Does the sermon need to raise its voice to be heard? Writing in Premier Christianity, Dr Claire Williams — a UK academic and preacher — offers a gentle case for the quiet sermon. Returning to the pulpit for the first time in a while, she reflects on how many sermons she has heard over the years made her uncomfortable, not because of their content but because of their register: loud, passionate and emotive, and sometimes raised to a shout.
The essay is prompted by Lucy Sixsmith's book When the Music Fades, which describes the rise of the Soul Survivor youth festival and the charismatic church culture of the 1990s that accompanied it. Williams, who says she remains firmly committed to that tradition, recalls how a generation of young people was told they could change the world — and how that message was often delivered through sermons that were, in her words, "loud, passionate and emotive". She is careful not to dismiss emotion: it is part of how we worship, and a preacher speaking about the most important ideas of our lives will naturally be moved.
The heart of her argument is a definition. A sermon, she writes, is an agreement between the one who gives it, those who hear it, and God — in hearing it, all are drawn together in learning and worship. For that reason a sermon needs to be appropriate to those who listen. She notes that her own dislike of being shouted at is not unique: people who carry past experiences of hurt, noise sensitivity or anxiety can find a raised voice aggressive, and for them taking part in worship becomes harder when the preacher's emotion clashes with their own.
She turns to Jesus as "the preacher par excellence". The Sermon on the Mount does not pull punches — its content is revolutionary, and the challenge to change substantial. Yet Matthew describes the crowd's response not as shame, condemnation or horror but as astonishment: the people are "astounded" and follow Jesus down the mountain, wanting to stay in his presence (Matthew 7:28–8:4). Jesus, she observes, always spoke appropriately to his audience — gentle with children, blunt with Pharisees, captivating with crowds. The challenge a sermon carries, she concludes, should be born of the Spirit making us more like Jesus; if a sermon instead leaves someone fearful or upset in a way that feels unmanageable, that is not the outcome a sermon should have.
Source: Premier Christianity — premierchristianity.com
