This is really aimed at those among my friends who regularly attend religious services. I enjoy a good sermon, which leads, naturally, to the question: What makes a good sermon?
Well, let me tell you a bit about the sermon delivered by the deacon in my church this morning. Today is the Fourth Sunday after Easter, commonly called "Good Shepherd Sunday," because the Gospel reading will be one of the several that refer to Jesus by that term (today's was John 10:11-18). The psalm will be number 23--"The Lord is my shepherd...." and the hymns will all be ones that use that kind of reference.
So the deacon was taking that as the basis for his talk, and what did he start off with? A reference to a Warner Bros. cartoon, one of the several with Sam the sheepdog and Ralph the wolf, who clock in and out like factory workers. Why was this a good way to start? Because it was entertaining, it was light-hearted, and it put the congregation in the mood to listen.
The sermon went on in that way, likening a shepherd's job to modern ones, speaking of those who are dedicated to their jobs--as the biblical shepherd is--and those who simply show up for the paycheck--like the biblical hired hand (or, for that matter, Sam and Ralph). Not a lot of deep historical stuff about sheep herding in ancient Palestine or even deep theological thought about God's relationship to his "flock"....just a way to make the analogy relevant to a 21st Century audience.
That is a good sermon.
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