Why should sermons be retained as a part of a worship service?
First, Jesus instructed: “And the gospel must first be preached to all nations” (Mark 13:10). Preaching is needed! Peter preached; one example is recorded in Acts 2:14-40. Paul preached; one example is recorded in Acts 13:16-41. Carried out by many Christians for nearly two thousand years, preaching has even crossed denominational borders, though with countless styles.
Second, preaching is a spiritual gift. Paul stated to Timothy, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift…” (I Timothy 4:13-14).
I do sympathize with people who are discouraged by the preaching in their church. For example, I am an interactive learner. A college professor who talked on and on usually did not engage me personally. Still I would take notes in class, and then carefully study the notes before the test so I would get a good grade. However, I was not learning much for the long haul. Whereas when learning from a professor who asked questions, often termed the Socratic method, I would be more actively engaged since I could participate in discussion. Thus I was far more likely to remember the material. I need engagement!
Regarding the improvement of preaching during worship, I offer two suggestions.
First, make sermons shorter! It is easy to say, but hard to do. This is my personal goal as a preacher. When I prepare a sermon, I immerse myself in that passage for one week. Thus I become capable of giving a long sermon. But the listeners have not been pondering the passage all week. And if too much information is given, they may retain little. Thus the best I can give listeners is a single message. And the more I prepare, the more capable I become for giving a smoother and shorter sermon.
Second, provide other opportunities for interaction. In my next position, I want to implement a short time during the worship where people get into discussion groups of three or so, and give some insight between one another regarding the Scripture passage. This is a radical idea, which I have never seen carried out in a worship service. But I read this suggestion from a woman in a short article on the Internet, and I want to try it. I think it has the potential of making worship more interesting or fun for many people.
Even though I advocate shorter sermons and more interaction during a service, the bottom line is preaching is needed! If you preach, give it your all!
Hunter Irvine
