In this article the author presents and edits a set of texts, two model sermons "In capite ieiunii" and two Parisian reportationes by the same preacher, Gilbert of Tournai (OFM , d. 1284), at different moments of his career. The study of those texts offers a rare insight into the mental toolbox of a preacher, showing how Gilbert was able to craft different sermons, over a number of years, by recycling, repurposing and enriching a favourite set of preaching material. This also raises the issue of transmission and transformations of the preaching material, through the prism of live performances, memory, and written records.