I was bored last Sunday in church during the sermon. My mind started wandering. I couldn’t help it. I found myself wondering what we, as 21st century Christians, are trying to accomplish with church sermons. What follows are a few of the thoughts that occurred to me during this momentary subconscious drifting. Oh, perhaps I should confess that I was the guy who was preaching while these random thoughts ran through my mind.

First, let me clarify that I subscribe to the Long Tail theory for sermons. I know that Chris Anderson was talking about business services and products when he postulated his theory. But the principle applies to churches (and sermons) as well. There will be a few of the mega-churches that serve large congregations, but Christianity is well-served by having lots of smaller churches with a variety of teaching, worship and ministry styles. So, by this and subsequent blogs, I’m not suggesting a complete overhaul of all Christian churches. I’m only talking about my segment of the long tail.

I’m tired of churches that try so hard to make the sermon hip. If “hip” means being culturally edgy, then I want no part of it. The culture seems to be constantly moving away from God, not closer to Him. So, I don’t want to be on the cultural edge, which would put me in a societal position that is enviable, but a spiritual position that is precarious.

I don’t want to see video clips that are shown primarily to provide visual variety. Similarly, I don’t need a drama sketch if it’s purpose is to cater to those who have spiritual ADD.

And, I’m tired of fill-in-the-blank sermon handouts and PowerPoint slides with sermon bullet points. These always seem to constrict the sermon to a collection of sound bites. (I use them when I’m preaching, but I wish I didn’t have to. I wonder if the compulsion to use them is due to the congregation’s intolerance of deep exegesis or due to my inability to preach effectively. Maybe it is a combination of both.)

Basically, I’m tired of sermons that try so hard to be culturally relevant that they have no spiritual impact. I’m so hungry and thirsty for hearing the Word of God explained in a way that allows me to marvel again and anew at the mysteries and magnitude of God.

I’m not suggesting we retrench back to using the King James Version. But I believe that preaching that is deeply rooted in the Bible can have an appeal and transformational power without the necessity of gimmicks, shallowness or clever alliterations to appease the congregational pallets accustomed to biblical pabulum.

I believe that the truths of Christianity are constant and unchanging and applicable for all people, regardless of their generation or geographical location. However, in my own lifespan I have seen enough cultural change to believe that the method by which God’s truth is articulated and practiced is most effective when it occurs in the cultural context. The trick is to make the translation and presentation of God’s truth culturally relevant so that it can be understood and absorbed (1 Cor 9:19-23). without sacrificing solid, convicting and encouraging truth in the process.

No more “sermon lite.” It leads to Christianity lite, and that’s my tendency anyway. So, for my part of the church’s long tail, give me a confrontational presentation of God’s Word that forces me to examine my life in the context of God’s design. I don’t want to be comfortable during a sermon, and I certainly don’t want to be drifting off . . . again.