It always brings me great pleasure when the sermon and other parts of a church service make easy associations in my mind. If the congregation has been praising God that He is holy, and that’s followed by a sermon about God’s people living righteously, it’s not that hard for me to recognize how the two connect.
What’s disconcerting is when I can’t easily figure out how the hymn or the prayer or the special music or the sermon or the Scripture reading are related. Instead, it’s like a series of individual unrelated elements. Or to put it more bluntly, each person does his or her “shtick,” with little or no communication between the parts.
For there to be a smooth and coordinated flow, it’s imperative that all the participants stay in contact, and the biggest burden is on the preacher. Early on he or she needs to clearly and concisely say what the direction of the sermon is going to be. This should be spelled out at the latest by Tuesday or Wednesday, and if at all possible, a week earlier than that.
This doesn’t mean the sermon has to be finished. It’s just that the subject and response being called for are clearly established. Once that’s been done there can be no changes. The worst thing would be for all involved to work at making their parts perfect, only to hear that the preacher decided to make a last-minute change of direction.
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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about? Or, what will you preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon? David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions. We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.
For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.
You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.
