My Thoughts on Overly Lengthy Sunday Sermons
Is the sermon getting too long? That's what I think whenever a pastor's message is that long. You can think that a Sunday service always has its allocated time. Let's say that Sunday school starts at 9:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. We have a 10:00 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. worship service for the morning and 5:00 P.M. to 6:30 P.M. sunset service. There is time allocated for each activity such as the singing of hymns, the choir singing, the special number, the sermon, dealing with unsaved visitors, baptism and dedication of infants. If there's anything that could cause a worship service to conclude in a much later time it's the sermon.
What's with the worship sermon? While overly short sermons can bore me but overly long sermons can also bore me. Some pastors tend to lack discipline or are overly talkative in the pulpit. The exposition may end up becoming longer than John Gill's exposition of Psalm 119 which is the longest Psalm in the Bible. You may have a short verse reading but the pastor is so talkative he tends to talk too much. Sermons which are supposed to start at 10:30 and end at 11:15 end up ending at 12:00 P.M. It makes me thin is the pastor considering that the flock may be getting hungry for their physical needs while they're overfed with their spiritual needs?
This brings my mind to whenever I listen to the lectures and sermons of Dr. John F. MacArthur and Dr. Robert C. Sproul. Dr. MacArthur's and Dr. Sproul's broadcasts are divided into several parts. Most of Dr. MacArthur's sermons and Dr. Sproul's lessons usually don't go beyond an hour. He divides his expository sermons into several parts. The morning service may be be continued during the evening service on the same Sunday. You can have the same lesson divided into two parts instead of trying to cram everything in at once.
It's all about finding the right length. Not too long and not too short. While long sermons can be entertaining but make them too long and they can get boring. Instead, it's best to plan ahead and divide the topic for both morning and evening services. It gives an easier time for the soul to process the spiritual lessons taught by the pastor. Otherwise, it would be like the shepherd who overfeeds the sheep until they get indigestion.
It's all about finding the right length. Not too long and not too short. While long sermons can be entertaining but make them too long and they can get boring. Instead, it's best to plan ahead and divide the topic for both morning and evening services. It gives an easier time for the soul to process the spiritual lessons taught by the pastor. Otherwise, it would be like the shepherd who overfeeds the sheep until they get indigestion.