THE OTHER SIDE OF PREACHING: LISTENING

We think that to have an active part in the worship service, one must preach, teach, or sing. However that is not true. Listening is an active part of the worship service. George Sweazey reminds us: “The hearers play the leading role in the preaching drama. Everything depends on what they do. They come for the great adventure of experiencing more of eternal truth, and they leave for the even greater adventure of living by that truth. No occupation could be more important.”[1]

We who sit in the pew tend to forget our role in worship. While the preacher spends time in preparing the sermon, few of us spend time preparing to listen to the sermon. Why is it that in church our minds are at other places during the sermon? We get sleepy? We come so easily distracted? We do not follow along in our Bibles? There may be other reasons for this, but I submit that the major reason is that we are not prepared to listen. Here are some keys that I have learned:

1. Be physically ready to listen. What do I mean? I mean I must be rested and well fed, and have my attitude in check. If I stay up too late, or do not eat something before I go to church it affects my listening. Even my attitude affects listening. Studies show that listening is greatly affected by our attitudes. Attitudes are a part of our physical well being. Attitudes that hinder are that of bias, worry, fear, and anger. Good listening is hard work for many times there are objects that must be overcome in listening. That good listening is work can be verified by physical elements during listening. Tests show that concentrated listening increases the heart rate, blood flow, and slightly increased body temperature. It is a physical activity and we need to be physically ready.
2. Be prayerfully ready. That means pray. Pray for the preacher, but pray also for you as a listener. Psalm 119 has an example prayer for this. “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law” (119:18).  
3. Stay focused. This is obvious, but hard to do. Here are some clues to use to help you stay focused. Keep eye contact with the preacher. Do not try to outguess the preacher. By that I mean to do get ahead of him thinking you know what is next (even if you may be correct). In doing so you are not listening nor focused on the preacher’s present point.
4. Take notes of the sermon. Studies show that you retain only 25 to 50% of what you hear. Studies show that taking notes and the use of PowerPoint increases what is retained. While some may consider this a distraction, the alert mind is able to multitask—listen and write at the same time.  It does help retention.
5. Do not be judgmental while listening. Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort what we hear. As a listener, our role is to understand what is being said. This may require you to reflect on what is being said and ask questions after the sermon.  

Remember as the preacher is preaching, the Holy Spirit is speaking. Our main concern should be hearing what the Holy Spirit is trying to tell us.

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[1]  George E. Sweazey, PREACHING THE GOOD NEWS, [Prentice-Hill, 1976], 310.