No one has ever complained about the length of my sermons. ​

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My preaching professor was the late renowned Harvard preacher, Rev. Peter Gomes, who instructed that a sermon should be one cohesive theme, not a joke with a three-point structure. He instilled in us the importance that if your congregation cannot summarize your sermon in one sentence, you spoke too long about too much.

 

Gomes' timeframe, which I have adopted, is around 20 minutes, as you will see below. I promise you the sermon can be just as inspiring; in fact, after every sermon, I will have 5-10 people continue conversations with me in coffee hour about specific points I made, and it is rumored that my sermons are even discussed when I am not present. 

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Shorter sermons also allow more time to include other elements of the service: special music, an extra hymn, another reading, a story for the ages, recognitions, artistic moments, or other lay-led or staff-led additions. Other congregations may enjoy a slightly longer coffee hour. 

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As you listen, there may be jokes or references that may need further explanation, because I do not have a folder of prewritten sermons. I write every sermon with the congregation to which I am preaching in mind, and what I think needs to be said on that day. 

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My preaching mostly comes from the current milieu of our community, nation, and the world; the emotions which bring us together as human beings; and inspiration from the world's religious traditions. Some sermons include discussions of deities; many do not.

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You'll hear some discussion of politics in these sermons​; the congregations in Oklahoma are very isolated liberals, and they have wanted and needed reminders about how they are not alone. Preaching for your congregation will certainly have different needs, and I will endeavor to learn what inspires you.

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Click on sermons below to hear more samples of my preaching; a video is included on the picture to the right.