1. Listening is hard work. I knew this before, but last Sunday’s experience reinforced this. In the words of an old hymn, I’m “prone to wander, Lord I feel it.” This makes sense, of course. The intensity of the spiritual battle heats up when someone stands up to preach God’s Word. Kent, our pastor, helped us last Sunday by using a couple key images – one from the text and one from contemporary culture. Both images engaged me and helped me concentrate harder on the text. Images keep people engaged, and they also serve as re-entry points for people whose minds have wandered.

2. People listen differently. I’m a chronic note-taker. I always have been, I always will be! So I took a half page of notes. Some people around me took notes, others did not. I noticed a few grade school children drawing pictures. This was forbidden when I was a kid! But I thought about Jeff Arthurs’ idea in his book, Preaching With Variety. In a message on Proverbs 4:20-27, he gave people a space to draw as he described the ears, eyes, lips, heart, and feet of one who pursues wisdom. I wonder what I can do to relate to (or adjust to) the different listening styles which flow from different learning styles? Sitting in the congregation last Sunday has prompted me to revisit this issue.

3. It takes time for thought to form. The sermon lasted about 35 minutes. When it was finished, it struck me that it took this long for the idea of the biblical passage to gel in my mind. I suppose that Kent could have cut the sermon to 20 minutes and put the main points on the screens to make sure I got them. But preaching is more than conveying information. Of course, it’s not less than that. But there has to be sufficient time for exposure to a biblical text. Listeners need sufficient time to see it from various angles and contemplate it.

4. Unction is everything! A previous generation of preachers talked a lot about ‘unction.’ By this, they referred to Spirit-empowered preaching which happens only when a preacher has spent significant time in prayer and in God’s presence during the preaching process. I’m convinced that Kent connected on Sunday with listeners because he walks deeply with God. He’s a man of prayer who is concerned about seeing Christ formed in himself and others. Whatever else is true about listening, you can bank on this: When God’s power is at work through a preacher, people listen. Unction is the greatest gift you can provide to help people listen well!