The preacher listens to God as he prepares his sermons.
August 2, 2007 (Thursday) – A well-known minister in California received a note from a member of his congregation, asking him to preach shorter sermons that are more entertaining. Well, I guess you have to hand it to the guy who wrote that note: he was straightforward and honest about what he wanted. He probably spoke the sentiments of quite a few people.
The preacher receiving the note was currently delivering a series of sermons on God’s judgment and the end of the world. Admittedly, he said, he could work on making the sermons shorter, but “entertaining?” He likened the request to hiring standup comedians at public executions. Inappropriate.
As Ecclesiastes says, “There is a time for everything.” Every preacher knows that humor is a tool, useful for getting the attention of the audience and helping listeners to relax and listen well to what is about to be said. But humor is not always appropriate; some subjects are inherently so serious that there’s no way to change that.
Preachers are open to suggestions and ideas about sermons, but any preacher worth his salt listens to God as he prepares his sermons and then preaches them. He wants to have assurance that he is delivering a word from God to the people.
There are many ways to present a sermon, and no one method is necessarily better than others. After I retired, and attended church as a worshiper in the pew, I listened carefully to what the preacher said. I didn’t think about how short or long the sermon was, or whether it seemed to be entertaining or not. I did not listen critically, because I wanted to hear what God was saying to me through the message. The preacher’s part was to be faithful to the Lord in his presentation, however he made it, and my part was to listen carefully so that I could apply the teachings in my own life. Frankly, I miss that. It’s a little harder to fill both roles than it is to do either by itself.
When I was a student in preaching class in the seminary, we met in the chapel and took turns preaching. Half the class listened to the sermon with pen in hand, filling out a criticism form which was later given to the preacher. Those giving the criticisms were graded on how seriously they took that responsibility. The other half just listened and worshiped. We all disliked criticising each other; it was much more enjoyable to worship.