The Church Sofa

Now I’m sure I’m not alone in this, but sometimes, every now and then… What’s the best way of putting this… A sermon may not speak to you personally… I’m not saying its a bad sermon… Just that you yourself may find it kinda boring. (Done, trying to be nice about rubbish sermons now are we? – Editor)

Well, here are some practical tips to help you get the most out of a boring sermon:

1. Write a letter to God.
2. Got access to Bible study notes on your phone? Read them.
3. Read the Bible passage that’s being preached on.
4. Pray. Then try listening just a bit at a time. Maybe something will jump out at get your attention. If its less then 140 characters try sharing it on Twitter with the #Sermon hashtag.
5. Choose a book of the Bible; maybe one of the smaller ones, then read it.
6. Someone come to mind That you’ve not touched base with for a while? Try dropping them a text?
7. Gaze around. Whose sitting by themselves? Plot what you’re going to say to them after the service.
8. Work out what you’re going to say if someone compliments the sermon to you, or even worse, asks what god said to you during the sermon.
9. Get out. See if anyone needs company outside the church hall.
10. Grab a pen. Grab some paper. Get started on that shopping list for that trip around Tesco’s you need to do after the service…

Do you have any tips to share?

What Is The Sermon.

Well, I think I know what it is…. If you’re not sure, according to wikipedia its:

A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts. Elements of preaching include exposition, exhortation and practical application.
In Christianity, a sermon (also known as a homily within some churches) is often delivered in a place of worship, most of which have a pulpit or ambo, an elevated architectural feature. The word “sermon” comes from a Middle English word which was derived from an Old French term, which in turn came from the Latin word serm?; (“discourse”), although links have been made between the Latin word serere, which means ‘to join together’, so this leaves the modern Latin definition open to interpretation. The word can mean “conversation”, which could mean that early sermons were delivered in the form of question and answer, and that only later did it come to mean a monologue. In contrast to this are examples from the Bible, where sermons are speeches without interlocution: Moses’ sermon in Deuteronomy 1-33 [1]; Jesus’ sermon on the mount in Matthew 5-7 [2]; Peter’s sermon after Pentecost in Acts 2:14-40 [3].
In modern language, the word “sermon” can also be used pejoratively in secular terms to describe a lengthy or tedious speech delivered with great passion, by any person, to an uninterested audience. A sermonette is a short sermon (usually associated with television broadcasting, as stations would present a sermonette before signing off for the night).

Well thats what it is… but what does a sermon look like?

• I guess everyone has their own idea of what a sermon looks like. Sadly for some people it involves someone that looks a lot like Rev. Lovejoy standing at the front of the Church meeting talking about… stuff… while people sit there on their phones.
• Other people may see it as a chance for some random dude to preach hate, or a political message.
• For some it’s some kind of multimedia presentation…

Do you agree with the wikipedia definition?
What does a sermon look like to you?
What sort of content does it have?