For years now I have been carefully listening to sermons from all kinds of preachers. Many of these messages I heard while sitting in pews, folding-chairs, stadium seats, whatever. Others I listened to in my car or watched at home on television. I have also attended more than my share of national conferences where the “best of the best” have spoken. I’ve even analyzed sermons from past pulpiteers I’ve read in books.
An odd question I have been attempting to settle in my own mind relates to the transformational aspect of what’s been preached. Did the message result in changed lives? One conclusion I have come to is that sermons with one main point are usually more effective than sermons with more than one main point.
I’m not saying that one-point preachers are better than two- or three-pointers. It could be that the effectiveness of a given sermon is as dependent on the listener as it is the speaker. But the countless questions I’ve asked of laypeople through the years convinces me that they pay close attention when a sermon has just one point, they remember longer what was said, and they are more likely to incorporate the given truth into their lives.
This observation may not seem all that earth-shattering. I make the point, however, because the majority of sermons to which I’m exposed still have more than one point!
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For so many of us, the Christmas celebration can be a mile wide and an inch deep. We tire ourselves with an ever-growing list of gifts to buy, activities to complete, and traditions to uphold. And through a maze of cards and calls, outreach and entertainment, we struggle to connect with others in meaningful ways. Our intentions are sincere, but often trivial. When we look back on the season, we’re often left feeling like our holidays somehow lost the Christ in Christmas, and only touched the surface.
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