The Sermon

I am a believer that when clergy take the ordination oath, “I do solemnly engage to conform to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of the Episcopal Church,” they have sworn to conduct worship according to the explicit expectations of the Book of Common Prayer. There is lots of freedom and room for creative variation within what is permitted, but there are also limits. Each Eucharistic service simply says, “Sermon.” That means it isn’t optional. In general the sermon takes as its main text the Gospel reading, but there is nothing hard and fast about that. I’ve certainly preached using the Hebrew Bible as the main text, likewise The Epistle.

Sermons are peculiar critters, not a lecture,not a speech, not primarily “educational,” but “formational.” They are meant to inform us, but in the deeper meaning of that word: to form us within, to shape our inner selves. They are meant to address the “heart and soul and mind” with which we are asked to love the Lord our God. It is another way our worship seeks to help us grow more Christ-like.

Ideally the sermon explores the “there and then” aspect of the reading. That is, what was the issue? Why was this story told? What life situation did it address in its own time and its own place? What was going on in the lives of the original hearers? Then there is a turn: how is our life situation like theirs, and what does the reading have to say to us about our lives here and now. What is the Good News for us? (Thank you, Professor The Reverend Bill Hethcock.)

How long should a sermon be? Professor Hethcock’s wisdom about that is if you notice that it is too long or too short, then it probably is. A sermon should hold your attention and touch your heart in such a way that the passage of time is not noticed at all. The correct length of the sermon is the length you don’t notice.