Sermons

A recent White Horse Inn program featured Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle who mentioned he often preaches sermons that are over an hour (sometimes even two). The hosts of the show ooed and aahed. Before I say anything further, I want to say that I think Pastor Driscoll is a very talented man and I am sure he presents his sermons well and in a lively fashion but he ought to qualify what he says with a "don't try this at home." What I mean is that only a very small handful of men can pull off an hour sermon that: (1) keeps the hearers attention (2) actually has a point (not 25 sub-points) and, (3) is not a smokescreen for a lack of an actual service of worship.

I guess I've grown weary of hearing romantical stories about great pulpiteers who preached for 4 hours and then got back into their crows nest pulpits and "yea, preached another two more." All while the crowd wept and 500 were converted. Normally, you're squirming in your pew and counting ceiling tiles in such a setting.

The sermons I preach at St. Andrew's rarely exceed 25 minutes and there is a reason for this. The Word preached is a part of the service of worship. I am a minister of Word and Sacrament. There's much more to the service of worship than a sermon. In traditional Protestant liturgies (Christian liturgies in general) there is a trajectory. The people of God are going somewhere and that is not to the pulpit. The service culminates at the table where God meets with his people and feeds them. All of His people should be there and that includes, as it did through all of the history of redemption, children.

This takes me to my final point. How many children are sitting through 1-2 hour sermons? Why are long sermons held up as an ideal? Is there some specific biblical warrant for long sermons? I think we, in Evangelicalism, have a tendency to over-emphasize the eschatological element in our services,: "this could be the last time we meet." In this scenario the believer needs to be reminded of every possible thing and for the unbeliever they need to be persuaded to repent from every possible angle. Do we really need the kitchen sink thrown in? Though each Sunday is exceptionally special in that Kingdom of God is visibly manifested it is at the same time quite ordinary in that we will do it again next week and the week after. We have a lifetime together to flesh out and rejoice in the mysteries of God.

So I will conclude with my sermon maxim: "Better to have one glass of fine Claret than 100 bottles of Two Buck Chuck."

Comments

[Theisens]

Well said. Maybe pastors feel as if they have to articulate every theological nuance and prove to the congregation week after week why they deserve to be up there.

What if it were 50 containers of boxed wine instead?

[Garrett]

Sorry, didn't mean to intrude on the Midwest's more exclusive "Three Buck Chuck." Cheap boxed wine it is!

On your other point I think you are correct. If the whole point of gathering on Sunday is the sermon then it better blow the socks off of any layperson. Problem is that most pastors are pretty darn ordinary and their congregations would be better served if they were shorter and more focused (in addition to being more liturgically and sacramentally oriented). Another analogy: Better a well crafted and memorable appetizer than a giant half-cooked tuna, spam and peanut butter casserole.

[John P]

I wonder if there's any correlation between long, dazzling sermons (which may also invite a lot of publicity and invitiations to events outside the local church) and this:

http://www.reformedcatholicism.com/?p=1031

I attend a Reformed Episcopal church and while I've never timed a sermon, I seriously doubt they exceed 20-25 minutes. However, since we have plenty of good teaching with BCP readings during the service, Sunday School, Wednesday night Bible study, etc., I don't think we miss out on anything.

[Garrett]

John,

No doubt. We often also make the spectacular presenter of the message the hero rather than the Jesus of the message. Homiletics is actually my strong suit and that's why I think its good for me to to get lost in a robe which then gets lost in the Divine Service.

[Andy Packer]

Great post.

Until recently I used to think that a good sermon had to be 45 minutes to an hour - with the pastor spending at least 30 hours on preparation. And I had to be able to get a lot of good notes from it.

That's what I was taught for a long time. I have learned the error of my ways though.

[orangecraws]

I beg to differ. If we look at Acts 20:7 - 20:11, we see that Paul gives a lengthy talk until a young man falls asleep and falls from the window. After that, they break bread and then he talks on till morning. This is an example of what you should be doing every week. 6 hour sermon, followed by the raising of the dead, then the breaking of bread, followed by another 6 hour sermon. COWBOY UP and force your congregation to listen until they fall asleep.

[Garrett]

Baretta,

I think I'll let you attend the all day/night lecture. We'll have our 1 hour service followed by an all afternoon Sabbath feast!

[Steven W]

A lot of confusion arises when we fail to note that the sermons in Acts are not generally the normal Lord's Day worship, but rather missional and evangelistic endeavors. They were historical disputations as much as anything else.

[Theisens]

That Three Buck Chuck is served at the finest eating establishments in this county. (By that I mean the couch on my neighbor's front porch.)

I know that I tend to appreciate a sermon that challenges me where i'm at and inspires me to change -- one that gives me hope in who I am in Jesus, and challenges me to live my life like one of God's children.

I guess, in the end, you have to know the people you're shepherding. Not that the Word changes, but that the way it's presented changes.

[jamiesoles]

Forcing your congregation to listen until they fall asleep is the modus operandi of most churches, but it usually only takes half an hour or so... I think we have advanced in our technique since Paul's day.

[Justin Donathan]

While I may take exception to your unrestrained slander of Trader Joe's finest... I completely agree. I get so frustrated here at seminary with the notion that homiletics is all there is in terms of Sunday morning worship. Leading a liturgy makes me nervous. I'd at least like to have some good training. And save the exegetical nuance for sunday school or Bible study. If the youngsters can't follow the general thrust of the sermon are you really unfolding God's word for His people? Is that really leading the sheep to good pasture? Or maybe it's like communion and only for the ones hardy enough to make it to mature adulthood on whatever crumbs they can find here and there.

[Garrett]

Justin,

The thing that frustrated me at CTS was the "pulpit romanticism." Reading about Father Mapple asceneding the ladder to his crow's nest puplit in Moby Dick (quoted by Stott) does not give me goose-bumps but frankly is pretty bizarre. Think about it, you'll probably spend more time dissecting extra-biblical methods of homiletics than you will actually study biblical theology or crack open real live books of the Bible (not just date and authorship pap).

On another note, I think a lot of pastors are introverts and shutting themselves in their study to work on sermons is a escape from actually dealing w/ people and all their yucky smelly problems.

[jennifer]

As a parent of 4 young children, I have to say I appreciate the concept of the 20 - 25 minute sermon. The complain that they don't understand the sermon and that it is boring. We tell them they need to do their best to listen to it and try to find at least one thing they can understand. We also tell them that they will learn to understand the whole thing bit by bit. If they had to sit through 45 - 60 minute sermons, I think they would drive me crazy. We finally saw some fruit from this chiding to listen a bit. Last week, Calvin was able to talk to his dad about the content of his sermon.

[Gregory Soderberg]

In my limited experience in the pulpit, I've found it helpful to remember that I'm a servant of the people of God, not a performer. I can do the hour sermon well (I'm told :-), but it's always bothered me how I turn into a lecturer/performer and seemed like it didn't fit in the rest of the liturgy.

The sermon should serve the Liturgy, not the other way around.

[pawnshopman]

I really can't handle very long sermons, but there are exceptions sometimes. Most of the time I feel like they are holding me hostage in church when the service goes on and on and on.
There is singing, prayers, readings and other things that goes on for about an 45 minutes to an hour before the long winded preacher takes his post. He talks for fifteen minutes before he decides to preach and then he has an alter call. Sometimes the preacher ask if he should quit and finish another time time during his sermon or shall he go on and most people say go on.

I really enjoy church because I feel that God wants me there to worship and to learn and to be among other christians but some of those services are way too long. I would love to spend some of my day doing things with my family and I hope that don't send me to hell, but that is the truth.

Also, I have encountered churches that have a service on Friday night that they call "Joy Night". Well a joyful night for me after I have worked all week for me would be at home relaxing.

My suggestion: Be respectful of the congregation and realize that some of the people there have a life.