How to listen to a sermon

First Lutheran Church Plainville, Kansas

Peace Lutheran Church Natoma, Kansas

August, 2021

In one sense or another, the sermon is often called the highpoint of the worship service; in the minds of many it is what distinguishes a good pastor from a bad one; it is what makes you glad that you got out of bed and came to worship, or what makes you wish you had stayed home that day and did other things.  So, with all of that pressure on the sermon, the question is then posed: How do you listen to a sermon?

• Pray.  Pray first and foremost for the pastor, that the Holy Spirit would work in his heart and mind to craft a sermon that is appropriate for the congregation in both Law and Gospel.  Pray that the pastor would have time and energy and focus to best prepare a sermon, both content wise and delivery wise that you and the congregation may best hear the Word, learn it, and take it to heart.
• Pray some more.  Pray for yourself, that your heart and mind would be willing and eager to hear the Word proclaimed in the sermon.  Pray that the Law would convict you of your sins, and pray that you would hear the Gospel and be comforted by it.  Pray that you would carry the Word with you throughout the week as you interact with others in the home, in the workplace and in the community.
• Study the Scriptures.  There are a couple of different schedules you can follow, but what it really comes down to is to just familiarize yourself with the Scriptures.  The more you know the Scriptures, the better the points and illustrations in the sermon will connect together.  Now this won’t happen the first week, but the more you read the Scriptures, the more things will make sense.
• Take Notes.  One of the reasons for requiring confirmation students to take notes on the sermon, is that it teaches them to listen to the sermon.  One way to train your ears to listen to the sermon, is to go back to the basics.  Pick up a sermon note worksheet some Sundays, or take notes on the bulletin, or even get a notebook specifically for the purpose of taking notes on the sermon.
• Discuss.  If you hear something in the sermon that sounds interesting or that puzzles you, ask the pastor if you can discuss the sermon with him.  On the drive home, ask your children, or grandchildren, what the sermon was about, what did they hear or not hear.  Talk to your spouse about what was memorable to you.  Talk to your friends about what they heard their pastor say, and how it compares with what you heard.  Talk to friends who go to different churches about what they heard, listen if there was Law and Gospel in the sermon; and make sure to tell your friends this important distinction.

Listening to a sermon is not quite like listening to a speech delivered by the President; rather

listening to the sermon is hearing the Word of the Lord, written in ages past, coming to us in our own modern language for our modern circumstances.

            So, as you prepare for worship on Sunday morning, consider these steps; and then notice how the sermon comes to you when you prepare, as opposed to how it sounded when you just walked in and sat down, and expected to hear a great sermon.

            Because what makes a great sermon?  We might think it is a cute story, or a funny joke, or maybe even that we learned something new; in which case listening to a sermon is easy.  But in reality, what makes a great sermon, is that the preacher, whoever he may be, showed you your sins in such a way that caused you to repent of them, and then showed you your Savior forgiving those very same sins.

God Bless!

Pastor Schmidt