Thread: Prayers for beginning and ending sermons Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.


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Posted by Evensong (# 14696) on :
 
In my tradition (MOTR Anglican) most preachers begin a sermon with a short doxology or prayer such as "In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit" or a version of a verse from Psalm 19 "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD etc."

Sometimes they end with a similar sort of thing.

I've done a fair bit of hunting and listening and I can't find one that sits well with me.

I'm preaching shortly (only my 3rd time ever!) and I'm hoping youse all might be able to offer some alternatives.

What sort of words/prayers/things do you use to begin and/or end a sermon?

Thanks muchly!
 
Posted by Adeodatus (# 4992) on :
 
You don't have to say anything. People sometimes like a cue to sit down. I tend to begin with "In the name...", partly to provide a cue, partly because I think it emphasises that what follows is a part of the liturgy, not an interlude in it.

At the end, I normally just stop. Leaving the pulpit usually makes it clear to people that you've finished.
 
Posted by BroJames (# 9636) on :
 
Through the written word,
and the spoken word,
may we know your Living Word
Jesus Christ our Savour. Amen

or

Open our ears, O Lord,
to hear your word and know your voice.
Speak to our hearts and strengthen our wills,
that we may serve you today/now and always. Amen

or scroll down here to B.19 for the official bidding prescribed by the Canons of the Church of England ( [Snigger] )
 
Posted by Emendator Liturgia (# 17245) on :
 
I usually start with "In the name ...." (sometimes with a combination the Psalm 19 and the nomine patri).

Sometimes it is more effective to let the last words/thoughts of your sermon ring out, sometimes I, simply say: "The Lord be with you," then leave the pulpit/ambo.
 
Posted by John Holding (# 158) on :
 
In the old days, sermons used to begin with the sacred words: My text today is.....

John
 
Posted by LutheranChik (# 9826) on :
 
I like the beginning and ending prayers.

When I'm lay preaching I usually start with one of those Pauline salutations, like, "I bring you grace and peace from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

At the end of the sermon I like, "Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds, through Christ Jesus," or something similar.
 
Posted by Anglican_Brat (# 12349) on :
 
The two most common openings:
"In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." (This sometimes indicates that the preacher has a high churchmanship, especially if he/she makes the sign of the Cross.)

"May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord our rock and our redeemer." (This is still quite common)

I used the first at my Anglo-catholic placement last semester while the latter I use at my seminary chapel when I preach.

For closing, I simply use "amen". I have seen some end with an invocation to the Trinity:

"Now unto God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit be all dominion, glory and power, Amen."

Or

"Now unto the one, holy, blessed and undivided Trinity, be all dominion, glory and power, Amen."

[ 27. June 2013, 13:47: Message edited by: Anglican_Brat ]
 
Posted by Vade Mecum (# 17688) on :
 
I've heard "May I speak and may listen in the Name of God: Father, Son and Holy Ghost" in addition to those listed.

I do think it's a shame that so many sermons begin with "please sit down"...
 
Posted by gog (# 15615) on :
 
I do tend to start with the verse from Psalm 19. Seeing it not only as a link in, but a prayer I bring before God.

I tend not to end with a prayer, but ether with a question, or a verse from the readings, or a sort of prayer of encouragement (may God bless you as you try and [insert topic].) And more often go straight into a hymn that sums up what I just said.

However I do try and link the introduction to the dismissal back to the topic of the sermon.
 
Posted by Angloid (# 159) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Adeodatus:
You don't have to say anything. People sometimes like a cue to sit down. I tend to begin with "In the name...", partly to provide a cue, partly because I think it emphasises that what follows is a part of the liturgy, not an interlude in it.
That's an interesting view. As I understand it, current RC guidelines suggest/demand (?) that the preacher doesn't use any introduction, just in order to show that the homily is part of the liturgy and not a discrete element inserted into it.

I find myself automatically saying something like, 'may I speak in the name of the Living God, the Father...etc.' Like you, I don't think it implies that the sermon isn't part of the liturgy, any more than inserting 'The Lord be with you' at various points does either. But there must be some rationale to the RC ruling.
 
Posted by Adeodatus (# 4992) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:
quote:
Originally posted by Adeodatus:
You don't have to say anything. People sometimes like a cue to sit down. I tend to begin with "In the name...", partly to provide a cue, partly because I think it emphasises that what follows is a part of the liturgy, not an interlude in it.
That's an interesting view. As I understand it, current RC guidelines suggest/demand (?) that the preacher doesn't use any introduction, just in order to show that the homily is part of the liturgy and not a discrete element inserted into it.

I find myself automatically saying something like, 'may I speak in the name of the Living God, the Father...etc.' Like you, I don't think it implies that the sermon isn't part of the liturgy, any more than inserting 'The Lord be with you' at various points does either. But there must be some rationale to the RC ruling.
Actually, when I'm presiding in our hospital chapel, I just start the homily without an introduction. I usually structure my "brief few words" as a commentary on the gospel that leads us into the intercessions anyway, so being "seamless" seems a very natural way of doing it. It's in the parishes that I get the impression people expect something formal.
 
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on :
 
In the parish church of my youth, the priest always ended his sermon with "May God bless you."
 
Posted by PD (# 12436) on :
 
In the church I presently serve I usually do a slight variation on Ps. 19, 14. In my preious shack it was the custom for the minister to make a short extemporary prayer cover the immediate concerns of the congregation ending the Lord's Prayer. I prefer an extemporary prayer before the sermon, but in my present shack where we always have Communion at the main service it would be redundant as the Prayer for the Church follows a little later in the service, and one can introduce the congregation's prayer requests before that.

Then at the end I have always said something along the lines of

"To God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, be all honour, glory, might, power and dominion, now, and forever more. Amen."

PD
 
Posted by shamwari (# 15556) on :
 
I am glad that at least one person on the thread does not have an opening prayer.

Make that two.

I am not sure what the prayer is supposed to add. In my circles it was often the case that the preacher sat and prayed during the hymn prior to the sermon. Why?

Prayers in preparation for the service as a whole beforehand are all that's necessary IMO. If God has blessed / inspired the service then, when the time comes, just go for it.
 
Posted by SvitlanaV2 (# 16967) on :
 
In the British Methodist Church, such prayers seem to be entirely optional. Some lay and ordained preachers use them and some don't. In my experience, most don't.

There's an assumption that someone who's called to the pulpit - and trained in the theological and presentational expectations of the denomination - will already be praying day by day that what they do and say will be blessed by God. There's no need for an additional prayer at the beginning of a sermon. Such a public prayer perhaps reinforces the dated idea that the sermon is extra special and needs more of God's help than other aspects of the preacher or minister's role.

Also, Methodist preachers tend to say a prayer with the church stewards in the vestry before the official start of the service. I don't know if other denominations do this. If not, then perhaps the opening prayer in the pulpit takes its place.
 
Posted by Alan Cresswell (# 31) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by shamwari:
I am glad that at least one person on the thread does not have an opening prayer.

Make that two.
Three.

In my case, the sermon follows immediately after the Gospel reading. So, a member of the congregation will come out and read the OT and Epistle. Then the preacher will go to the lectern and read the Gospel. Closing the Bible, placing it reverently on the table by the lectern and getting the notes on the lectern (we don't have a pulpit, so usually preach from the lectern) is enough of a cue that the sermon is starting. My sermons usually end with some form of exhortatory prayer ("may we all live according to what the Lord has shown us this morning") or a prayer of praise ("God is so great for what he has done, as we've heard this morning"); for which an "amen" is entirely appropriate. We'd then have a short piece of appropriate music for people to reflect on the sermon a bit before proceeding with the prayers of intercession.
 
Posted by leo (# 1458) on :
 
I always think that 'Amen' is a weak ending - seems like 'i wish it were true.'

It can be very effective to end a sermon with a kick and then simply walk way.

I usually start with:

text - word from today's gospel.

In the name...
 
Posted by Hart (# 4991) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Angloid:
quote:
Originally posted by Adeodatus:
You don't have to say anything. People sometimes like a cue to sit down. I tend to begin with "In the name...", partly to provide a cue, partly because I think it emphasises that what follows is a part of the liturgy, not an interlude in it.
That's an interesting view. As I understand it, current RC guidelines suggest/demand (?) that the preacher doesn't use any introduction, just in order to show that the homily is part of the liturgy and not a discrete element inserted into it.
Precisely, we just start preaching. You've already made the SotC to open the service, of which the homily is an integral part, so there's no need to do it again.

It's not really a ruling, but the Congregation for Divine Worship had this to say in 1973:

quote:

Query: Is it advisable to invite the faithful to bless themselves before or after the homily, to address a salutation to them, for example, "Praised be Jesus Christ"?

Response: It all depends on lawful local custom. But generally speaking it is inadvisable to continue such customs because they have their origin in preaching outside Mass. The homily is part of the liturgy: the people have already blessed themselves and received the greeting at the beginning of Mass. It is better, then, not to have a repetition before or after the homily.
Before proclaiming the gospel, a priest is to say privately "Almighty God, cleanse my heart and my lips that I may worthily proclaim Your Gospel." If a preacher has not proclaimed the gospel, this might be an appropriate private prayer before preaching.

All of this said, if your people are so used to a prayer that they'll be distracted by not hearing a prayer at the beginning, give them something short and simple.
 
Posted by Galilit (# 16470) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by John Holding:
In the old days, sermons used to begin with the sacred words: My text today is.....

Or "A funny thing happened to me this week...". Which then describes the event and how it relates to God, the Gospel, the Particular Sunday, etc

Or as the closing: "And I think we're all a little bit like that, aren't we?" The implication being we should all try NOT to be "like that" at all
 
Posted by Thurible (# 3206) on :
 
When I praught, I would read out the text that was my focus and then say "May I speak in the name..." which was the congregation's queue to sit down.

I'd end by having the final sentence lead into something like "to whom be glory and honour forever."

At my current church, the parson insists on waiting til the organ has stopped, then saying "please sit down", then he reads his text, and then says "in the name..."

Thurible
 
Posted by Cottontail (# 12234) on :
 
A very traditional ending in the Kirk would be, Amen, and thanks be to God for this preaching from his holy Word, and to his name be the praise and the glory. Or invert it to put the Amen at the end. I've used it, and it trips off the tongue rather nicely. [Smile]
 
Posted by Morgan (# 15372) on :
 
I sometimes, but not always, use an opening prayer - In the name of . . . or Psalm 19.14 or Loving God (or other salutation) as we open your word to our hearts, we pray that you open our hearts to your word.
I always have a brief closing prayer which varies according to the content of the sermon.
 
Posted by Sergius-Melli (# 17462) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by leo:
I usually start with:

text - word from today's gospel.

In the name...
If this means what I think it does, then it is rather familiar.

In my old Parish the Priest used to start every sermon with one of the verses from the Gospel which formed the nebulas of the sermon and then proceeded with 'In the name...'
 
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on :
 
I will usually start with an (extempore) prayer asking God's Spirit to open our hearing and our understanding. That's as much a cue to the congregation that "these are not just my random thoughts but aim to be something more" as anything else.

I end with "In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit" as this tells the organist to switch on the blower so we have sufficient air pressure for the hymns which follows!
 
Posted by Eirenist (# 13343) on :
 
Either:
"May I preach faithfully in the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit"
or:
"Blessed be the Word, the mouth that speaks, the ears that hear, the minds that understand"
or something similar.
 
Posted by Thurible (# 3206) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Thurible:
When I praught, I would read out the text that was my focus and then say "May I speak in the name..." which was the congregation's queue to sit down.
This is an untruth and what I get for posting when tired. I never began like that because I was adamant that, as a layman, I wasn't authorised to do so. I began "May I speak to the glory of..."

Thurible
 
Posted by Oscar the Grouch (# 1916) on :
 
IF I start with a prayer (I don't always), it will usually be:
quote:
“Now, O Lord, take my lips and speak through them; take our minds and think through them; take our hearts and set them on fire with love for yourself. Amen.”
I used to end some sermons with:
quote:
“Lord Jesus Christ, fill us with your Holy Spirit, that we may be less of what we used to be, and that we may become more of what you want us to be. Amen”

 
Posted by Rev per Minute (# 69) on :
 
I tend to start with "May the words of my lips..." whilst my (much higher) colleagues use "In the name of the Father..." As our congregations stand for the Gospel reading they seem to want to be told when to sit down, so if I went straight into the sermon there would be an awkward moment as people sat down during my first sentences.

Two thoughts - I don't see ending the sermon with 'Amen' as a weak finish. I have ended with what I see as the Picard translation of the word: "Make it so!" Amen is a call to action, not a pious comment.

And we seem to have missed out the congregation's prayers, which are probably "Keep it short" at the beginning and "Thank God!" at the end... (No comment on anyone else's preaching styles implied or intended!)
 
Posted by Fr Weber (# 13472) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Sergius-Melli:
In my old Parish the Priest used to start every sermon with one of the verses from the Gospel which formed the nebulas of the sermon and then proceeded with 'In the name...'
This is pretty much what I do, with another invocation at the end.

Sometimes at the end I'll use the full doxology : "And now to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost be ascribed as is most justly due, all might, majesty, power and dominion, world without end."
 
Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on :
 
Probably not a lot of help to the OP, but we have always had a sung gospel acclamation, Halle Halle Halle, after which people have learned to sit (though I don't object to an invitation to sit because invitations can be a part of liturgical discourse ...)

I end with "the Lord be with you" and the congregation, being mainly good Anglicans, respond as commanded by the entire weight of universal and soteriological history ...

... then we move into 40-60 seconds of silence.
 
Posted by leo (# 1458) on :
 
quote:
Originally posted by Sergius-Melli:
quote:
Originally posted by leo:
I usually start with:

text - word from today's gospel.

In the name...
If this means what I think it does, then it is rather familiar.

In my old Parish the Priest used to start every sermon with one of the verses from the Gospel which formed the nebulas of the sermon and then proceeded with 'In the name...'
The way i usually do it stems from old-fashioned Anglo-catholic practice.

Fr. Ken Leech, one of my heroes, always started this way.

My younger Reader colleague copies me in this and many other ways.

So does our deacon (to be priested tomorrow).
 
Posted by ElaineC (# 12244) on :
 
At the end of the preaching module of my Reader training course our tutor gave us each a bookmark with some prayers before preaching on it.

"May the spoken and written word lead us to the living Word, Jesus Christ our Lord."

"Take my lips and speak through them; take our minds and think through them; take our hearts and set them on fire with love for you."

"Holy Spirit, take my words and speak to each of us according to our need."
 
Posted by Evensong (# 14696) on :
 
Thank you all very much for your responses. They have been most useful.

We used to have the model where the congregation would be standing when the preacher approached the lectern so something was required to seat people.

We had a complete back flip of liturgy recently so people are now already seated.

I reckon I'm going to go for starting with the line of text this time but will be keeping in mind all these other options for other times!

Thank you.

[Angel]
 


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