If I had an important sermon to preach, I don’t think I would deliver it on a weekend when most of my people were away. It just makes sense to carefully pick the Sunday or Sundays when that key message or series will have its maximum impact.
In the previous Preaching Tip I suggested that the Sunday following Labor Day weekend would be a good time to begin a key sermon series. A second optimum time would be as the New Year approaches.
This year the four Sundays of Advent are November 28th, December 5th, 12th, and 19th. Christmas Day is on Saturday the 25th. I would probably introduce my next key preaching emphasis on Sunday the 26th and let people know the overall response I would be calling for in the new series. This way they would hear it prior to the end of 2010 and before the start of the New Year. This would be in the context of them starting fresh with a new challenge for 2011. I would then continue the new emphasis through as many Sundays as needed in January and February.
Once again, the reason for making mention of a matter like this is that it’s wise to always be thinking ahead of where you want to be leading your people. That’s in contrast to just figuring out week by week what you want to preach on the following Sunday. Key series should be planned some months in advance just like key seasons such as Christmas and Easter are.
If we were getting together for breakfast I’d not only be asking you “What are you preaching this coming Sunday?” I’d also want you to be able to tell me your plans for this coming September, for Advent/Christmas, and then for the series you’ll preach once the New Year is in view. If you didn’t know the answers, I’d ask you to be ready to hear the same questions the next time we got together.
———————————————
Pastor, when “sermon prep day” rolls around each week, do you face the task of preparing another sermon with a frown on your face? If so, you’re not alone. Many pastors literally dread preparing their Sunday sermon. There just doesn’t seem to be an easy solution. The good news: David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help, whether you need to create a Topical Sermon, an Advent Sermon, a Christmas Sermon, an Easter Sermon, a Sermon Series, or any other Sunday Sermon. 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.
