The sermon is the pastor’s opportunity to share with the congregation what she has heard from the Spirit while studying the scripture(s) for the week. The sermon always grows out of the experience of the scripture. It is based on sound scholarship as well as engagement with the Spirit and the issues within the community of faith. Sometimes it comforts and other times it challenges. Always it seeks to communicate the good news of God’s love through Jesus Christ our Lord.
What we “hear” in the sermon will always be filtered through our own experiences, but if we our experience includes an openness to Holy Spirit, we can and will hear God’s promises, desires and direction for our lives.