A weekly blog of Creative Ideas for Leading Worship
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9 — An AI Assisted Sermon
I used the ChatGPT AI to improve the sermon I delivered at Wesley Methodist Church, Taranaki Street, Wellington on 17 November 2024.
I was pleased with the final result and felt that the messages in the sermon were appropriate and well received.
Try this process for yourself when writing your next sermon.
Summary of the Process
- I wrote a solid first draft of a sermon of 1077 words based on the Revised Common Lectionary readings from 1 Samuel 1:4-20 and Mark 13:1-8. I chose Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation.
- I submitted the draft text to ChatGPT asking it to rewrite and extend the ideas into a sermon with 2000 words. [https://chatgpt.com/]
- Made minor edits to the sermon text that ChatGPT provided, added back in a couple of sentences in my own words from my original draft, and delivered the resulting sermon – now 1640 words.
Comments
- As I hoped, ChatGPT provided some new/extended ideas/text:
- ChatGPT provided sub-headings throughout the sermon. I left them in the printout I preached from – as visual breaks and context reminders – but did not speak the sub-headings.
- ChatGPT also improved the flow of my text, simplifying it and omitting some less relevant points.
See my original text, prompts to ChatGPT and the final sermon text
Click here for a PDF of my original text, prompts to ChatGPT and the final sermon text.
I have also included the prompts I used to have ChatGPT create the image for the front of the Order of Service and opening slide in my hymns PowerPoint.
Click these links for recordings and the PDF Order of Service
Readings and Sermon – Audio:
https://tinyurl.com/39bpappe
Whole Service – Audio:
https://tinyurl.com/armb6j6r
Facebook Livestream Whole Service – Video:
https://fb.watch/vUZBwZ4ZRp/
PDF Order of Service:
https://tinyurl.com/4basp99t
What do you think?
I’d love to hear what you think about this exercise?
Is this something you will try or have already tried?
Please leave your comments below.
Nga mihi
Philip
28 Nov 2024