Source: De Wekker, 1996. 15 pages. Translated by Liz DeWit. Edited by Jeff Dykstra.

The Sermon and the Listener

The Sermon and the Listener - Part 1🔗

The sermon exists for the listener🔗

A sermon demands a listener. Isn’t a sermon prepared for listeners? Many sermons are also presented in written form. These are intended to be read (or read to someone). In one sense, also a person who reads a sermon for himself can be called a listener. That is absolutely the case when the printed sermon is read to others. In this case, those who attend church listen to the sermon, although it is not presented by the writer. Also those who read a sermon are listeners, even though they use their eyes rather than their ears. For the written sermon, it also is true: the sermon demands listeners. Those listeners are the people who take in the sermon and meditate on it. That meditation is the goal of the writing and the presentation of the sermon. Therefore, a sermon needs people who listen.

Keeping the listener in mind🔗

This implies that whoever makes the sermon must keep the hearers in mind. This is the point that I want to bring into discussion in this article. The importance of keeping in mind those who will hear the sermon should be evident to everyone.

In order to be understood, when you approach someone to speak to him or her, you must speak his or her language, in an understandable way, also in the sense of his or her being able to relate to what you are saying. Whoever ignores this rule can be certain that the message is not received. In that case, it is the speaker’s own fault. He can not blame the listener, since the speaker did not consider the listener. He spoke a strange, and for the hearer, indecipherable language.

It is clear that a sermon also falls under this rule, the a.b.c. of communication. A minister can not call upon the Holy Spirit for help if his sermon is too difficult for the congregation. Perhaps there are sometimes ministers who think: It is the Holy Spirit that does the actual work with the listeners in the church service. Therefore, I don’t need to worry too much about the comprehensibility and intelligibility of my sermon. The Spirit will bridge the gap. He will accomplish his work through my sermon – however it is put together.

In just the last few days, I was busy with Acts 2:11, where we read that the foreign Jews and proselytes in Jerusalem at Pentecost heard the apostles speak about the great works of God in their own language. According to the insight of many, this is about a miracle of language and not about a miracle of listening (although there are some who also think that). At Pentecost, the great deeds are transmitted to the hearers in their own language. There in Jerusalem, they hear the gospel in their own language. With this act, God breaks through the confusion of tongues which occurred at the building of the tower of Babel (Genesis 11:7).

Differences in language are no hindrance to God in the bringing of the gospel to people who dwell in an area where a totally different language is spoken.

Translating and preaching in an understandable manner🔗

The miracle in Acts confronts the church with a two-fold mandate, the first to translate the Bible into unknown languages, so that people will be able to hear about the wonderful acts of God in their own language. That which must happen with the Bible also applies to the explanation of, and the preaching about, a Bible text: it must be in the people’s own language.

The second mandate is to present the explanation in a way that is understandable for the people. The other language must not only be used; it must be used in such a manner that that which is spoken is understandable, so that people can comprehend it.

Of course, one might argue that the unspiritual (natural) man can not understand the things which belong to the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:14). We will not take anything away from this truth. Spiritual understanding is only possible through the Holy Spirit. He is the secret of that understanding because he is the One who works it.

This does not mean that, therefore, a minister does not have to take into account the understandability of the spoken word, along with the degree of difficulty, which must not exceed the audience’s ability to understand. He must certainly take that into account. In the ordinary process of communication, the Holy Spirit does not set aside the rules – as they are called - of the sender and recipient system.

I know that the Holy Spirit, in exceptional circumstances, can do exceptional things. Then he also sometimes will use exceptional means. In ordinary life, the Spirit makes use of our common means of communication. We must therefore hear the mighty works of God proclaimed in our own language in a comprehensible manner. A minister considers his audience, because he has his eye on the needs of his audience. He does his best to be understood and comprehended by all. Whoever, therefore, does not do his best as a minister does not measure up to the standard that is required of a minister.

The sermon attuned to the listeners, not adjusted🔗

Now the question naturally comes forward: How far must a minister attune his sermon to his audience? Must he adjust the content of the sermon and the message to the listener? Here I would like to differentiate between adjusting and attuning. The latter, attuning, is necessary, whereas he is not called to the first when it means changing the message to make it comfortable for the listener.

Adjustment means changing the content, and changing it in such a manner that it flatters the hearers.

Attuning the message to the hearers means leaving the content unaltered, but using wording that will make the message understandable, and focusing on the intention that it will be comprehended by the hearers.

Jesus speaks about old and new things🔗

We have an excellent example of this in the preaching of the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus uses images and examples from daily life. He himself fulfills what he says when he speaks about the master of the house in Matthew 13:52 “who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” He refers to the Old Testament. Right up to his crucifixion, Jesus uses words from the Psalms.

In order to make clear to his hearers that the Old Testament is fulfilled in him, the Son of man, (Mark 2:10), he also uses current, and for his hearers new, words. I am thinking about the new wine that can not be stored in old containers, but must be placed in new leather wineskins (Luke 5:33-39, in particular verses. 36-38), or the example of the sick and the physician, which precedes the example just mentioned (Luke 5:31-32).

Old and new things – that is valid for the content of Jesus’ preaching. It is valid also for the form, the wording, the manner in which he brings his message.

A minister who considers his audience may then also bring old things to the fore. He must do that. He may expect that the congregation has knowledge of the old things. The Old Testament is read and sermons are preached about it. He must also present new things in the words and concepts of our time. Please do not misunderstand – the new things find their source and standard in Jesus Christ.

The sermon demands a listener. Therefore the sermon must take into account, and attune itself to, the listener. What we will still consider is the following: To what degree is it the task of the minister to consider the listener?

The Listener and the Preaching - Part 2 🔗

Now I have turned around the words in the title. Last week, I wrote about the preaching and the listener. The conclusion was: the sermon must be attuned to the listener. That is quite different from saying that the sermon must be adapted to the listener.

The final sentence of the article questioned: to what degree must the preaching, that is to say the minister, consider the hearers of the sermon? I will not answer that question in this article yet. I hope to discuss it in a next article. This time, I wish to give thought, along with the reader, to the theme of the listener and the preaching. We will therefore begin with the listener and his or her relation to the preaching.

Participation in the worship service🔗

A listener has certain expectations of a sermon. That is one of the reasons for going to church. In the church service more takes place than the presentation of the sermon. I assume the listener comes to church, also for those other things, for example, uniting in prayer and in songs of praise (a subject recently discussed in DeWekker), also the bringing of offerings and witnessing the administration of the sacraments. Intentionally, I am making use of the plural. When baptism is administered to a child it is a reminder to us of our own baptism and that of our children. That gives us work to do in a baptism service.

First of all, we are called to pray in thankfulness for the fact that we ourselves were baptized, then also a prayer of supplication for the child that is being baptized, for our own children and for our grandchildren. In a service where a baptism is administered, the congregation should also pray for those married couples who have not been blessed with children, for a man or a woman who is alone in life, and for parents who have lost a child.

The celebration of the Lord’s Supper demands participation. Christ, as the Host, invites us to come to the table of the covenant.

There is more to a church service than the sermon, all of which draw the listener and churchgoer to attend. Now I will focus especially on the preaching of the sermon.

A meeting with God himself🔗

I will list several things that the listener expects to be allowed to hear in the sermon. Formulated in this manner, it appears distant, just as if the hearing of a sermon does not simultaneously mean that the content also touches the heart of the listener. Naturally this is also one of the expectations of the listener.

Let me begin with this: Whoever goes to church and is heartily prepared to listen to the preaching of the Word does hope that the sermon will touch him or her personally, that something will happen in church. We can explicate that hoped-for happening as the meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ and with his Father. Often we, as ministers, pray that that wonder may take place in the church service.

The fact of that happening is a wonder. A minister can not fathom it. Together with the congregation, he prays for it. I consider it good to understand that the hearer hopes, during and through the sermon, to meet God himself. That touches you, as minister, in a special way.

Recognizing yourself🔗

 I’ll mention something else. It touches closely on that which was just said: The listener hopes that, in the sermon, he will encounter the questions of his heart, the difficulties, cares and also the joys of his life. His expectation is that, in one way or another, the minister will touch those problems and experiences. We occasionally summarize this as follows: that the listener recognizes himself in the sermon and that the minister makes it obvious that he knows the people (however different they may be). Formerly one called this recognition during the sermon the experience of hearing one’s name called, not literally, but in such a way, that he or she sees his or her situation and portrait illustrated in the sermon.

Longing for spiritual growth🔗

As a third point, I will mention the expectation that the listener will be encouraged through the sermon, spurred on to seek the things of God and to live with God in faith and repentance. We can also call this the longing to be built up spiritually.

Another point of expectation can be that the listener, when he himself is in despair or is going through a deep dark valley (for example with depression), that the listener will be lifted up above those struggles.

Longing for instruction🔗

Another point might be the longing for instruction. Scripture must be opened, whereby the treasures of God’s grace and the ways through which God leads his children, are pointed out and explained for the listener. Instruction in doctrine is heard (I am using an old term), which leads to godliness. This is what is meant: instruction for a life that is characteized by the fear of the LORD.

This also includes instruction in a Christian walk of life, that we understand the meaning of God’s command for everyday life, so that we may live accordingly. A person who has “lost God” longs to hear how he or she may again find God. Better yet: how the LORD himself seeks out such a person and brings him back to himself.

To bring us to an oasis🔗

A last point is the longing for joy and the longing to discover the sense and purpose of life through a sermon. It is so often cold around us, so arid and miserable. How intensely you can long for it that the sermon offers something else! You hope that the sermon will delve into that in order to bring you from the desert to an oasis, to the water of life, with Jesus Christ.

I mentioned a number of points showing what the listener longs for when he goes to church. This list of items was in a random order; not everyone will long for all of this in one church service. Moreover, no one church service could do justice to all these desires.

Isn’t this asking too much of the minister?🔗

Now the question: are these reasonable expectations? Is it right for the listener to have all these desires in his heart when he goes to church?

It is quite something to expect the minister to satisfy all these desires. Whoever lets himself be influenced by this list will, as minister, sometimes feel overextended and inadequate. The people expect too much from me. How difficult it can be for the minister on the pulpit when he sees his congregation in front of him, the congregation with these questions, with this hunger, perhaps also with these hard eyes and hard hearts. And then, you hear the words of the Lord Jesus in your heart: “You give them something to eat” (Mark 6:37).

Is it fair that the listener expects so much, all of the things mentioned above, from the minister?

What may the listener expect?🔗

The answer may be in the affirmative. The listener is seeking bread for the heart. That must be distributed to them through the preaching.

This affirmative answer does not mean that the minister can satisfy all the wishes and expectations of the listeners every moment. It is not the churchgoers who, with their expectations and demands, determine the content of the sermon.

Perhaps a reader will think: Now he is taking back what he first gave. I wrote: the answer may be affirmative – and now it is being haggled over.

For this reason, I will also close this article with a question, and that is this: How far may the listeners make demands from the preaching? Which expectations are they allowed to have from the preaching of the Word?

The Listener in the Sermon – Part 3🔗

Two Questions🔗

It was not a joke that brought me to the choice of the title of this article. I wrote two previous articles under the titles of “The Sermon and the Listener” and then “The Listener and the Preaching”. In both articles my point of departure was the sermon, which must be attuned to the listener and then after that what the listener expects from the sermon. I concluded both articles with a question. The first is this: In how far is it the task of the minister to consider the hearer in his sermon? The second asks: In how far are the listeners allowed to make demands of the minister in the preaching? These two questions are, in a certain sense, the flip side of each other. I wish to address these two questions in this article. That will be under the title of “The Listener in the Sermon”.

The listener expresses himself🔗

Indeed, the listener has a place in a good sermon. With this I mean more than that the sermon is spoken to the listener. That naturally happens, and, when you address someone, you keep that person in mind.

The listener in the sermon (note the word “in”) declares that the hearer himself has a place in the sermon. It is about him or her. He is mentioned in the sermon. Might I also say: in the sermon he speaks? To a certain extent, I would answer yes to this question. The minister will try to express the questions of the listener in the sermon.

How does the minister come to know those questions? In two ways. These questions will also be his own questions. They also live in his heart, and insofar as that is not the case, the minister will hear those questions in his pastoral conversations. He is listening, I assume, to the members of the congregation. He meditates on their questions. In his conversations, he already tries to present answers. Also in his sermons, he will work through these questions. Either very directly, or subtly working through the questions, he allows the listener to express himself in the sermon. We call that “explicit” (in so manywords) or “implicit” (without bringing forth the issue in actual words, but subtly introducing it).

Pastoral work on the pulpit🔗

There is still another way in which the listener can come to expressive input in the sermon. - that the minister endeavors to give the message of the text a place in the lives of the hearers. That is only possible when the minister is conversing with the hearer. He must know and must express the hearer’s difficulties in words. He must have knowledge of the struggle and resistance in the hearts of the listeners. He must be familiar with the depths and depressions of the child of God in order to address these from the text. In this way he administers pastoral counsel to help the hearers in his sermon. That is pastoral work from the pulpit. During these sermons, the same thing happens as in a pastoral conversation.

Is the phrase “the same thing” used correctly here? Of course, not completely! In a conversation two people express themselves. On the pulpit, only the minister speaks.

Still, he will do his best, just as in a pastoral conversation, to enter into the questions and to help the listener.

Subjectivism?🔗

A reader might ask the question: is a sermon the appropriate venue for that? Isn’t the sermon the proclamation of God’s Word! A sermon is not the wisdom of  a human being, and if that does happen, don’t you run into the danger of subjectivism? In earlier times there was talk about ministers who preached the “Christian” more than the Christ. Perhaps that still happens.

Indeed, this danger is present and gigantic. These articles are not a defence or a plea for that form of subjectivism.

However, one must guard against going to the opposite extreme out of fear. Then one throws out the baby with the bathwater, or, saying it without figurative language, the sermon must be more than presenting to the congregation the result of an exegetical study. The old Reformed guideline states: Preaching the sermon is the explanation and application of the Word of God. The application is part of the sermon. It is not an addendum after the sermon. Fortunately that also happens. That is even more likely to happen if the application itself is already present in the sermon.

People speak in the Bible🔗

What is, if I may ask it in this manner, the lawful right of the listener within the preaching? To this question, there are, in any case, two possible answers. First, there is the fact that, in the Bible, people do speak. That happens in different ways. In the psalms, we encounter the very expressive words of people. These occur in various moods, those of happiness and of sorrow, of complaints about feeling forsaken, and of worship.

Also in conversations of the Lord Jesus with people, we encounter words spoken by people. Sometimes they are questions, sometimes answers. Sometimes it is criticism, other times a confession of faith.

We can also reflect on history: Abraham, who had to offer Isaac (Genesis 22), Jeremiah who brings the anguish of his soul to expression (20:7-18 and 11:18-12:4; 15:10-18). In these texts we encounter the reactions of people to what God has spoken or done. It is impossible to preach about these texts if you leave the reactions of these people outside of the sermon. Out of those reactions, the sermon will bring the present day listener to a reaction.

Naturally, the deciding point here is whether we may just draw a parallel between the people of then and now. We do need to be careful with that. Then the hearer would have to identify with Abraham on one Sunday; the next Sunday with Jeremiah is the struggles of his soul; a following Sunday with Peter or the Pharisees - not to speak of the differences in reaction with regard to the resurrection and the appearances of the Lord Jesus on and after Easter Sunday.

So, what is the answer? A detailed explanation is not part of this series. That belongs to a discussion with students and ministers.

The work of the Holy Spirit🔗

Still, I can say something about it here. That will automatically take me to the second reason that there is to give the hearer a place in the preaching.

Preaching a sermon is the proclamation of the deeds of the LORD, of the mighty works of God. That is the work of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Also His work must come to the fore in the sermon. That requires more than just the usage of the name of the Holy Spirit. The minister will have to delve into his work in the content of the sermon.

In the Bible itself, we see the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22,-23, while the gifts of the Spirit are described in 1 Corinthians 12-14 .

We also encounter means whereby the Spirit brings people to God. Scripture shows us how the Spirit causes people to live with God out of God’s grace. I am thinking of Psalm 25, 32, and 51. In these psalms, the name of the Spirit is not always mentioned,  but we clearly encounter his work.

We describe that work as the appropriation of salvation. Not only do we find in the Bible the fact of the appropriation of salvation, but also its trace or path. To express it in the words of our time, we can delineate the track of the appropriation of salvation in Scripture. That is following in the footsteps of the Spirit, which requires prayerful deliberation and sanctified insight.

Quite frequently, the topic of the preaching of Christ out of the Old Testament is spoken or written about. Prof. Van der Meiden helped us with that in his lectures and in the written notes he left behind. One could speak in a similar manner about the preaching, out of the Old Testament, about the work of the Holy Spirit. Whoever, as minister, enters into a search in that field, comes upon surprising results.

Context of the Trinity🔗

Well now, it is exactly in this context that the listener receives a place in the sermon. The Spirit is called the Builder of bridges. He establishes contact between God and the hearts of the people. He establishes fellowship. He engenders communication.

We are unable to speak about the Spirit’s engendering work of fellowship if we do not include the one with whom he establishes fellowship in the content of the sermon. Thus it is totally justified theologically to give the listener a place in the sermon. I would say this even more urgently: From the context of the Trinity, it is commanded that the hearer have a place in the sermon. Whoever speaks about the work of the Spirit in the sermon6 may not exclude the hearer.

The natural question is: how, and how far, may and must the minister enter into the life of the hearer? Now we have come back to the question which concluded the previous article. I still have not answered the question. I have laid a framework for an answer, a theological framework that has everything to do with the fact that we are proclaiming the work of the Triune God. The basis lies in the Trinity.

In the next article, I hope to delve into the practical application.

The Sermon in Practice - Part 4🔗

Man as the focal point?🔗

In this article I will endeavor to answer the questions that arose in the last three articles. What may the hearers of the preaching expect? In how far must the minister satisfy the expectations of the hearers? These questions sound very man-centred. It appears that the hearers have the say-so.  In the previous article I tried to make it clear that the hearers do have a place in the sermon. Putting it in these words has nothing to do with subjectivism. In the Bible, people speak, even though Scripture is about God’s revelation. For this reason people will also receive a place in the sermon. Whoever asks whether this would not make man the focus of the sermon must remember that the preaching proclaims the great and mighty deeds of God. The work of the Holy Spirit also belongs to those deeds. That work, in the lives of the people, must also have a place in the sermon. The Spirit focuses on people and is busy with and in people. Under that point of view, people have a voice in the sermon.

With those words, I summarized the gist of the discussion as we have followed it in the previous three articles about the relationship between the sermon and the listener.

Now I want to try to give shape to that discussion by speaking about the sermon in practice. One could explain the theme with two different approaches.  the practical application of preaching.  or the sermon in practical day-to-day life.  I will stress more the second than the first approach. In dealing with this theme, as I go, I will answer the questions as I have promised., which is why I repeated them at the beginning of this article.

Unlocking or closing?🔗

The Word of God is the source and norm of the sermon, as it comes to us in the chosen text. People can present an edifying story or recount the experiences of believers. That is not a sermon, even though it may be upbuilding for some. A sermon must satisfy its purpose, that the Word of God comes to the people. I overheard someone say: At the end of the sermon I always ask myself the question, Has the Word of God through the explanation of the text been opened for me and is it now open to me? I agreed with the person with whom I was conversing, that this is the first criteria for judging a sermon. The minister can, with many words, lock the text. He does not even have to speak untruthfully to do this. He obfuscates the task of letting the Word of God speak. A sermon can include pertinent psychological, edifying, pedagogical, and social-cultural explanations. In spite of this, it will not earn the title of sermon. These broad avenues of discussion in such measure and with such intent do not belong in a sermon.

A sermon must open the Word of God for the hearer. Through the sermon, the listener must be able to see into the heart of the text. When that happens, the listener also experiences a glimpse into the heart of God.

This is the first demand that may be expected from a sermon. It is valid for both the minister and the listener. So we are busy with the question: What may the hearer expect from the sermon? How far must or may the minister enter into the expectations of the hearer?

A limit to the expectations🔗

I am unable to answer these two questions if we, minister and listener, are not in agreement over the fact that a sermon must reveal the Word of God for the congregation. Here we reach a boundary which every minister must honour. Also the hearer must respect this boundary. Whoever, as listener, makes multiple demands, but in actuality is not prepared to listen to the Word of God, is on the wrong track. This also applies to the minister.

We must keep that, the essence, directly before our eyes with the preaching. “That,”, “the essence,” in the preaching is the opening of the Word of God. That is the explanation, the declaration, giving the listener insight into what God, through this text, wants to say to the congregation.

That essence is the first thing we want to pay attention to as we ponder over the sermon in practice. With this a boundary is drawn which, in certain ways, rejects some specific desires and expectations the listener may entertain. Insofar as these expectations do not proceed from this point of departure, the minister is not obliged to honour them. Listener and minister must both begin with this point of departure.

The next question is the “how,” which follows directly on the “essence” of the preaching. How is the minister to bring this text (this tiny piece), this Word of God to the congregation?

How will he, in his explanation, reach the heart of the hearer? How will he satisfy the needs of those, who with wholehearted interest, are following his explanation and exhortation? How will this sermon reach into the practical everyday life of the hearer?

That this must happen is beyond discussion. The preceding articles have laid the basis for that fact.

Proceeding from the practical side of preaching🔗

How? Let me speak from the practical aspect of placing two sermons in front of the reader every week. I am convinced that my experience is that of many ministers.

You enter the pulpit. You see the congregation in front of you, in all its diversity, young and old. It strikes me that they are people with different origins and with a different history, probably also with different expectations of this church service.

In one church building there may be few people – but every one matters. Sometimes there are many or even very many people. How will you, as minister, be able to meet the expectations of all those people? Often, this questions seizes me. We simply can’t express the personal needs of everyone, let alone satisfy those needs. There is such a diversity of needs. How will the many be able to recognize themselves in this one explanation? A minister can quickly do away with this problem if he says to himself: I only have to bring the Word of God. I may leave the rest to the Holy Spirit.

In this remark there is a kernel of truth. However, not everything is answered with this. We must definitely add something. You see, bringing the Word of God asks from the minister, that, with the Word, he will enter into the general needs and specific needs of the congregation, into the need to bring the knowledge of God and also deal with lack of knowledge – to give leadership in those things. It demands that the minister bring the text to the hearts of the people, in all their diversity of age, life experience, and spiritual stature. A minister who is satisfied to bring a piece of explanation with nothing more when he enters the pulpit, does not touch the people. From the pulpit, he is not  reaching out to the people.

How?🔗

Therefore the question: How will he do that? How must he do that? The reader will be in agreement here that the listener is involved in the sermon. I referred to the listeneras the addressed, concerned object of the sermon. The hearer does, however, not set the norm for the sermon. The standard is and remains the text which must be explained and proclaimed.

So, how does this work? The hearer may have expectations, still.... Indeed, the problem lies here. Expectations must be met, yet there must be limits to those expectations. Isn’t this saying yes and no to the same question, giving with the one hand and taking it back with the other? I will go back for just a moment to what the minister experiences, when he enters the pulpit and sees the congregation sitting there in all its diversity.

In the study🔗

Actually this experience, seeing the congregation before him, should have happened earlier already, namely in the minister’s study while he was preparing the sermon.

While he is researching the text and is busy with listening to what the text is saying, he must ask himself: What does this text say in and for the life of a child of God? What does this text say to someone who is sitting in church, but remains unrepentant or unsaved? How can this text help young people in their conversations with unbelieving peers? What does this text say about coping with misery and with the needs of the world? How does this text help people to grow spiritually? What is needed for that growth in the hearts of the people? Which sins and which obstacles must be removed in order for that growth to happen?

Consider the difficulty a mother who has lost a child will have with the text. On which stumbling block is the explanation of the text arrested in the heart of such a woman? The minister can also think about the woman or man who, for whatever reason, remains unmarried; or whose marriage ended through death or divorce.

Now I will look at it from another direction. I am thinking about the individualistic, egotistic way of life of our modern person (we also are members of this modern society). What does the text say about that? What about the discussion about norms and values or the non-participation in that discussion? How can we, as ministers, when we preach about the Ten Commandments and the Catechism delve into that and help the young and old in a very concrete manner by giving leadership?

The practice of pastoral preaching🔗

The minister must, in his preparation of the sermon, be in communication with the text and with the listeners of the coming Sunday. He must ask the text, “What do you have to say to the members in these circumstances? He must ask the listeners, whom he sees in front of him in his study, the question, “What do you expect from this text for your life? How do you think that the text can help you? What is needed in order to be able to process this Word of God in a spiritual manner?

Whoever, as minister, proceeds in this manner, will surely preach in a practical manner. Then the wonder of the sermon will be fulfilled in practice.

Undoubtedly, questions will remain within the congregation. How blessed is the congregation who can approach the minister with these questions. Sooner or later, their questions will find a place in a sermon, and, as far as possible, will be answered.

At the conclusion of this article, I want to return to the beginning. The sermon in a practical setting can not happen without the practice of pastoral care. The minister receives his text from the Bible – the substance of the sermon. He learns the application and the concrete expression of the text through his contact with the congregation - the how of the sermon. The secret of a sermon that applies to everyday life lies in the heart of the minister, namely in his love for God and his love for the congregation in all her diversity.

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