t tell us where it fit into redemption history? What does it have to do with the promises to Abraham and Moses? How does it point to Christ? Etc. By not doing this, you risk moralizing the point. Speaking of…
• I’m not sure how this was a “Christian” sermon. Couldn’t it have been preached in a synagogue or mosque? In other words, you gave us some good tips for living, but there was no gospel.
• I’d be careful about using the word “hell” to describe dire circumstances in this world. If hell is, in fact, a burning lake of fire, are we doing anyone any favors by causing them to think it’s something less?
• You veered a little close to prosperity gospel. You told us to “maintain the audacity of hope” in our prayers for our child, for our house, for our church. Are you suggesting that our hope should remain fixed on what God may give us in this world? At other times, gratefully, you spoke of praise to God even when our circumstances don’t change.

Encouragements:

• On this last point, I appreciate what you said about about how easy it is to give praise when we’re externally blessed; the real challenge (and real test) is the ability to give praise to God when this world fails us (“for the joy set before him”). I appreciated the way you called us to the vertical over and above the horizontal (note; just make sure you’re not slipping the horiztontal into the vertical; see last point).
•  The illustration of your parents singing “Thank you, Jesus” in hard times was very compelling.
•  Your pastoral sympathy and care for your listeners was very evident.
•  Thinking about my own preaching, I was very challenged by the existential grittiness of your sermon. It’s very clear that you’re getting into the lives of your hearers and identifying with them where they are at. I think expositional and doctrinal preachers could learn a lot from your example here.