I heard an excellent sermon this morning!
This is remarkable, because on any given Sunday -- Easter, Christmas Eve, and Christmas day included -- it is hard to find an excellent sermon, though not for a lack of effort on the part of the person in the pulpit; nor a lack of diligence on the part of the seminaries that attempt to provide theological students with basic homiletical tools.
But today, the Navy chaplain in the Navy chapel near our home in Annapolis hit paydirt, and I reflected anew what it was that made today's sermon superior to the numerous others I've heard in the previous months.
The scripture text for this excellent sermon was Matthew 3: 13-17, which is the prescribed reading for the "First Sunday after the Epiphany," and it describes the baptism of Jesus by John at the Jordan River.
Today's sermon was excellent because it asked a simple question: "Why was it necessary for Jesus to be baptized?" To be sure, most people have yet to lose a wink of sleep pondering that question, but it is an honest question that deserves a thoughtful answer.
Today's sermon was not excellent because the preacher provided a thoughtful answer (that ought to be a given and, sadly, this is where most preachers stop). Today's sermon was excellent in how the preacher provided the thoughtful answer: Through illustrations that were as accessible as they were believable.
Anyone who has spent more than a month of Sundays in the pew has probably heard a "preacher story," which is an illustration that has a clear "moral," but its circumstance is not believable; or heard an illustration to which no one can relate because it fails to resonate with the experience of the audience.
Finally, today's sermon was excellent because, in a closing illustration, the preacher -- deftly utilizing humor, and the pathos of the human failure -- surprises the hearer with a clear example of human acts that points to divine grace.
(I am resisting the urge to repeat the sermon, of course, but I will ask the preacher for his permission to post it as a link in a future blog.)
So, what makes an excellent sermon? A biblical text. A simple question. A thoughtful answer. Illustrations that are accessible and believable. Humor (which is not the same as "comedy"). Human nature. Divine grace.
This is Luther's list. I am eager to hear your thoughts!
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Luther,
ReplyDeletePeople hear sermons all the time and many are unremarkable, not because they aren't good, but because they don't apply to the listener. When that particular sermon applies to a listener, it strikes home and keep the person coming back for more. Pardon the anaolgy but it's like playing golf. You play your game and have some good shots and some bad but every once in a while you have a shot that you remember for a long time and it keeps you playing the game. A particular sermon, even if it only reaches one person is worthwhile, and will keep that person coming back for more.
Rick, I completely agree with you.
ReplyDeleteThe sermons that have provoked me to deep reflection or to immediate action have been more like personal conversations -- even though there may have been dozens or hundreds of other people in the audience.
Luther--
ReplyDeleteLinda and I were beneficiaries of that sermon, too, and we totally agree with you! My suspicion is that Jamie's personal illustrations connected and resonated with nearly everyone -- reminiscent of what we had come to expect from you!
Erik