Preacher's Block

This preaching tip was shared by Preacher’s Block co-founder, Hunter Bethea. If you’re interested in joining the most focused preachers in the world and getting these tips sent to your inbox every week, sign up here.

Check the calendar to see if you need to change some things about your sermon. When you hear that, you might think about Mother’s Day and Father’s Day (maybe not the best week to begin a sermon series on Job) or Memorial Day and July 4th (probably not the best weeks to give a sharp critique of our nation’s idols). That’s good, but I think we can take it a step deeper. Think about what kind of mental state your people are in given the week it is.

For example, I anticipate that my congregation is tired, distracted, and overwhelmed the week of Thanksgiving, the two Sundays after Christmas, and the week of Spring Break. So I change up my sermon to be both shorter and more engaging—more stories, more humor, more pictures on the screen. 

I also anticipate that many will be worn out, grieving, or just over it in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I try to make space for those who aren’t about to break into a chorus of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” in each sermon I preach in Advent. I also try to speak hope to those who don’t have much then.

When the school year is wrapping up or about to begin again, I try to avoid telling people what they need to add to their plates or schedules that week. After all, they’re already too busy as is. I tend to recommend practices like solitude, silence, prayer, and Sabbath those weeks, not serving the poor, reading Scripture, or hospitality.

Knowing the calendar helps you anticipate where your people are when they come into the doors of your church to worship on Sunday. Part of incarnational ministry is knowing where your people are and meeting them there.